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-   -   Considering Wrapping (https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=180628)

mxhossai 03-20-2020 03:10 PM

Considering Wrapping
 
Hello friends,

Considering wrapping my RV12, which is bare aluminum now. Elsewhere I read that some who wrapped used 3M 2048 as wrapping material. Two questions:

1. Is 3M 2048 still preferred wrapping material.
2. Are there any gotchas when being wrapped. I am considering using professional wrapping company but not necessarily an airplane wrapping company.

Thank you,
Monir

BH1166 03-20-2020 03:35 PM

Lots of reading
 
lately of vinyl. If you use a company, they will have a recommendation base on their experience. Seems that most all have similar longevity, the real difference is in application pros and con. Avery has tons of color choices. 3m has a good rep and 1080 and new 2080 are top sellers. Orocal has a following for good reason as well. I?m playing with some sample 1080. I hear the 2080 cold forms very well, an installation nicety. Have fun , go wild 😜

Jamesey 03-20-2020 04:55 PM

Wrapping
 
Personal opinion. I left the blue covering that the kit comes with from Vans. For various reasons it was on for a while. Lots of admittedly minor corrosion problems under the plastic. Last thing I would do is cover it with plastic

mxhossai 03-20-2020 05:15 PM

Thanks the feedback so far. Interesting that you left the plastic but since those did not cover the surface completely perhaps more chance getting water/moisture getting traps underneath vs larges sections (or all of it) covered? Any experience anybody with having vinyl for a while on their RVs? Any corrosion issues?

bbsdad 03-20-2020 05:33 PM

Wrap
 
Prime it to insure you don?t get corrosion. Then wrap. 2 part epoxy would b best.
Just my 2 cents.

Onewinglo 03-20-2020 06:55 PM

Wrapping -8 Wings
 
I like vinyl and have no concern with with corrosion occurring under properly applied quality vinyl. My confidence stems from trying to find evidence, over about two years, of anyone, anywhere, finding corrosion upon vinyl removal. My lack of evidence does not prove corrosion has not occurred, but I suspect we would have heard something by now. (I'm obviously not talking about the blue film on kit aluminum).
Today I ordered enough 3M 1080 satin white aluminum to wrap the polished wings on our -8. The wing tips are painted so we will only wrap the wings and control surfaces. I have had good luck in the past applying vinyl to "easy" areas like the horizontal stabilizer and parts of the fuselage, but I could not wrap the compound curves of the stabilizer tips.
Our -8 will have all fiberglass parts painted, polished fuselage, and vinyl wrapped wings. It's an adventure...

Kyle Boatright 03-20-2020 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Onewinglo (Post 1416137)
I like vinyl and have no concern with with corrosion occurring under properly applied quality vinyl. My confidence stems from trying to find evidence, over about two years, of anyone, anywhere, finding corrosion upon vinyl removal.

Plenty of builders have found corrosion under the protective vinyl that comes on most parts from Van's. That's enough for me to avoid installing opaque vinyl over bare aluminum. If corrosion started, it might go for a long time without being detected.

tomkk 03-21-2020 05:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyle Boatright (Post 1416161)
Plenty of builders have found corrosion under the protective vinyl that comes on most parts from Van's. That's enough for me to avoid installing opaque vinyl over bare aluminum. If corrosion started, it might go for a long time without being detected.

I think the jury's still out about corrosion under vinyl but I don't think what happens under the plastic that covers parts is remotely representative of what happens under the vinyl.

I just finished wrapping my Panther, my first experience with vinyl. The 3M 2080 is 3 mils thick and conforms closely to the smallest imperfections. It seems that areas of exposure might be around rivet heads, along the edges, etc. where air and moisture might exist. The vinyl also has microchannels in the adhesive that allows us to push air bubbles out to the edge and I'm not sure what happens to the microchannels after the adhesive is set. Also, there are inevitable pin pricks to deal the the occasional stubborn bubble.

The bottom line, at least for me, is there was only one way to find out and that was to try it. Speculating or drawing analogies to other products is just that, speculation. It seems that vinyl is becoming more popular on aircraft and, hopefully, it won't be too much longer before we see some real experiences.

I do know that the vinyl adhesive doesn't like fuel or Corrosion-X. Any edges that are likely to come in contact with either need to be sealed with 3M's sealer.

BobbyLucas 03-21-2020 05:53 AM

I'm planning to wrap and have been watching a lot of CKWraps on YouTube. He's got several vids reviewing different brands. He considers the industries top brands to be: Vvivid, Avery, 3M, Hexis, Oracal, and APA. He seems to like Vvivid a lot and says 3M is not the easiest to apply for beginners. Each of the brands has it's pros and cons. He has tons of vids on the wrapping process and what can go wrong, both in general, and brand-specific.

I was leaning towards 3M and purchased the sample pack and a poster from their website, but I am a long way off from wrapping.

Anyone else have wrapping resources (YouTube channels, websites...) they recommend?

BobbyLucas 03-21-2020 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomkk (Post 1416202)
I think the jury's still out about corrosion under vinyl but I don't think what happens under the plastic that covers parts is remotely representative of what happens under the vinyl.

I just finished wrapping my Panther, my first experience with vinyl. The 3M 2080 is 3 mils thick and conforms closely to the smallest imperfections. It seems that areas of exposure might be around rivet heads, along the edges, etc. where air and moisture might exist. The vinyl also has microchannels in the adhesive that allows us to push air bubbles out to the edge and I'm not sure what happens to the microchannels after the adhesive is set. Also, there are inevitable pin pricks to deal the the occasional stubborn bubble.

The bottom line, at least for me, is there was only one way to find out and that was to try it. Speculating or drawing analogies to other products is just that, speculation. It seems that vinyl is becoming more popular on aircraft and, hopefully, it won't be too much longer before we see some real experiences.

I do know that the vinyl adhesive doesn't like fuel or Corrosion-X. Any edges that are likely to come in contact with either need to be sealed with 3M's sealer.

I agree, and good tip on the sealer! Remember aluminum will not continue to corrode from water alone, it takes something capable of eating through the oxide layer like salt or some other corrosive substance. So if you're careful what products you use on your plane and you don't live in a coastal area I think you'll be fine. My only concern is possibly salt in the winter. Could easily remove and re-wrap a few areas during the annual CI to check for issues.


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