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  #71  
Old 10-08-2016, 12:00 PM
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BruceEicher BruceEicher is offline
 
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Location: Wilsonville/Aurora KUAO Oregon
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Default My experience only...

Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeyDale View Post
I painted white and covered the wingtips and empennage tips in Hot Rod Red 3M 1080 Vinyl. I also cut a design and put it on the sides. I really like the Idea that I can change up my trim scheme any time I want. But I am having trouble covering the compound curves on the empennage tips with a single piece. At first it looks great but over time the edges wrinkle. There is probably something I'm doing wrong but it is difficult to heat and stretch around the compound curve and expect the straight line near it to not wrinkle after sitting a while.
Hi Mike.

I have some of the same seam wrinkles on my wheel pants.

Here are a few tips I have found to help (by trial and error).

Avoid seams and material ends on curves as much as possible due to lifting and wrinkle potential.
Avoid seams and material ends on leading edges due to impact wear.
Lap seam overlap should flow aft and down.
Do use knifeless tape. A razor blade will open the film for possible moisture penetration and will scratch the aluminum no matter how vigilant you are.
Apply primer under any seams that are in the slipstream or have any curvature, giving more strength to edge bond.
Apply primer to concave surfaces to give a stronger bond, helping avoid lifting.
When using the primer, the film sticks like contact cement so don?t expect any repositioning.
After removing the knifeless tape and sealing edges/seams with heat then apply clear seam sealer product.

Hope that helps?Cheers!
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  #72  
Old 10-08-2016, 12:05 PM
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BruceEicher BruceEicher is offline
 
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Default Dry application

Quote:
Originally Posted by DanH View Post
Gentlemen, my question to Sid was serious as a heart attack.

We know corrosion can happen under the blue shipping vinyl.

We know corrosion can happen under paint.

So, if there is something about wrap vinyl that makes corrosion a "complete and total non-issue", it could be very useful.

My RV-8 has Grove billet aluminum gear legs. They're made of 7075, an alloy which is not naturally corrosion resistant. They must be primed and painted, or kept polished and waxed. Mine are polished. It looks good, but I think regular polishing is a PITA.

Recall I found Bruce's work with chrome-look vinyl interesting, and asked about clear film over polished aluminum? You see where I'm going here? If either film can go over the polished gear leg (a) without concern for corrosion, or (b) with the expectation that is will absolutely prevent corrosion, why, I would be a very happy camper.

Turns out to be a statement based on anecdote from a vested interest. That's not an accusation. On the other hand, it's not science.
Hi Dan,

The Avery Conform Chrome Film I used for my fiberglass leg covers and fairings is dry application. So is the color film 3M 1080. Sounds like the clear is not.

Cheers!
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  #73  
Old 10-08-2016, 07:55 PM
g zero g zero is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: palm coast fl.
Posts: 945
Default Wrap

I build food trucks and the all get wrapped . I have seen a few RV's that were wrapped . Both fall under the 10' rule , they look good from 10' away .
I painted my 8 in a homemade booth with good results . It would be interesting to see a "roller " paint job . A lot of high end yachts are painted with polyurethane and a roller . It would be cheaper than a wrap , zero overspray .
I've seen a fabric Baby Ace painted with a roller , not bad from 5' away .
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  #74  
Old 10-23-2016, 03:41 PM
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rv8ch rv8ch is offline
 
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Location: LSGY
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Default Longivity of vinyl wrap

3M seems to have a fixed number of years warranty for their products, which seems reasonable. I've also read that removing the vinyl gets harder after a number of years.

Does this mean that a re-wrap will be needed after a period of years? How would you know if it's needed? What are the failure modes of the vinyl, besides fading colors?

This looks like a really interesting option to painting.
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  #75  
Old 10-23-2016, 05:16 PM
jarhead jarhead is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: PA
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Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by rv8ch View Post
3M seems to have a fixed number of years warranty for their products, which seems reasonable. I've also read that removing the vinyl gets harder after a number of years.

Does this mean that a re-wrap will be needed after a period of years? How would you know if it's needed? What are the failure modes of the vinyl, besides fading colors?
Based on the old vinyl graphics I've seen and removed from helicopters over the years, cracking of the vinyl comes after fading colors. I would imagine that's a result of the plasticizers in the vinyl "cooking" out of the material due to UV exposure and other environmental factors (however, I'm no chemist, so one of our resident chemists would have to confirm or deny that).
Combine the brittleness of the cracking vinyl with old adhesive, and it's definitely a chore to remove old vinyl. Once it's close to cracking, or has started cracking, there's little-to-no chance of using a heat gun for a few seconds and peeling off a large section of vinyl - it's heat gun, plastic scraper, adhesive remover, and patience time.
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