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05-28-2009, 07:30 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 1,069
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wish me luck...
As I will begin my fuel tanks this weekend (assuming I get proseal in the mail)... I am not looking forward to this and hope to avoid major issues and leaks. 
__________________
Ryan Allen, CFII
RV7 N612RA, flying since july 2012
E-170/175
RV10 Tail Kit complete, Wings 90%, fuse on order
Acro Sport 2, building
Last edited by miyu1975 : 05-28-2009 at 07:40 AM.
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05-28-2009, 07:43 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Huskerland, USA
Posts: 5,862
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It is really not that bad.
Make sure you rough up and clean the ares to be sealed.
Get some syringes from a farm store and use them as a dispensor. Works like a charm.
Use masking tape to protect areas you don't want proseal on.
As soon as you get proseal on your gloves change them.
Get lots of pop cycle sticks in a variety of sizes and use a belt sander to design "special" ones for spacfic tasks.
On the other hand don't listen to me, I've only built an RV-12 fuel tank!  (But I've repaired several others.  )
Good luck! Keep us posted.
__________________
RV-7 : In the hangar
RV-10 : In the hangar
RV-12 : Built and sold
RV-44 : 4 place helicopter on order.
Last edited by Geico266 : 05-28-2009 at 07:48 AM.
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05-28-2009, 07:46 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Jackson, MS
Posts: 1,262
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It's not that bad.
The stories are worse than the job really is. You only hear about the bad jobs and no one talks about the good ones.
Yes it's messy, but cleans up. Only advice I can give you is to wear clothes that you don't mind donating to the local land fill when you are done.
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Webb Willmott
Jackson, MS
N32WW
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05-28-2009, 07:55 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 2,295
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As Webb said...I think it's highly exaggerated. Yes, it's messy. Yes, it's weird riveting with goop between the ribs and skins. Be sure to scuff up the skins really, REALLY well. Don't be shy about it and you'll be fine.
And oh yeah...wear a respirator!
__________________
"What kind of man would live where there is no daring? I don't believe in taking foolish chances but nothing can be accomplished without taking any chance at all." - Charles A. Lindbergh
Jamie | RV-7A First Flight: 7/27/2007 (Sold)
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05-28-2009, 08:10 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 163
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Other necessities..
Beside the aforementioned gloves, junk clothes, popsicle sticks,and respirator.. there is always clean-up. MEK or toluene are the usual suspects. One thing that I prefer though is 99% pure isopropyl alcohol. Doesn't clean as fast as the other two but still gets the job done on your skin while being marginally less hazardous to your long term health.
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Bill S.
A+P, RV Dreamer + Schemer
RV-9 preplans in hand
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05-28-2009, 08:39 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Aubrey, TX
Posts: 358
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Cleaners
My first run at ProSeal was on the rudder of my RV-9. Roughed the surface up and cleaned it with paint thinner. I used a postage meter scale to weigh out the two products and I used a heavy duty zip lock bag with a small piece cut out of the corner to apply the stuff (like cake decoration).
The process went great, however when I went back two weeks later, there was no bond at all. I called Van?s and they said it was fine to not have the ProSeal bond; however I went to a lot of trouble for nothing.
Van said I shouldn?t have used paint thinner as a cleaning agent because it leaves a residue. They said use xylene. So I got some xylene from my local aircraft supply store (Home Depot) and used it on the elevator last weekend. So for I think it has worked.
Others may want to comment on what to clean with, but from my limited experience paint thinner is a definite NO.
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Dean Eiland
Aubrey, TX
Former Vice President EAA Chapter 1246
RV-9 (yes) N369RV
Mattituck IO-360, C/S Whirl Wind Prop, GRT, Digiflight II, Garmin SL30 & GTX 330 and Hotel Whisky Aux tanks, Bla Bla Bla
Flying
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05-28-2009, 10:17 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Italy
Posts: 203
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I completed my first and leak-free fuel tank a couple of weeks ago. I tested it using the ballonn method and, after 5 days, the balloon was still inflated as the first moment.
I was scared by some posts on this forum about leaks, working with proseal and so on.. but what I can say, based on my own experience, is that I just followed the instructions and I had no particular issue. Completing a leak-free fuel tank it's not so hard as it sounds. Just take your time.. plan ahead and don't be shy with proseal! It doesn't bite!!
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Claudio
Was Avellino - Italy...
Now Cypress, TX
www.rv7a.it
RV-7 I-KLAU (Reserved)
Empennage Done!! (except fiberglass)
Wings done!!
Working on aft fuse.
...SOLD! 
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05-28-2009, 02:26 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 66
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What I've learned so far...
I have been working on the tanks for a couple of weeks. Here are some things I've learned. Of course, I am not finished, so it's up to you how much to believe from the guy who hasn't pressure tested his tanks yet...
1 - Get TWO quart kits of Proseal. Vans says one should be enough, but as another local builder told me "After building many many sets of tanks, Vans knows *exactly* where to put it -- you and I don't :-) ". There is no way I could have done everything with a single quart kit.
2 ? Instead of popsicle sticks, I cut a piece of 1/8? thick lexan into well..popsicle stick-looking strips. It won?t break, but it is nice and flexible so it won?t scratch anything. It was also very easy to shape with my grinder. I also happened to have lexan laying around, but not popsicle sticks?
3 ? Get an inspection mirror. I got mine for something like $5 at aircraft spruce. VERY useful for inspecting rivet heads that don?t look quite right. After looking at them with the mirror, most of these were OK but the proseal oozing around them made them look distorted.
4 ? While you?re shopping for your mirror, get some AN470AD6 rivets to plug the tooling holes on the outer ribs. The holes are just the right size for these rivets. You can also make a little plate and attach it to the rib with smaller AN470AD4 or even AN426AD3 rivets, but if you?re already putting in a mail order, might as well spend an extra $3 and save yourself an hour of fabricating little plates, drilling holes, and riveting. Oh yeah, the $3 will buy you ? lbs of rivets, which is about 96 more rivets than you?ll need.
5 ? While you?re shopping for your mirror and AN470AD6 rivets, might as well also get some fuel lube (EZ Turn Lubricant)
6 ? If possible, get a helper for the riveting. When the tank is in the cradle, it was very hard to hold the gun to the rivets near the leading edge and the bucking bar on the inside. You *can* do it yourself, but it is so much easier to have one person shooting and another bucking.
7. MEK works very well at cleaning proseal. Unfortunately, it also works very well at melting everything else, including the lexan sticks, your gloves, your fingers, your EYES, your BRAIN, etc. So, wear a respirator and safety glasses *any time* the can of MEK is open.
8. I riveted all the ribs except for the inboard rib, and then put in the vent line. I think this worked out well.
I followed the George Orndorff philosophy on tank sealing ? if you can say ?This looks like there is absolutely no way this will leak, it probably won?t, but if you look at the tank and say ?it looks OK, probably won?t leak?..it probably will ?? We?ll see how this turns out when I put in the baffle plate and pressure test them?
Luis
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Luis Orozco
Austin, TX
RV7A - Flying!
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05-28-2009, 03:54 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 1,505
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All great advice and I agree it isn't as bad as you think. One thing I didn't see mentioned was paper towels for cleanup. Get you a roll of those blue paper shop towels and cut them up in 2 inch squares. You will need to wipe off the rivet set and bucking bar frequently to keep things from sliding around while setting rivets. Have lots of nitrile or latex gloves and change them often. The little paper squares really helps keep things clean and don't waste as many towels. Good luck!
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Jim Wright
RV-9A N9JW 90919 SoldArkansas
http://www.jimsairplanes.com
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"It's a brutal struggle for the biscuit."
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05-28-2009, 08:07 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Cumming, GA
Posts: 610
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still thinking about a 540?
Maybe you need to stretch that tank out!
I'll pile some a couple more comments...
- surface prep is everything.
- the tank actually takes a few days to completely cure. let the tank cure on your wing.
__________________
Don Hall
N517DG - RV7 - Flying!
Ticked Van's Hobbes meter at #6110, 3/7/09
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