Wing Walk installation Help needed.

[rv9aviator]

I ordered the Vans wing walk material with the lettering cutouts (RV-9A ) and am wondering how to install it. The material is a sticky back with the letters still on the material but you can faintly see where it is die cut to be able to remove the letters so the paint below the wing walk will spellout RV-9A. It doesn't look like it is cut all the way through but maybe it is and you really can't see the letters looking from the top side. I guess I could peel the backing paper off enough to see the letters from the back side and try to remove them before I place the material down on the wing or I could lay the whole sheet down and try to unstick the letters and remove them. Either way doesn't look very easy. Looking for advice from someone who's already been there done that. Thanks!

[Skint]

I bought the wing walk material from Van's too but cut off the part where the numbers were. The middles seem to come off eventually anyway but if I am honest I ordered RV7 instead of 7a.....
Anyway, position the material and then tape a "hinge" onto one end or the other. Use masking tape or duct tape so half the tape is on the wing walk and half on the wing skin. Fold the whole thing over against the wing. Peel off the backer. Pick up the non hinge end ( do not pull too hard) and fold the whole thing back but do not let the adhesive touch down yet. So you have the hinge end attached to the wing and you are holding the other end taut at an angle of about 20 degrees. Use a squeegee or flat piece of plastic and squeegee down the end by the hinge, across the material in one stroke maybe an inch or so wide, as you lower the other end, squeegee your way up the material. Try not to trap air.
Not sure whether you should peel out the letters before you lay it down or after. I would think before.
Good luck!

[rv9aviator]

Took a minute to figure out the hinge part but am thinking the letters should come out first too but look like it's going to be a job separating the letters from the wing walk.
Edit: If I had it to do over again I would order them without the lettering. No way to handle the stuff without touching the sticky side which will probably turn loose in time. The letters come out pretty easy though.

[N282S]

I peeled the letters. Don't forget to leave the middle part of the "R". Next I turned the material upside down and scored the backing material laterally about 1/3 the way up. Cut the backing just enough so the backing is cut through but not the black wing walk itself. Do not unpeel anything just yet. Lay the wing walk on the wing and position it where you want. I used masking tape and some lead shot bags to hold the wing walk in place but do not tape down the smaller portion of the backing that you had cut. Next, carefull lift the smaller part of the wing walk and peel off the smaller 1/3 of the backing that you had previously cut. Now, with the other (2/3) part of the wing walk still taped and held in place, press the exposed sticky 1/3 into place on the wing. Now you can remove the shot bags and tape. Lift up the larger part of the wing walk, remove that piece of backing and press the wing walk into place. Voila`

[Dave_Boxall]

I used the 2/3 - 1/3 trick and it worked pretty well, though I used a helper to hold the 2/3 end instead of using shot bags.

For the bits in the middle of the letters & numbers - the little "islands" of wing-walk material.

Take the letters & numbers out before laying the wing-walk.
Leave the "islands" of wing walk in the R, the A and any numbers (e.g. 4, 6, 8,9)
Lay the wing walk.
Peel the backing off the "islands" - while leaving the island attached to the letter or number.
Put the letter back into its hole in the wing walk
Hold the "island" down while removing the letter from around it.

- that should leave you with the "island" of wing walk properly positioned in the middle of the letter or number.

Dave

[Brent Colvin]

a squirt bottle with water and a bit of soap. Spray down wing and wing walk. I removed letters first. You can easily move wing walk around untill centered where you want it. Squeeze bubbles out and your done. Let it dry overnight. Just like a model decals.