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N605RV (RV4)

N605RV

Member
Thanks to the great advice of this forum by brakes are working. Next, I'm continually replacing the weather strip canopy seal on my RV4. The peel-off backing adhesive just doesn't last. Is it a matter of poor prep on my part or is there a better type of seal? Any recommendations?
RV4 in Boulder.
Thanks again!
Mike
 
Which seal?

I have a -4, so I'm familiar with different sealing techniques..are you talking the front, side or rear of canopy? On mine, the front across the instrument panel has been the tricky one. I have found whatever you do along the sides can affect what goes across the front ever so slightly. I have installed round hollow rubber bulb seal along the sides, bonded to the canopy frame with 3M contact cement. The seal along the instrument panel I have tried about every thing possible to get perfect, and never had any luck with self adhesive foam in any location. It will loose adhesion in heat, cold or wet ..you can brush on some good contact cement and make it a little better. Best bet is once you know the thickness, make it from raw stock and use adhesive. For the rear of the canopy, I used a cork/rubber gasket material to make a contoured "bumper" at the very back, leaving the curved sides unsealed for canopy outflow.
 
Mike,
I used some of that adhesive backed felt. It came in a 1? wide roll, so I had to cut it down a little. It runs along the sides of the canopy on the bottom angle. The front bow is an adhesive backed foam - very thin. These have both held up very well, and have been in place since I bought the airplane - almost a year so far, and they both seal very well. The back part of the canopy varies in how tightly it sits on the turtle deck. It fits pretty good right now, but in the winter, when the plexi seems to shrink a bit, it doesn?t fit as well. I?ve found that some of that 1? square soft foam they sell at Home Depot to seal around window air conditioners works very well to seal out the cold air in the winter. I use 2-sided tape to hold it in place, and it has also stayed put. The foam is quite soft and will compress easily to seal varying degrees of mistakes - I mean gaps - in the finished canopy.
 
Hi everyone, OK to clarify I've been using rolls of the 'D' cross section type weather stripping which works well for about a week. I clean off the old gunk, lay saran wrap on the fuselage first then install new material all the way around except above the instrument panel, then close the canopy, only loosely and let it sit over night. The 'D' type material works on the sides but toward to aft end (turtle deck I guess), eventually, it begins sticking to the fuselage again once the saran wrap is removed and when closed over night when I open it, part of it stays with the canopy but invariably, a section has become stuck to the fuselage again. Maddening but at least it's cheap. As for the area above the instrument panel, I've been using the square foam weather strip material and it to works well at first then the adhesive backing starts to peel away. It seems the material is fine but I just need a better adhesive...
Anyway, collecting responses and will get back. Thanks everyone!
Mike
 
Rub a little talc (baby powder) on the foam ?D? section where it contacts the turtle deck skin. That should keep it from sticking. You may have repeat the ?rub down? a couple times until it sort of soaks in.
 
all great tips, thank you! I'm going to tackle it today and will let you know what worked. By the way, what is 'bulb seal'..?
 
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