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Spreading Proseal

edclee

Well Known Member
Patron
I have to fix a leak in my tank and have made two attempts. It is very difficult to see what you are doing through the 5 inch hole in the repair kit. All my leaks are in areas where the rear baffle is and it is impossible to see what you are doing. I can FEEL what I am about using bare finger and I sense that I can get a good fillet everywhere using my bare finger rather than a tongue depressor. Has anyone tried this? I tried this with gloves but just cant feel what I am doing.
Ed
 
Wi ficam

When i had my tank leak during construction, i used one of those micro wi fi cameras. Worked great to see what i was doing.
 
I use a rectangle hand mirror approx 3"x4". I stuck it to a base so it would sit in the tank at the desired angle. I also use penlights that can be reflected towards the work area.
Mirrors are cheap & when they get really gooped up, I just throw them out after use.
 
I just resealed mine and used nitrile gloves and my fingers. If you want to use a bare finger, just wipe off your hand with lacquer thinner or the like. You have working time so spread it by feel and then look it over with a light and mirror. If not satisfied, rework it until you like it.
 
Wet your finger before. And you can get a good fillets. Also less seal on your finger. Bin doing it that way for years.

Build on
Hope this helps
RD
 
Proseal

Wet your finger before. And you can get a good fillets. Also less seal on your finger. Bin doing it that way for years.

Build on
Hope this helps
RD

Thanks for the tip, I was wondering about the water trick. I have used that spreading silicone sealant and it works with that.
Ed
 
Y'all ... what does the MSDS say about skin exposure to Proseal? or the solvent used to clean it off your fingers?

Don't mean to ruin the party, but all that stuff seams pretty invasive with skin contact. If feel is an issue, maybe thinner Nitriles would work?

Careful out there
 
yep...

Y'all ... what does the MSDS say about skin exposure to Proseal? or the solvent used to clean it off your fingers?

Don't mean to ruin the party, but all that stuff seams pretty invasive with skin contact. If feel is an issue, maybe thinner Nitriles would work?

Careful out there


I think a lot of people glaze over this. Many of the products we use in pursuit of our hobby are definitely hazardous to our health.

Are you wiping parts down, bare handed with Acetone? Or worse, MEK?

How about priming parts with SEM primer and not wearing a respirator?

Even using the scotch brite wheels to debur aluminum? Every see how fine the dust is?

Obviously riveting without ear protection is up there, too.

My point is just that it might be a good idea to look a bit closer at mitigating some of these hazards, than most of us do...
 
My point is just that it might be a good idea to look a bit closer at mitigating some of these hazards, than most of us do...

Very true. Although, I suspect the long-term effect of a brief exposure will be a lot less than the long-term effect of someone working with these chemicals on a daily basis. And you can probably be less concerned about pro-seal, a sealant, than about solvents like acetone. If you leave the pro-seal on your skin it will wear off over time as your skin sloughs off cells.

Heck, even the 100LL that i've splashed on my hands more than over the years changing fuel drains, checking gascolators, fueling/defueling tanks, etc. I understand that lead poisoning is cumulative, it doesn't flush from your system very fast, if at all.
 
Yess spit works. However it also introduces backteria. What effect that would have on proseal I do not know.


RD
 
Wear gloves and try not to touch any proseal and you won't make a complete mess! I use the popsicle sticks to spread, along with a good mirror on a stick, and a small flashlight that you can just lay in the tank. The reflection of the light off the aluminum gives you plenty of visibility.
 
Leak Repair

I should just order this repair kit now. I hate this part so much.

Actually the repair kit issue is really not too bad. It is easy to cut the hole and easy to put on the cover when through. There are several issues though. I have been into my tank now for the THIRD time to fix these leaks. Each time it still leaked but it appears now I have it licked. I have caps on all the AN fittings and filled the tank with fuel BEFORE putting it back on the plane. You just cannot see minor seeps using the balloon and soapy water test...trust me on this. It is no fun putting that tank back on after a successful balloon test and then having to take it back off THREE times because it oozes gas.

1. Make certain ALL the old proseal fillet is removed and make sure the bare aluminum on which you will replace the fillet is CLEAN, It may look clean, but there are invisible deposits from the gas still left in the tank that will prevent a good seal with the new proseal.. Cleaning the proposal off is very difficult. Once you get most of it, MEK on a cloth will dissolve the thin film that is left. Get it all. DONT try to put a wider fillet on top of the old fillet. Did not work for me.

2. You can put the new proseal on with Popsicle sticks but 3/4" wide tongue depressors are necessary to get a good fillet profile. These are wider than Popsicle sticks and available on Amazon "Karlash Large Wax Sticks, Wood Waxing Craft Sticks Spatulas Applicators for Hair Removal Eyebrow and Body (Pack of 100) ". for$ 6.99. The Popsicle sticks just wont make a wide enough fillet.

3. Make some sort of cardboard or wood frame to put around the tank and cover it with a blanket, sealed as well as possible to preserve the heat to warm the tank to help cure the proseal. if you can get the tank to 100 to 120F it will cure overnight, otherwise at room temp it will take three days. If colder, it could take even longer. You can check the temperature with a laser thermometer. Instructions say the time to cure will decrease 50% for each 10 deg F above 70F. and double the cure time for each 10 deg below 70F.

4. All my leaks were in the tank bottom somewhere, so I only repaired the bottom seams in the bays that leaked. In my tank that was the bay at the wingtip end and the bay at the fuselage end.

5. When you put the back repair covers on smear a THIN coat of proseal on the back baffle surface and on the cover surface. when inserting the sealed blind rivets in the kit, Smear proseal on the shaft of the rivet before insertion to insure gas can't migrate down the shaft of the rivet.

6. I stopped some seeps on top rivets with Loctite 290 wicking Loctite. You could try it, just make sure there is no gas in the tank at that level and leave the filler cap loose so no pressure can build while it cures.

Good luck. Ed
 
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