I've been meaning to post a report since I'm probably one of the few that's actually used both the Van's recommened Weld-On 10
http://vansaircraft.com/cgi-bin/stor...roduct=weld-on and the AeroSport Products option of Lord 7545A/E adhesive
http://www.aerosportproducts.com/lord.htm
The Lord adhesive is applied with a specialized type of caulking gun, has a consistency such that you can apply a bead and it will stay in place and then be spread across the flanges using a tongue depresser or gloved finger. BTW, the gun/tip combination automatically mix the Lord adhesive as it gets pushed out! It also has a very long pot life compared to Weld-on so you can take your time. During the curing process it just seems to harden similar to the way epoxy does - it doesn't seem to skin over or get stringy, just hardens. Any squeeze out or mess can easily be cleaned up with alcohol (until it cures). Because of the consistency, it can also be turned into a nice fillet on the interior edge to finish that out. Total cure time is specified to be 24 hours at 75 degrees. It is dry to the touch in a couple of hours.
Weld-on by comparison is mixed in a cup similar to epoxy and is very thin. It then gets applied using a tongue depressor across the flange. It tends to "skin over" very quickly (minutes) and you need to get it applied and the window in place prior to that happening. In about that sime time frame it starts getting "stringy" which can make quite a mess that is difficult to clean up. Finally, it cures to be extremely hard - seems to be much harder than the window material, fiberglass top or various epoxy/filler mixtures. No opinion on whether this is a contributer to the window edge paint cracking issue seen on so many -10s but I'd be surprised if it wasn't.
In summary, there's no question that using Weld-on will get the job done and from a cost perspective is more economical. That said, the Lord adhesive is MUCH easier to work with for all the reasons listed above. Not mentioned but also potentially a significant factor is the odor - Weld-on is VERY strong and hardly any smell to the Lord product. Having now used both products for a full set of windows, there's no way I'd even consider using the Weld-On. One suggestion I'd make is to find local builders and either spit the cost of the gun or just borrow/loan one. These are very specialized so it's not something you're going to use after the windows are installed.
Bob
PIREP: RV-10 Windows using Lord Adhesive
Linear Mode
