ATV Sealant?

[txaviator]

Various portions of the plans suggest placing a dab of RTV sealant in the area where the stiffeners almost meet (typically around the trailing edges of a surface). Did you use any specific kind/brand? Thanks in advance.

[Derrell]

I've seen several web sites & I used Proseal. I would think any flexible sealant would work. I have seen a '4 with cracks in the rudder skin-Not Pretty. I think it is to dampen vibration at the ends of the stiffeners. No doubt some of the more"Engineeer Types" can give you a better explanation.

Derrell

[N916K]

I would go with Proseal, don't be afraid of it. I will be rebuilding my elevators on my 9. The skins are cracking at the forward most rivet on one of the stiffeners at about 70 hours. I didn't use anything when I built my elevators. The bad thing is that it's the better looking elevator that's cracking.

Just a side note about Proseal. I was at a friends house today that has a few 10's under construction. It took a while to figure out why it smelled like new airplane in his hanger. It was the proseal, it has that new airplane smell. Got to get that back into my hanger

[LettersFromFlyoverCountry]

I used the RTV blue sealant that you can get in the gasket section of just about any auto parts store. I guess you COULD use ProSeal but then you end up getting the stuff on you and everything else and it doesn't come off and I'm done with that scene.

[airman]

mmm, well i do not see anywhere on my plans to put RTV on the stiffeners. Where exactly are they telling you to put it.

Thanks

Airman

[robertahegy]

It tells you that in section 5G of the instruction manual. See!! If you read the manual 3 times before starting, 15 times during construction, and 10 more times explaining to others, who didn't read it the first 18 times, you'd know this.

Anyway, have fun!!

Roberta
I love flying much more than building. But I have a lot of fun picking on builders!!!

[airman]

Oh, now i remember reading that section! Well good thing is i have not done my trail edges on the elevators yet. But the rudder is a different matter

Thanks!!

[ptrotter]

You need to be careful in your selection of RTV. Some types of RTV are slightly acidic and can be corrosive to aluminum. Make sure that any RTV you get states that it is "safe for sensors". I'm not quite sure what that means, but it is the non-corrosive variety.

[txaviator]

Thanks for the replies!

I went ahead and asked the fella's at Van's today, and specifically inquired about the various types of RTV. I was told that any of these products are silicone based (naturally), and "why worry about something that MAY have an effect on your plane in 40 or 50 years?" As I have heard many times, I was basically told not to dwell in the extreme "what if's", and to just build, fly, and enjoy!

[Mustang]

I used the Titanium II (2) sealant for outdoors and it has no acetic acid smell like ordinary clear RTV silicone. It has worked well and does not glom a bunch of acid into your structure.

Cheers, Pete