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LarryT

Well Known Member
I removed the seeping cork gasket from my recently purchased RV-6A and reinstalled using pro-seal only.

How long should I let the pro-seal cure before leak testing? I have the unused test kit for the -7 I am (mostly not) building. Ambient temps around here have been 60 low to 75 high.

How long should I wait before putting fuel in the tank? It flies really nice so I would rather be flying but will try to be patient.

Thanks,

Larry
 
I would give it a couple of days before leak test, and a few more days before fuel at those temps.
 
Add a little warmth from a light bulb and it will cure faster. Just set a trouble light under it and the heart will rise and warm the entire area.
 
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I would wait longer than 4 days.

It drys in 4 days but the curing process takes a while.

I personally would give it 2 weeks minimum. Find a project in the meantime. Need to change the oil and replace sparkplugs? Annual due soon?
 
There other variables are the grade of the pro-seal (there are several different grades, with different nominal cure times), how old it is (older stuff cures slower), and how well you mixed it. Better to err on the wait too long side of things than risk a leak.
 
Once it starts to firm up it's ok to put fuel on it, B2 at 75d if it's fresh and mixed right should be pretty firm in less than 24 hours. Actually you can put fuel on once it's tack free which is 2 hours if you're in a hurry. We used to use B-1/6 when we were in a hurry, tacks in 10 minutes, close the fuel cover and fuel er up. You can also mix it a little "hot" if you want it to set quicker. Check what you had leftover from the mix and if it's pretty firm you're good to go.
 
So after 24 hours I should be able to hit it with a bunch of water to flush my tanks then !?
I made the mistake of enlarging the vent holes in the tank about 10 hours after pro-sealing, but the stuff is still tacky enough so that all the aluminum dust and pices stuck to it all over. Now I am hoping to flush that with water, so I don`t get the fuel pickup pluged up one day.
I am anxiouse to close off the top of the tank, but want to ,make sure everything inside is as clean as possible.
 
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