Author: Aaron Sims <ams@...> Time: Wed Jan 7, 2004 6:56 pm PST Link
Ok, I see several people removing the little strips of the blue vinyl
on their skins along the rivet lines. For those of you who are doing
this, how are you cutting the blue stuff? Razor, dull knife, or
something else? I'm curious, since I tried doing it a little on my
rudder skins, but I felt like I was leaving too much of a scratch on
the skin.
Or is this one of those things, and you just have to
buff the scratch out later?
Aaron
--
Aaron M. Sims
RV-10 #40036
http://canopyroad.org/rv10/
ams@g...
Author: "Chuck Chappell" <chuck456@...> Time: Wed Jan 7, 2004 7:08 pm PST Link
Aaron,
Round the edges of the tip on a soldering iron. No sharp edges.
Draw it along the rivet line. And then peel the blue stuff. The
heat from the iron burns/cuts the vinyl. Some believe it is more
trouble than its worth and just peel all the blue stuff. I am in
that camp. Others have left it on all the way to after joining major
components. There were recent posts on this list about corrosion
forming under the blue stuff when major components are stored while
building other components. That might depend on your invironment
where you are building. I believe Vans strips it off completely when
they are building at the factory.
Hope this helps.
Chuck Chappell
--- In RV10@yahoogroups.com, Aaron Sims <ams@g...> wrote:
> Ok, I see several people removing the little strips of the blue
vinyl
> on their skins along the rivet lines. For those of you who are
doing
> this, how are you cutting the blue stuff? Razor, dull knife, or
> something else? I'm curious, since I tried doing it a little on my
> rudder skins, but I felt like I was leaving too much of a scratch on
> the skin.
>
> Or is this one of those things, and you just have to
> buff the scratch out later?
> Aaron
>
> --
> Aaron M. Sims
> RV-10 #40036
> http://canopyroad.org/rv10/
> ams@g...
Author: "Tim Lewis" <timrv6a@...> Time: Thu Jan 8, 2004 7:10 pm PST Link
> Ok, I see several people removing the little strips of the blue vinyl
> on their skins along the rivet lines. For those of you who are doing
> this, how are you cutting the blue stuff? Razor, dull knife, or
> something else? I'm curious, since I tried doing it a little on my
> rudder skins, but I felt like I was leaving too much of a scratch on
> the skin.
>
> Or is this one of those things, and you just have to
> buff the scratch out later?
I tried using a (rounded/smoothed) soldering iron (25W), but the heat was
insufficient. A 100W soldering gun (copper tip rounded) works GREAT.
Not a scratch on the skin, and a clean peel line for removing the plastic.
I kind of like leaving the plastic on the skins during construction, especially
on the inner skin face, which won't ever be painted.. This helps protect the
alclad, which I'm relying on for primary corrosion resistance. I'm priming
using zinc chromate on mating surfaces and non-alclad aluminum, and on
pieces I scratch up and have to polish.
Tim
--
Tim Lewis -- HEF (Manassas, VA)
RV-6A N47TD -- 600 hrs
RV-10 #40059 under construction
http://www.geocities.com/timrv6a