Sealing rivets

[Lumatic]

While working on sealing a seam on a 73 Streamline I noticed a few small bubbles coming from under a rivet head. Any suggestions on weather sealing old rivets?

[perryg114]

Clean around the rivet and then use parbond around it.

Perry

[reinergirl]

Or it's an excellent application for Captain Tolleys Creeping crack cure. Available at VTS or west marine. It's clear and a water like consistency. You put it on and if it wicks in you have a leak, you keep applying small amounts til it no longer wicks in. I like it because its invisible and you know when the leak is gone.

[Aviator]

A second for Captain Tolleys. I've used it and it works great.

[dznf0g]

And... a third. Rivets are a perfect application for Captain Tolley's Creaping Crack cure.

[Lumatic]

I don't have any Parbond, but I have a tube of Alcoa Gutterseal. If I remember right, I was told it can be substituted for Parbond. Anybody know?

I'm thinking mainly for overlapping panel seams. But I can also try it on the rivets.

[Becky B.]

You can use it around the rivets...smear it in with your finger & then clean it up with mineral spirits. I've also started using the Capt'n Trolley, but in the past have used Parbond, which is pretty much like the Alcoa stuff.

[DryFly]

How durable is the Captain Trolley's? I know the Trempro Polyurethene is rated for about 10 years.

[perryg114]

You really want something that does not leave a big ugly blob like the Trempro. The Trempro is not as great as people think. I used some on the skylight of my house to seal some leaks and the stuff has dried and cracked in about a year. To be fair, the skylight housings get really hot because they are almost black. The stuff holds up better on the trailer. Parbond or the crack cream stuff above is what I would use.

Perry

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by perryg114

You really want something that does not leave a big ugly blob like the Trempro.

Perry

Yeah, I tried the Trempro because it was what I had on hand at the time. I cut the smallest hole I could to leave the smallest bead. Then wiped the surplus away while trying to force it into the seam. No neat way to do it.

By the way, what do you think about drilling a few drain holes through the floor at the bottom of the walls while I have the interior panelling off in the areas that were prone to leaking to prevent future water damage if the leak reoccurs?

Did I mention I found the side wall of the trailer was somehow pushed in an inch or 2. This corresponded with some PO's feeble attempt to silicone the sucker. I figure whatever caused the deformity popped the seam, and maybe others in the front end. I was able to push it back out with a hydraulic jack and some lumber. There is also a 4" strip of fabric with some black roof flashing type sealer. Looks intact and like it might be factory, but I may go over it with some kind of sealer.

[perryg114]

If you have the walls out I would seal any gaps in the C-channel and put in some drains that are tubes that won't let the water soak the floor as it leaves. Seal any penetrations in the C-channel. I would put drains at both ends of a section of C-channel so water will run to the drain that is the most downhill. I used 3/8" stainless steel tubing with a flare on one end and then parbonded the flared in where it hit the C-channel. The newer Airstreams put drain holes on the outside edges of the C-channel which came out under the rub rail trim. This only works where the C-channel also has a lower lip that covers the edge of the floor. Older trailers don't have this lip or they have it only on the straight sections like mine does. So if you don't have that lower c-channel lip for the floor a drain hole is just going to soak the floor so that is why I used a tube with the top end glued to the c-channel and the bottom end goes into the belly pan. I did a post on this a while back. Here is that post.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f46/...e-87457-7.html

Perry

[Aviator]

I've had Capt. Tolley's exposed to the GA sun for 4 years now with no apparent degradation.

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by perryg114

If you have the walls out I would seal any gaps in the C-channel and put in some drains

Perry

To my surprise the inside of the Streamline outside skins have a layer of spray foam insulation that extends down to what I assume is a C channel. Also a couple of mouse nests. I will have to clear a section out to check the C channel. The spray foam is about 1" thick and there is no other insulation. It is possible that a leak may run down behind the foam and the outer skin. While I have the walls out I figure I might as well add some 2" fiberglass for good measure.

[pattydoug]

We took everyone's advice and ordered some Capt. Tolley's on Sat. from John Millen Hardware. They had the lowest price we could find online and also offered the 8 oz. size. So we bit the bullet and ordered it. If it works as great as you folks say and as great as John Millen Hardware's customer service, we will be more than pleased! We received it today (Monday)! WOW!

[dznf0g]

The thing that is nice about Capt. Tolleys is that it wicks deep onto the rivet hole and fills the empty voids. Thicker sealers can only provide a "cap". I decided to seal all my roof rivets while doing spring maintenance last year. All but 3 rivets "puddled" immediately, indicating no porosity. Three rivets displayed the Crack cure being "absorbed" below the surface. I had never seen or suspected a leak, but there was most probably a seep.

After 2 - 3 applications of Tolley's, the rivets were sealed and the last application pooled up on the surface.

[geodazed]

Originally Posted by Lumatic

While working on sealing a seam on a 73 Streamline I noticed a few small bubbles coming from under a rivet head. Any suggestions on weather sealing old rivets?

I have replaced the rivets that have any movement, but have used captain tollys creating crack cure for now while I have the exterior stripped to rewire and refinish my tradewind. I am wire brushing the interior side of the rivet where corrosion revealed the leaks.