Temoporary but strong patches or fillers?

[Jenniflow]

Hey folks, I have gutted most my 34’ Limited and removed vents, the kitchen exhaust fan, fridge, and furnace so I have a number of open holes and appliance doors that incompletely protect internal areas that will be vulnerable to high winds and summer storms here in Baja.

I’m not ready to put permanent aluminum patches on the holes in the skin but I want to secure the interior of the trailer and keep water from getting between the outer and inner skins over the summer until next winter when I can work on the unit again.

What do people do to keep the rain and wind out when they’re in the middle of a project like this? Is there some kind of material I can temporarily fix to the exterior aluminum that won’t ruin it? Rubber? Glued?

Do I have to put a cover over the trailer and run the risk of scratches made by the wind? There isn’t much complete garage space near here.

Any ideas? Threads I should read? I wasn’t sure how to search this topic.

Thanks!

[Lumatic]

Gorilla Tape.

[ventport]

Aluminum duct tape, not the fabric stuff but the real aluminum stuff.

[Jenniflow]

I didn’t know about the aluminum tape. We have a small amount of gorilla tape. I think the PO might have used the aluminum tape, I thought it was regular duct tape. I will look into that thanks, and maybe I’ll test both if them with a power washer! The hurricanes around here get serious.

Thanks!

[rmkrum]

There is an aluminum foil backed tape that is used for HVAC duct installs that stands up to heat and humidity better than the usual fabric-based duck (or duct) tape. It’s available in big box home improvement stores. That will stay on there well.

You may need plastic single edge razor blades and ‘Rapid Remover’ to get the tape and adhesive off, but it will be less messy than other tapes.

The alternative is “500 mile an hour” aircraft repair tape, but I haven’t seen that stuff since 1976.....used it to patch shrapnel holes in F-4’s.

[Jenniflow]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

There is an aluminum foil backed tape that is used for HVAC duct installs that stands up to heat and humidity better than the usual fabric-based duck (or duct) tape. It’s available in big box home improvement stores. That will stay on there well.

You may need plastic single edge razor blades and ‘Rapid Remover’ to get the tape and adhesive off, but it will be less messy than other tapes.

The alternative is “500 mile an hour” aircraft repair tape, but I haven’t seen that stuff since 1976.....used it to patch shrapnel holes in F-4’s.

Wow. That aircraft repair tape sounds impressive.

The foil tape sounds good. I will look down here but I may have to order something from the US. They are very tight down here on VOC and also don’t have a lot of high-performance supplies. I’m pretty sure they have gorilla tape but if they only have black that would be pretty awful looking. I prefer the aluminum anyway. Thanks!

[ROBERT CROSS]

I guess it depends how large the areas are & how much your comfortable spending.

Used this 8 years ago on a new skylight, still sealed.

Plastic sheeting over the openings secured with the tape, sticks good, real good.

Bob

[Jenniflow]

Hey Bob, yes, that’s pricey, I was just checking it out on Amazon. But if it’s designed for extreme conditions, I may have to use it. High heat and humidity here in the summer, punctuated by tropical storms and hurricanes.

Have you ever tried to remove it? Do you know what’s involved, if you haven’t?

[Iansk]

I wouldn’t let gorilla tape stick to anything for too long, it’s really hard to get the residue off especially if it has sat in the sun for a period of time.

I’ve used sheets of cheap aluminum (big box store stuff) and the aluminum tape and was able to get everything off after a Texas summer. That’s what I’d do.

[Hittenstiehl]

Having three vintage trailers in the extreme AZ sun I would opt for the aluminum shiney foil like tape.

I stays we'll put, doesn't degrade as quickly as duct or gorilla tape and seemed to come off easier.

We travel everywhere with these three:

Duct tape in dull silver for anything and everything for it's strength.

Shiney foil tape for patching holes, gaps and leaks.

Blue painters tape for interior cabinet doors, mirrors etc that may come undone during travel.

And if course, acetone, lighter fluid, goof off, goo gone and crud cutter for various removal.

[TheGreatleys]

Most of these suggestions sound like a nightmare to remove.

I'm going to break from everyone else here and suggest 3m exterior grade blue painter's tape. It's in the paint aisle of the big box store. Get the widest roll they have, make sure it's the exterior grade type. As long as the aluminum surface you stick it to is clean and dry, it will give you a watertight seal for months. Use it to tape plastic sheeting over the vents, or tape directly over problematic rivets. Make sure you put something under the plastic sheeting over the roof vents so pooling water won't weigh it down.

When you're ready to pull the tape off, it's easy to remove. In my experience, leaving it taped to the trailer for months will cause it to leave a little adhesive behind when you remove it. That adhesive is easily removed with any solvent. Goo gone, mineral spirits, or carb cleaner -- wipes right off, no elbow grease necessary.

Good luck with your project.

[rugjenkins]

Aluminum foil tape

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Jenniflow

Hey Bob, yes, that’s pricey, I was just checking it out on Amazon. But if it’s designed for extreme conditions, I may have to use it. High heat and humidity here in the summer, punctuated by tropical storms and hurricanes.

Have you ever tried to remove it? Do you know what’s involved, if you haven’t?

Jenniflow,

Any of the soooper sticky tape options will be more easily removed with the direct application of heat...think heat gun or hair dryer. Heat only a small area while pulling directly back over the tape being removed. Letting the area cool a bit will make it easier, you want the heat to degrade the adhesive, A wood paint stirrer or plastic scraper comes in handy. I've used mineral spirits & or Brakleen to remove the residue.

Bob

[Jenniflow]

Originally Posted by Hittenstiehl

And if course, acetone, lighter fluid, goof off, goo gone and crud cutter for various removal.

Hey, just curious: do you use any of these for cleaning the sticky vinyl residue off interior walls? Nothing I've tried works. I know this is topic creep, so if you prefer to answer here (http://www.airforums.com/forums/f39/...gs-178019.html) I'm all ears.

About the tape, I think the blue painting tape wouldn't stand up to the weather around here. I'm not sure I can get the extreme 3M tape down here, but I suspect I can find some aluminum foil tape and the gorilla, although now I'm more concerned about getting the gorilla off. If I can get a few of these, maybe I"ll do an experiment and test a couple or a few and see which does best.

[Jenniflow]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Jenniflow,

Any of the soooper sticky tape options will be more easily removed with the direct application of heat...think heat gun or hair dryer. Heat only a small area while pulling directly back over the tape being removed. Letting the area cool a bit will make it easier, you want the heat to degrade the adhesive, A wood paint stirrer or plastic scraper comes in handy. I've used mineral spirits & or Brakleen to remove the residue.

Bob

Super, just the advice I needed, thanks.

I wonder if anyone uses heat guns to remove the wallpaper? Maybe in combination with other products? (see this thread, if you prefer: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f39/...gs-178019.html)

[ROBERT CROSS]

from 3M website

[Tbeck11931]

The 500 mph tape is still around. I just used some last week on one of our airplanes.
The residue left behind is simple to clean using orange stripper. Aircraft parts supply like Spruce supply is a good source. Look at 3M website or Amazon for high speed aluminum tape.

[Jenniflow]

Originally Posted by Tbeck11931

The 500 mph tape is still around. I just used some last week on one of our airplanes.

The residue left behind is simple to clean using orange stripper. Aircraft parts supply like Spruce supply is a good source. Look at 3M website or Amazon for high speed aluminum tape.

Great, thanks.