Caulking and Sealants (silicone, parbond, vulkem & more)

[Fyrzowt]

Originally Posted by lewster

Dave,

I believe it's a pint and mine has been useable for over a year. You just have to clean out the applicator tip once in a while................

Ah, it's all about perspective and maybe camera zoom.

Thanks, good info in these posts. I'm going to be doing a lot of sealing this spring - Preventative maintenance.

Dave

[lewster]

Originally Posted by SilverGate

Fyrzowt… lewster is right… it is actually a can holding 16 fl. oz. of sealant.
The applicator came with no instructions, so after my application, I unscrewed the applicator and pumped the remaining sealant back into the can and flushed out the applicator with the recommended isopropyl alcohol.

Lewster… thanks for sharing your experience with Acryl-R… if I read you right, the next time I put the applicator in the can, I should just leave it in there until the can is used up… and occasionally use the wire pin that they supply to unclog the nozzle?
And do you store this can in a cool or cold place?

Thanks,
SilverGate

SG,

It rides around in my service van with nothing special done to it except tape on the nozzle......unlike the SikaFlex wcich goes off in 24 hours regardless of what you do to the tube unless you refrigerate the remainder immediately after use.

The pin thru the nozzle works fine to clear it.....seems like the product left in the gun stays fluid as it's just the stuff in the tip that needs cleaning. And that's probably due to the very small diameter there. GREAT STUFF!!

[SilverCabin]

Originally Posted by BIGED52

Randy, Always.... Always put some sealer in new drill holes and dip the aluminum screws threads in sealer before installing them. You shold be fine with gutter seal as a temporary seal just keep in mind it will probably dryout and crack sooner than Vulkem or Sikaflex or Acryl-R. Where did you purchase your Level Master? Ed

Thanks Ed. I purchased the Level Master from Camping World; it was on sale for their club members. I liked it because I could see the level from the truck driver's seat, and it matched the Airstream in its aluminum bracket.

Randy

[BIGED52]

Thanks Randy, I'll check it out at Camping World and see about picking one up for my trailer as the ancient one on the tongue is rotted into three pieces. Ed

[SilverGate]

Thanks, lewster, for your sharing your experience in storing Acryl-R...
And ability to keep applicator in can and still functioning over time is nice!

And thanks for the details to clancy boy on white-top surface prep before adding more sealant.

SilverGate

[Crusty]

Hey guys, new owner here but I have had considerable experience sealing up sailboats and I thought of a leak detection trick that I've used on boats which ought to work equally well on AS's.

Essentially, the technique is to seal the entire trailer up using duct tape around gaskets, etc so that the interior will hold a bit of a positive pressure. Some connection is then fashioned to plumb the exhaust from a shop vacuum into the interior. With the interior pressurized, you go over all the likely leaks from the outside with soapy water looking for bubbles.

You can find really small leaks on sailboats this way and I believe it might work on AS's too.

[lewster]

Hey Crusty,

Thanks for posting that technique. I have used it a lot in finding small leaks in a variety of RVs.

I'm sure others here will benefit from it, and karma to you!

[DPeakMD]

Got my shipment of Acryl-R, Vulkem and Parbond from Airstream today. There were no instructions with the applicator for the Acryl-R. Can anyone help out with how this goes together?

I see how the gun goes onto the can and how the nozzle attaches to the gun. What about the other springs and parts??? The box was already opened, so I want to make sure all the parts are there.

[lewster]

I've never broken mine down that far, but I'll dig it out and see what goes where and post back in a day or 2 .

[REDNAX]

Boys, I sure appreciate this thread. Taking the 34' 1983 Silver Streak to a shop tomorrow where we'll get the forklift up to remove/replace/repair all that penetrates the roof. Used VTS to have extra Parbond on hand, and will use one of the polyurethane sealants on the big stuff.

Looking forward to trying the 3M pinstripe remover wheel mentioned early in this thread.

Allow me to pass along what I've been using (among other tools) to remove silicone from this anodized skin: wandering through WEST MARINE one day I came across plastic razor blades (with holder) that work like a champ. Cheap, and each blade seems to last a few feet before needing to reverse or change.

I realize that adhesion may be quite different between the skin on yours versus mine, but these are slick.

[Jacob D.]

I've been replacing existing seals that had been gooped over with clear silicone (which had then split) with Alcoa Gutterseal, and thought I'd share a little bit of my limited experience...

Vulkem is great when you have two pieces you can squash it between. If you're trying to fix a seal on two pieces that are already joined, not so much. I've found the Gutterseal actually does wick into the seams as promised and tends to leave a very good and quite inconspicuous seal. I'm using it around the window frames and hatch openings on mine.

But one caveat - I tried masking off (with blue painter's tape) about 1/8" from the seam on the lower side and right along the edge on the top side, then applying the Gutterseal along it - and it goes on very nicely in a small bead from the tube, usually - but the masking is worse than a waste of time, it actually ruins the seal when you pull it up. Best just to try hard to do it "right" the first time and deal with cleaning up any untidiness when it's dry.

The problem is that the sealant sticks better to itself than to the metal. So if you hit the tape with the sealant, when you pull it off you'll pull the sealant away from the skin or out of the seam. Even trying to cut with a razor along the edge of the tape didn't help - the Gutterseal really wants to stay stuck to itself.

However, the sealant really does seem to go into the seam, and it also seems to level out quite a bit, so even something that looks a little untidy when you put it on will settle into something that looks nicer (so far as I can tell, anyway). So my suggestion is just to carefully apply down the seam without masking and try to clean up any excess once it dries.

Masking seems to work much better with Vulkem, which will tear more cleanly and won't pull out of the seam when you pull away the tape.

Anyway, just a couple of experiences. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, wouldn't be the first time...

[HiHoAgRV]

Before I start resealing, I have to remove this goop. Anyone know what it might be? It seems to have migrated away from where is was originally placed.

[lewster]

Don't know what it is....but try a hair dryer or low setting on a heat gun. Don't get the aluminum too hot and scrape off most of it with a smooth edge plastic scraper. Then remove the remaining residue with 3M adhesive remover.

Also try to get it out of the seams where possible to get a really solid bond with your new sealant (hopefully Vulkem or my preference: SikaFlex 221 in grey).

[wahoonc]

Jacob,
If there is ANY silicone residue left it will affect the adhesion of any new sealant. I usually use something like gasket remover to make sure it is clean prior to using Vulkem, Sikaflex or Parbond. BTW the gasket remover WILL eat clear coat

Aaron