Vulkem help

[Skamper1]

Can't say I am in love with vulkem. Here are my first two attempts. The antenna support and antenna base. Am under a pecan tree that is leafing and can't help the debris.
Am I putting this on too thin or too thick? Have chalked for years and this stuff is like nothing I have used before. Tried to get a thick bead and it globs. Smoothed it out with mineral spirits on tip of finger. Did not expect it to come out of the tube so "thin". Might have cut the tip too much.
Any suggestions appreciated.
Thanks. Jack

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Skamper1

Can't say I am in love with vulkem. Here are my first two attempts. The antenna support and antenna base. Am under a pecan tree that is leafing and can't help the debris.
Am I putting this on too thin or too thick? Have chalked for years and this stuff is like nothing I have used before. Tried to get a thick bead and it globs. Smoothed it out with mineral spirits on tip of finger. Did not expect it to come out of the tube so "thin". Might have cut the tip too much.
Any suggestions appreciated.
Thanks. Jack

Vulkem can be a little thin when very warm.

Generally speaking, don't make the bead any larger than necessary.

Andy

[mello mike]

I like to use painters tape to make the task of vulkem application and cleanup easier. Just frame the area with tape and squeeze away. Don't pull the tape right away. Let the vulkem set up first.

[Zeppelinium]

Looks like too much too me. A 1/8" inch bead around the edge of the antenna plate is sufficient, then a dab on top of each rivet (no way to make the "dabs" pretty, in my experience). Up here in dry Colorado, I've had to wait days for the vulkem to cure.

And I've never had any luck smoothing it with a finger wet in mineral spirits. I just use the round corner of a plastic motel key, then a few hours latter (let it set up a little) clean up the thin stuff that the key spreads out.

You can get an almost invisible seam at the joints. Using the painters tape helps prevent the motel key from spreading the goo (well, it spreads, but you can just pick it up with the tape).

Zep

[fotochop]

..I second the masking...black electrical tape also works great if you're doing glass etc...

[DreamStreamr]

I use Walbernize and terry cloth to clean off small smears that escape the caulking zone. Works cleanly and nicely.

I haven't found anything good to get the stuff out of my clothes. don't know how, but gets from my sneakers to my shorts and then the ladder and it ends up on all the wrong places.

Now paying attention to the old maxim, "don't caulk yourself into a corner".