Canopy Adhesive Sealant

[Ron5335]

After trying numerous silicones & polymer sealants to get a good between aluminium & perspex I stumbled across this product.

 

http://aerobolt.com.au/products/adhesives-sealants/bond-flex

 

It's a bit thicker than most of the regular sealants, and when it dries it resembles a hard rubber that breaks off rather than peels off, but as for attaching to the surfaces, it locks on.

 

In a number of trials with aluminium to aluminium, perspex to perspex and aluminium to perspex, after the initial snapping of the pieces, screwdrivers were forced into the bond and although you could break open the sealant, (Using a reasonable amount of force) the attachment of the product to both surfaces was intact.

 

Other builders have tried it and all have converted to it, and at $11.00 a cartridge it's worth a try.

 

They also sell a surface primer for the product but it only appears to be a solvent type cleaner that doesn't really bite into either the aluminum or perspex.

 

 

[Dafydd Llewellyn]

There's a Sikkaflex product specifically for this application, I believe.

 

 

[Ron5335]

Correct....... Sikaflex 295UV ($30.00 a cartridge) but the catch is it has to be used with their Primer 209N to achieve a good surface bond, and after searching high & low I could not find an Australian stockist for the primer.

 

 

[Ultralights]

http://www.ppg.com/coatings/aerospace/sealants/sealantsproducts/pages/totalproductlist.aspx

[Dafydd Llewellyn]

Correct....... Sikaflex 295UV ($30.00 a cartridge) but the catch is it has to be used with their Primer 209N to achieve a good surface bond, and after searching high & low I could not find an Australian stockist for the primer.

Well, if you do find a source, I'd love to hear of it.

 

 

[Yenn]

I bought the Sikaflex product from our local bearing supplies dealer. If I can get it in gladstone Qld it must be easily available anywhere else as Gladstone retailers are just about the most useless in Australia. The Sikaflex is used to bond the canopy perspex to the aluminium tube frame in RVs and works well.

 

 

[rgmwa]

I got a tube of 295UV from from a marine supply shop. It's used quite a bit in the boat industry I believe. I didn't need the primer, so don't know if they normally stock that, but they should be able to get it.

 

rgmwa

 

 

[Yenn]

Marine shop-s are a good source, even Gladstone used to have a good marine store, until the Gas companies bought him out so they could use his slipway. Since then Rod has enjoyed a well funded retirement, but marine stores are hard to come by. Gladstone is one of the largest ports in Australia, but for the little bloke it is hopeless, better to go to Bundy.