Gap tape removal

[flie43]

Gidday All,

 

I have had the gap tape on the tailplane and elevator start to lift quite a bit. It got the better of me today and I pulled it all off before I had any trouble in the air.

 

Now the tricky bit--what do I use to remove the residue without affecting the finish of the Jabiru ?

 

The tape seems to be a medical type of fabric tape which was on the J230 when we purchased it.

 

Any ideas from the experts out there would be greatly appreciated.

 

Terry

 

 

[facthunter]

Tape Gum.

 

Try Barrs Bugs or eucalyptus oil, then warm water and soap. Others may have a better idea. Nev.

 

 

[Ultralights]

solvents like Isopropanol alcohol, ethanol, and petroleum ether wont effect the gelcoat on fibreglass, we use it when working with polycarbonate and lexan.

 

 

[skydog]

Dry cleaning fluid, cigarette lighter fluid will do it too.

 

 

[Guest brentc]

It's not gelcoat, it's 2-pack paint so anything that won't hurt your finish on your car won't hurt the jab. Personally I didn't have anything flash to use when I pulled off my tape, so I let it soak in a bit of Mr. Sheen and scraped it off with my fingernail (it took a while). In fact I was removing some today and was doing it with a pocket knife for the stubbourn bits and didn't manage to scratch the paint.

 

 

[flie43]

Well, I went out to the airfield this morning with good intentions and some of your suggestions to try but, the Co-pilot (read wife) was keen on a fly. How could I not say yes.

 

Will give the suggestions a try and report back with the results next weekend

 

Thanks for all the ideas

 

Terry

 

 

[Guest brentc]

I can't believe your luck Terry. I wish that happened to me!

 

 

[Guest pelorus32]

As the aircraft is a Jabiru I think you can probably get away with using a Festool orbital sander with an 80 grit disc:laugh:

 

If you don't like the sound of that.... then great advice elsewhere in the thread!!

 

Dives for the foxhole, flak jacket over head......

 

Regards

 

Mike

 

 

[flie43]

Thanks Mike,

 

I tried your suggestion and wow, it worked. Got all the old tape off and even the residue as well.

 

What is the best filler to use to fill the scuff marks and gouges. The white paint from Supa Cheap someone suggested is a very poor color match so I now have to remove that as well as it did not fill the crevices as I had hoped after the sand

 

Terry

 

 

[Ultralights]

ok, on sunday i had to repair the area around the Left undercarriage leg of our Jabiru, so before removing the old repair, i conducted a test.

 

The resin system is an Epoxy, any solvent can be used, and the paint is 2 pac Polyurethane, and is resistant to Acetone

 

 

[Guest brentc]

Be careful with such advice, Jabiru's can be painted with almost any paint type or combination and they are all different! Your observations would be for a factory built model, but even still paint types used do vary across build timeframes.

 

 

[flie43]

Yep, thanks Brent. I was just taking the p**s out of Mike about the sanding and painting.

 

The 230 is as she was and just waiting for the time to try some of your suggestions.:thumb_up:

 

Terry

 

 

[skydog]

Terry

 

I can t visualize the depth and length of the scuffs and gouges you have but if paint wont fill them so you have to use something like good old epoxy bogs and take the paint in the area right back first.

 

As the threads have suggested you need to clearly identify the paint type you have on your plane and use the same type of materials for the fix and re-paint.

 

Compatibilty of paint, fillers and the base building material is everything in repairs to plastic fantastics so do your homework first.

 

There is a lot of good info on rutan aircraft builders websites as well, you know the variezes, longeze builders.

 

Try

 

Canard Zone

 

 

[wanabigaplane]

Terps

 

Terps seems to soften and dissolve most of these types of adhesives.

 

Remember, any solvent needs time to soak in - don't expect to just wet a rag and wipe the stuff off. Always try a small area first - even if clean Terps does no damage, the dye in the product you are removing might cause a problem. Jack.:):)

 

 

[Guest Walter Buschor]

Old tape residue

 

this is an easy one. Shellite - also known as "prep spirit" will remove any tape glue without damaging the surface. It used to be used in surgery's to remove band-aid adhesive and we use it a lot at work to remove stubborn label glues .

 

If it is safe for the skin it's safe anywhere.

 

the grey Nomad

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

The Lazair uses miles of tape on the mylar covering, double sided and single sided finishing tape. after it has been on for a few years it is a pain to remove. after trying all sorts of chemicals i found that with a simple cheap steam cleaner 2 to 4 bar of pressure that is fitted with a pointy detail tool i can easily remove the tape. after a bit of practise you can get most of the adhesive to come away with the tape. for what adhesive is left i then use 'citrasolve' to remove that. Then finish up with warm water and soap. i start at the end of the tape warm up the edge and lift it then simply play the steam along the tape as it is pulled away. do not loiter with the steam keep moving so as to not over heat the area.

 

Ozzie

 

 

[flie43]

Thanks to all those that replied.

 

I tried some but not all, I am a bit impatient so I stuck with the first one that seemed to work. WD 40 seemed to soften the old tape well, let it soak a bit and then a fine sharp blade scooped it off with no paint damage. Now do I replace it or not ?

 

Might leave it off

 

Terry

 

 

[Guest brentc]

I'd leave it off, you'll never notice. I question if it's only there in the first place to keep the dirt out of the hinges as it doesn't seem to do much else.

 

 

[flie43]

Thanks Brent,

 

I will take your advice. Doing an oil change tomorrow and then off to Lake Eyre friday week. I cant wait. Flying with a Seneca, esquale and C172, so it will be a good test for the Jab. thanks again for your help

 

Terry

 

 

[Guest brentc]

Before you go, check close to the date of departure to see if you can actually get fuel! Very important! Some operators are saying they have fuel only to say that they don't when you get there! Be warned!

 

Where are you going exactly?

 

 

[flie43]

Thanks Brent,

 

Yes you are right about fuel. It has been organized but the day of the week can make the difference from what I hear.

 

My plan at this stage is WGT-BHI and top up, then Marree for 2 nights-sharing drum fuel there then back to the Hill or Flinders Ranges.

 

I am happy that we have a better range than the Seneca and others.

 

Have you been up that way ?

 

Terry

 

 

[Guest watto]

I pulled mine off the tail when it started to self destruct and I was at Jabiru for another reason and was handed a bottle of laquer thinners which pulled it off easliy and did not hurt the paint, I also asked about the result of no tape and was told "none" it was part of the original CASA compliance and that it had helped to achieve the desired stall speed and had simply never gone away as it was a part of that approved aircraft, but that it would make little to no difference there or not.

 

Watto

 

 

[flie43]

Thanks Watto,

 

Yep, I intend to leave ot off.

 

Terry

 

 

[facthunter]

Tape Effect.

 

What you say may be right but it may not be. Gap seals are critical on some aircraft and in most cases of removal, the control surface will lose some effectiveness at low speed, where some Jabs do not have a lot anyhow. I would like to see this checked out, before taking it as gospel. Better to be sure.... Nev.

 

 

[Guest watto]

The guys from Jab told me directly but knock yourself out!