Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Efe Cem Elci on September 19, 2023 at 1:10pm

Hi Perry,

Why not just get a decal? I see quite a few being sold online in 12 inch height.

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Permalink Reply by Mike York on September 19, 2023 at 1:30pm

Use black tape

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Permalink Reply by Jim and Amelia Isaacs on September 21, 2023 at 4:23am

Yup, try Matte duct tape. Used it on my 701 to do some flight test as a gap seal. Really good stuff, soft, conforms well to rivets, won’t leave any adhesive residue when you remove it. https://www.mcmaster.com/products/tape/tape-2~/material~fabric-1/ta...

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Permalink Reply by Perry Delano on September 22, 2023 at 1:30pm

Hi Jim,

I looked up Gaffers tape, it looked like a great idea and was just about to order some on Amazon. For curiosity,  I searched removable paint and came up with Dupli-Color Custom Wrap Removable Paint. It seems like it would be worth a try with the Stencil I had printed off. Walked over to the Canadian Tire Store next door and bought a can of flat black. I am going to give it a try tomorrow. I will let you know how it works. May have to order gaffers tape yet..

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Permalink Reply by Perry Delano on September 22, 2023 at 1:45pm

Hi Jim,

Re: Tape in General: I have fallen out of love with duct tape if I ever think I am going to have to remove it. I am going to have to invest in a roll of gaffers tape, just to see how it works. I used a variety of tapes to hold flying surfaces together for pre closure inspection. Normal duct tape makes a mess. I did find Gorilla Tape made a basket weave type and another had glass filament strands, these worked great, very strong and did not leave a residue.

Perry

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Permalink Reply by Perry Delano on September 21, 2023 at 9:09am

Have you seen this done?

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Permalink Reply by Jim and Amelia Isaacs on September 21, 2023 at 9:38am

Perry I can’t say I have but then again I can’t say I’ve  inspected other aircraft registration markings to determine if they are paint or something else. Here in ‘merica’ they shall be “…be painted on the aircraft or affixed by any other means insuring a similar degree of permanence.” Mine are decals.  I’ve seen them printed on the wrap when folks wrap their plane rather than painting it. If Canadian requirements don’t mandate paint for registration markings, this tape I recommend would work well for a temporary solution.

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Fay on September 21, 2023 at 10:35am

Use Vynle Decal You can order them from Aircraft Spruce or Sportys

https://www.sportys.com/vinyl-n-numbers-12-in.html?utm_source=googl...{AdId}&device=c&matchtype=&gclid=Cj0KCQjw06-oBhC6ARIsAGuzdw0CDJTUNle6l4LIDdznlk81yE_lfTJsFVErrBERnG1nacMwJzjios4aArzJEALw_wcB

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/vinylnumbers.php

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Permalink Reply by Perry Delano on September 22, 2023 at 1:34pm

Hi Jonathan,

Thanks for the heads up on the decals, I had not seen them before. I may get these when the plane has a permanent paint job.

Perry

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Permalink Reply by Perry Delano on September 24, 2023 at 10:13am

Well it’s temporarily done. I used some 3m 77 spray glue on the stencil (on the stencil only) which worked great and allowed adjustment, repositioning and reuse. The dupli-color custom wrap worked about the same as spray paint, lots of drips, bleed around and overspray. The beauty of the stuff,  is using a thin ss ruler as an eraser shield you can clean up the lines using a cloth, a white eraser or your finger. Overspray rubs right off as well. Some gaffers tape might be needed in future to protect edges, although it is easy to hold up a piece of scrap aluminum as a shield and do a little corrective spraying. 

Final synopsis. 
1. 3m Gaffers tape vs stencil and custom wrap about same price in the end.

2. Not necessary,  but having the stencil with either method would be my preference.

3. Gaffers tape may be necessary in future if custom wrap starts to peel, it’s definitely on my must have list.

4. It takes about 4 coats w 10 minutes between them in cooler temps, the specified 5 minutes was too short.

5. Thinner coats reduced drips, bleed around, and subsequent clean up.

Thanks Efe, Mike, Jim and Jonathan for all your suggestions. 

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