Thinking the graphics might just blow off the fins!
I confidently said it'd stay in place and then he cranked that cadillac engine up, so now I'm like, um?
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Hi Penny...
I must be missing something? Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
Some one on this board said they have put vinyl graphics on air planes. If your worried, why not seal the edges with Frog Juice?
Edit: If the fins are raw aluminum, rest easy. The last aluminum gasoline tank truck I lettered changed hands. I could NOT get the vinyl off that aluminum tank. Vinyl must LOVE aluminum.
[ April 11, 2004, 08:30 PM: Message edited by: Dave Sherby ]
Posted by Penny Baugh (Member # 3275) on :
Yeah, it's raw aluminum and I was glad.
Posted by Penny Baugh (Member # 3275) on :
Dave, this guy is a real life gator hunter,you know, the ones with --literally--12 cotton mouth bite scars on his arms. He built this boat himself. He's got a regular huge airplane propeller attached to a big 'ole cadillac engine that will literally get the whole boat airborne if he's not careful. I followed him over to his place to quote him on putting graphics on those 2 fins that sit right behind the prop. Standing there with it off I'm just thinking about what to charge for the graphics. Then after we talked he cranked it up for me and OMG!! That's the first encounter I've ever had with an air boat up here in N. Alabama. Sheesh!! So I start wondering if his "stickers" are going to wind up in Tennessee!!
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
Clean the aluminum good with Rapid Prep, then Rapid Tac and rest easy. I think the only thing he'll be p***ed at you would be if and when he tries to take the graphics off.
Posted by roger bailey (Member # 556) on :
Your right Dave, we applied graphics to f-111's in sacremento in 1988, the Air Forse loved it.
They went from the hot temp. on the tarmack to freezing temp. at 20,000 plus and back down with no lifting or edge problems. Applied wet with Rapid Tac, these graphics also stay put on the boats we sponsor (Marathon River racers-100mph+ and drag boats, formula boats too. Check my site ,under racing. Roger Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Penny,
If you feel comfortable, dry application will work just fine...wind will have no effect on a vinyl application unless you have elements with razor sharp points...but that is not advised in a wet or dry application.
They don't advertise the vinyl as having permanent adhesive for nothing, after all. Attack that job with confidence.
And Dave is right, vinyl tends to stick to aluminum like gangbusters naturally.
Posted by Ted Nesbitt (Member # 3292) on :
CLEAN aluminum Todd!---I agree.
3M makes a product specifically for airplane graphics called Edge Sealer---3950 is the product I think---comes in a dauber can.
Frog around the edge as suggested should do the trick as well.
For a consistent finish that's easy to clean, I would recommend spraying the fins out with an automotive grade clear. Most HP vinyls hold up for years under a nice film of clear...
Posted by Pete Sharkins (Member # 4525) on :
If your graphic wraps around the rudders' leading edge, I might consider using a strip (2" wide maybe) of clear vinyl along the entire edge of each rudder, on top of the color. My concern would be with the "sandblasting" effect of the prop and dust eroding the vinyl to the point of eventual failure. Kind of an "edge cap" for protection, and could be an up$ell. Just a thought...
Posted by roger bailey (Member # 556) on :
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