Primer for VHB (Very High Bond) Tape

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Primer for VHB (Very High Bond) Tape

Postby UK-Corlett » Mon May 15, 2017 9:14 am

Hi

I am cladding my TD. I have elected to hold it down at the edges only with aluminium trim.

However many of you have used VHB (Very High Bond) tape to secure the edges first. I have found it can act as a second pair of hands and is great stuff.
Holding the sheet in place allowing exact fitting and holding it still. I think water proofing as well.

Technical bit.
A surface which is described as having low energy is one where a drop of water will bead up in a hemisphere and not wet the surface. Not what you want when applying tape to that surface. 3M are the big name in VHB tape and they sell a primer. The idea is to make the surface high energy ie. a drop of water runs over the surface and wets it easily.

I have painted my wooden surface and I know water beads on top of aluminium, so I got some of the primer and I have used it.
Image
Its cheep very smelly and quite poisonous. BUT my goodness what a difference it makes.
The bond that the tape had on the aluminium meant that if you pulled the tape would peel off.
After I painted the surface with the primer the tape would not peel off at all and I had to pick it off in little bits.
I highly recommend the primer both on the painted surface and the aluminium.

Clive
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Re: Primer for VHB (Very High Bond) Tape

Postby aggie79 » Mon May 15, 2017 12:10 pm

Great information! Thank you.
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Re: Primer for VHB (Very High Bond) Tape

Postby Shadow Catcher » Mon May 15, 2017 9:04 pm

Used it when I mounted our solar panel mounts and they have withstood wind speeds in excess of 120 MPH.

It is however VERY NASTY stuff http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=SSSSSuUn_zu8l00xl8mSPx29mv70k17zHvu9lxtD7SSSSSS--
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Re: Primer for VHB (Very High Bond) Tape

Postby UK-Corlett » Tue May 16, 2017 3:20 am

Exactly Shadow Catcher; Outside with a carbon mask on.

If it were labeled in Europe it would have "Danger De Mort" written on it.

However if you can avoid dying it makes a great joint.

Clive
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Re: Primer for VHB (Very High Bond) Tape

Postby alaska teardrop » Wed May 17, 2017 9:32 am

Clive,
I don't think that 3M-94 primer is really necessary for taping aluminum. I use isopropyl alcohol & it works just fine. You could avoid those extra toxins & cost.

When dealing with difficult to bond substrates and critical applications, use of an adhesion promoter or primer can increase adhesion levels and help ensure the best ultimate bond strength. 3M Adhesion Promoter 111 (AP-111) and 3M Primer 94 (P94) are two broadly useful promoters for high strength bonding tapes and form the basis for an easy primer selection system.

When a primer is needed, 3M AP-111 is often a preferred choice because it is isopropyl alcohol based and is quick and easy to use on a variety of surfaces. In some cases, it can be used as a cleaner and primer in one step. This promoter is typically applied by putting on a tissue or clean rag and then wiping the surface in a cleaning motion, followed by wiping any remaining material on the surface dry. The surface is ready for bonding immediately after application assuming the surface is dry.


For 3M Primer 94 and other similar resin based promoters application is typically done by brush, felt tip applicator or similar method. After application, the primer must be allowed to dry, possibly up to 5 minutes depending on air flow and temperature.

3M Adhesion Promoter 111 is generally a first choice for painted surfaces and bare metals. This promoter works on a wide variety of paints and bare metals, the primary exception is textured paints and rough metals where effectiveness can be lower. If the paint surface is relatively clean, consider evaluation of the promoter as a cleaner and primer in one step. For bare metals, cleaning the metal prior to use of the promoter is suggested as any contamination typically found on the metal can interfere with the promoter’s effectiveness.

3M Primer 94 is generally a first choice for plastics, including many low surface energy plastics, and rubber materials. This primer system is somewhat universal in nature and also works on a variety of paint and bare metal surfaces.

While AP-111 is not a first choice broadly for plastics, it has been found to work well on many smooth, hard medium to high surface energy plastics such as: polyester, polycarbonate, acrylic and Nylon®. Many times a promoter is not needed on these materials, but AP-111 can be considered as an option as a cleaner/primer if higher strength is desired.

Below is a quick outline of primer selection by substrate:

Substrate Material: First Choice Alternate
Bare Metal AP-111 P94
Paint and Painted Metal AP-111 P94
High and Medium Surface Energy Plastics P94 AP-111
Low Surface Energy Plastics P94
Rubber P94


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Re: Primer for VHB (Very High Bond) Tape

Postby UK-Corlett » Wed May 17, 2017 10:15 am

Hi Alaska Teardrop

I guess you are right. Thanks for that article I haven't seen that one, just shows that there is never one answer.

But! You only get one go with VHB tape and thin ally. I have £480 worth of aluminium and £35 worth of tape and just £15 worth of primer to make sure.

That's a flip reply really but the cost of failure did play on my mind. Also I built a wooden transport frame, took a day off work and drove 200miles to get the sheets.

The reason I investigated the primer was not the aluminium but it did get a better grip there but was the paint. I used a marine undercoat primer (International Pre-Kote) and in my nightmares there was a chance that it wasn't going to stick to that at all. With the primer on the paint the fix was great.

Clive

PS building Teardrops, nightmares I have had a few.
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