to seal or not to seal, that is the question

[Mini Renegade]

SORRY IF THIS HAS BEEN ASKED A THOUSAND TIMES BEFORE oops sorry left caps lock on!

is it wise to treat the inside of the roof skin before fitting? I don`t want it to interfear with the glue/ sealant. I am planning on bonding the skin on using the hot mastic used for bonding car body panels and windscreens into place. any help is much appreciated, cheers. rgds Paul

[Miriam C.]

SORRY IF THIS HAS BEEN ASKED A THOUSAND TIMES BEFORE oops sorry left caps lock on!

is it wise to treat the inside of the roof skin before fitting? I don`t want it to interfear with the glue/ sealant. I am planning on bonding the skin on using the hot mastic used for bonding car body panels and windscreens into place. any help is much appreciated, cheers. rgds Paul

I wouldn't but that is just my personal thing.

[doug hodder]

Paul, I don't seal the roof like you are talking about, but I also don't use the glue that you are planning on using...If in doubt...do a test to see how well it adheres to a sealed piece of material compared to a non sealed piece. Then decide. Some people seal it up, some don't, however I haven't heard of a situation where someone said that they wish they had sealed it up. I sort of think that if it is sealed, and there is a leak, it is entirely possible that the water could travel to some other spot then appear, and it may show several feet away from the original leak. I know that sounds pretty far fetched, but it justifies my not sealing it up... Doug

[jplock]

I finished the insides of walls and roof with spar varnish to slow the progression of rot should there be any slow leaks. If you notice in the lower picture I left all the spots where where panel adhesive would be applied for glueing free of varnish. This would give the best adhesion. This what my father in law did when building his wooden airplane.

[Miriam C.]

SORRY IF THIS HAS BEEN ASKED A THOUSAND TIMES BEFORE oops sorry left caps lock on!

is it wise to treat the inside of the roof skin before fitting? I don`t want it to interfear with the glue/ sealant. I am planning on bonding the skin on using the hot mastic used for bonding car body panels and windscreens into place. any help is much appreciated, cheers. rgds Paul

I wouldn't but that is just my personal thing.

Let me correct---I didn't seal the inside of the roof. I did seal both sides of the ceiling. I did this after the spars were glued down as I put my ceiling down first then the spars, then the roof.

[Podunkfla]

I've used PL Urethane sealant to glue metal panels to cars, galvanized roof flashing and even glass to painted wood. If the sealant you are talking about is similar? It will probably work fine. I am not familiar with the sealant you mentioned?

[Mini Renegade]

cheers guys, will try aa test piece, the glue i have has to be heated in the oven for a hour before applying using a sealant gun. I didn`t want any problems with condensation between the two skins and the insulation.