Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Chris-

It sounds like there are some fairly new developments in adhesive bonding:

http://masterbond.com/bssp/bspolye.html

OK, here's the best deal so far on 3m dp-8005:

http://tinyurl.com/7hmkp

Cheers,

Coop

Thanks for the link, Coop. As they mentioned right at the beginning of that site, poly must have a mechanical adhesive bond and not solvent. We used to flame treat, mechanically abrade, or chemically prepare the surface of polyethylenes when I was in the business. It was a tricky thing to do back then and I'm sure the materials for bonding have much improved since I got out of it. I'll enjoy reading the info in that site. Thanks again.

that MasterBond X17 looks to be most interesting ...........................................................

I got a card from Farmtek Saturday that the Polymax is backordered for a week. I think I'm going to try and put the sheet inside for my ceiling. Some decorative screws holding it tight should do the trick, especially with the bend in it.

I had a friend over this weekend and he said that plastics would give off vapors for a long time after they are made. Would there be anything dangerous about this, and would it apply to Polymax being that it is not really a plastic?

You plastic experts let me know before I gas myself!!

sid wrote:I had a friend over this weekend and he said that plastics would give off vapors for a long time after they are made. Would there be anything dangerous about this, and would it apply to Polymax being that it is not really a plastic?

You plastic experts let me know before I gas myself!!

Sid, I'm no ex-spurt, (Also Known As - a has been drip under pressure) So I can't tell ya

Steve

I E-Mailed the folks at Farmtec and got a reply this morning. They said it only came in white and there was no glue for it, it had to be mechanically fastened.

I hope that this question does not open up another "can of worms" but what is the thermal expansion properties of this product. It is literally indistructable, and even if there is an adhesive that may semi-adhere, it may not lay flat or tend to bubble or shrink depending on the temp.

Just a comment that would be worth investigating prior to using it on a large surface like the roof.

Jim Marshall wrote:I E-Mailed the folks at Farmtec and got a reply this morning. They said it only came in white and there was no glue for it, it had to be mechanically fastened.

Jim,
I think they meant to say they "sell no glue for it" and the only thing they sell are mechanical fasteners. But time will tell, it shouldn't be too long before someone has the definitive ansewer to this question and many others I am sure.

Steve

Steve, it would be fantastic if there is a glue out there that will work with this. You are probably right that they sell screws and not glue for their product.

Is this the same stuff that gas tanks in cars and gas cans are made of? If so can it be heat formed? Like maybe cut your shape and heat and bend the edge, then put a trim strip over it? I have a replacement gas tank that is plastic that deformed over time, and when I took it down and set it in the sun, it remembered its shape and popped right back, saved me some bucks to replace.http://www.mtscompany.com/

I have received a post card from Farm Tec saying that my order or 3 sheets of that stuff (Poly Max) will not ship till the 24th of Feb. So I will be more that a couple of weeks letting anyone know how well the stuff goes on. The real purpose of this reply is to ask "What is that stuff made from that all our silicone, construction adhesives, and a lot of other sticky stuff comes in". Cut into an empty tube and you will find that the glue, silicone, or whatever, will not really stick to it. Also it's about 1/16 inch thick.

Found this http://www.polywater.com/bonduit.asp

gman...I do believe you may have found the majic bullet...a little more investigation is in order...............................

FYI...last week I sent an email to SIKA Industies, the maker of SIKAFLEX adhesives about an adhesive for poly board...their reply was that it was very hard to get anything to stick to it and they used it to test the curing properties of their adhesives...they could just peel what ever they used right back off the stuff and run tests on it and they make some truly great adhesives...stay tuned, the search continues...
madjack

Jack,

PE is extremely difficult to get anything to bond to it. In fact, when we
test our products in the lab for cure rate, we use HDPE equipment so we
cna peel the adhesive off and use the tool again.

Sorry I couldn't really offer any help in this.

Steve Padgett
----- Forwarded by Steve Padgett/Sika-Corporation/US/SIKA on 02/07/2006
08:31 AM -----

Well, here is an update on the Polymax.

First of all, if you are looking for a pristine material, this is not it. It came complete with scratches and imperfections, but I guess we should remember, this stuff is primarily for farm use. They say it's indestructible, and it is a very tough material.

It wasn't in terrible shape, but knowing from reading here that some of you "craftsman" probably would not be happy with the finish. One side was very shiney and the other not so shiney and it had a film of some sort on it, I guess from the manufacturing process. I cleaned it off with a coat of car wax because window cleaner and such just didn't seem to get it off. I am using the less shiney side.

My plan was/is to cover the exterior of our tear in it, but I wanted a sheet to play with and had decided to try and do the interior ceiling with it. The polymax I used is 1/16 inch thick. It is thin enough to be translucent as you can see from the pics, and I realized not rigid enough to be a stand alone cover like aluminum would be.

I adjusted my plans and lined the front interior with luan in order to have a backing for the polymax and add some rigidity to the front of the tear. I didn't see the need in taking the luan all the way over the ceiling, as the polymax is rigid enough with the support of the fan and ceiling light.

While at work last week we were doing a modification on a helicopter and my sheetmetal guys were using a double stick tape made by 3M. I saw it and the light bulb went off. Use it on the Polymax! So, I put several strips of tape on the luan and on each of the spars. It held the polymax in place just great.

I have now decided to do the same on the exterior. I am building the Kuffel Creek Cubby and it only calls for aluminum on the exterior, but I will adjust and put luan on the outside covered with polymax. I think the double stick tape will hold it tight enough against the skin to keep it from being loose in the larger areas, kind of like using carpet adhesive with aluminum. Tape will stick to it just fine, it's just a lot easier to clean all the goo off if you need to. Duct tape will stick, it just lets go easier than other it would with other material. With the edge trim, doors and lights holding various areas down, I see no problems in applying it this way. I can't see a need that it will have to be permanetly "bonded/glued" anywhere. With the luan being the main exterior support, this is just a waterproof cover. I had thought about a row or two of screws with rubber washers, or even a screwed on decoration on the sides where the larger areas are to hold it tight, but I do not think it will be needed. I think a good caulk, even though it may not adhere to this like other material, will provide the seal to keep out the water.

Hope this is enlightening to many. My exterior skins should be here Monday or Tuesday, but tomorrow, I start painting the interior of the house, so........

Here's the pics.










http://tnttt.com/album_ ... er_id=1921