Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

The 'adhesive' that I used failed! I used it to glue a ceiling panel in, clamped the edges firmly, left it alone for 30 hours. After removing the clamps it seemed secure. 12 hours late...FAIL!

Nothing is ruined but I've lost time.

The Locktite adhesive is labeled to glue metal and foamboard...NOT!

What is a good glue to use? Either a product name or even a chemical adhesive name.

It's fortunate in a way that it failed in my driveway and not while on the road. Grrrrr!

Tom

I used 3M Titebond 30 contact adhesive to glue the insulation to the interior of my aluminum trailer. Works fine, even when the skin exceeds 140F.

It's water-based so no solvent fumes, and easy wash up. It won't set up at lower temps than 60F. And it's not cheap. I got mine through Amazon for about $50 a pint.

<Chas>

No matter which adhesive, you might also try cleaning the aluminum with paper towel & isopropyl alcohol.

Fred

Gorilla Glue

Silicone rubber (RTV) it will stick anything together as long as it is a clean surface (not oily) ....

Dale

Dale M. wrote:Silicone rubber (RTV) it will stick anything together as long as it is a clean surface (not oily) ....

Dale

But if the aluminum gets hot, the RTV just peels right off.

I didn't try liquid nails (construction adhesive) nor most solvent based adhesives because I didn't want to breathe the fumes, both while applying and later while sleeping in the trailer.

3M VHB tape seems to hold up to the high temps OK, I used some small pieces here and there.

<Chas>

I too recommend Gorilla Glue. I called the company direct when I was considering skinning my foamie with aluminum, they recommended a paper thin layer of glue and wetting down the other side and even clamping pressure, but they were confident that it would do well

The blue foam I've used has a plastic covering on both sides. You may have to remove it for the adhesive to bond.

Best,
Tom

GuitarPhotog wrote:

Dale M. wrote:Silicone rubber (RTV) it will stick anything together as long as it is a clean surface (not oily) ....

Dale

But if the aluminum gets hot, the RTV just peels right off.

I didn't try liquid nails (construction adhesive) nor most solvent based adhesives because I didn't want to breathe the fumes, both while applying and later while sleeping in the trailer.

3M VHB tape seems to hold up to the high temps OK, I used some small pieces here and there.

<Chas>

I have NEVER HAD RTV peel of anything unless it was oily or greasy... They even use it to put windshields in cars....

Dale

They use butyl sealant for windshields. Completely different stuff

Disclaimer: It's an old thread, but for any newcomers like me ...

If you're building a "sandwich" wall by gluing a skin to foam, whatever adhesive you choose should not be air cured! That's one reason Gorilla Glue works so well. It cures with moisture. Lightly wetting down both sides of the sandwich - foam and wood, for instance - only gives it more "bite." If you're a nerd like me, ye olde Wikipedia does a good job explaining how adhesives cure:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhesive# ... activeness

Short story: Don't use any sort of a latex adhesive when gluing together a sandwich wall. There won't be any air to let the glue dry!

I have limited hands-on experience with this, so I don't yet know the best adhesive to use. Just some general rules to build by

Try Gorilla glue on sample pieces before you use it. When it moisture cures, it foams. The foam can displace the two materials you are trying to adhere unless the you provide sufficient clamping, caulks, etc. Because of this, I think it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to laminate two layers of sheet materials using Gorilla glue.


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