With the drama in Sean and Angie's life right now, I know this is trivial, but if someone knows an answer to this:
On our new bus, the previous owner sika-flexed galvanized steel sheet to skin it. On the lower beltline section, he sikaflexed a roll of fiberglass over the galvanized steel. I want to remove the fiberglass. It's wavy and I just am not a fan of fiberglass skins. Am I being naive thinking I can remove them? Is sikaflex pretty much not gonna come off?
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ybdZrtkG0FE/VXTVEshz-zI/AAAAAAAAIPI/rVSIVsJkqGQ/s512-Ic42/IMG-20110905-00051.jpg)
Comes off great with a side grinder and time. Lots of time.
Jim H.
Noooo! :'(
sigh. so is life with a bus
This might work if you don't want to grind off the metal surface below the sikaflex? Not sure where to get or what the cost is but this guy seems to make it work on small areas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxXemzzyQZ4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxXemzzyQZ4)
They also come for use on a drill
http://www.gamart.com.au/Products/Item/tabid/100/BLASTW.aspx (http://www.gamart.com.au/Products/Item/tabid/100/BLASTW.aspx)
SIKA-FLEX says mechanical removal methods on all of their adhesives :(
If you can find a place to get started a piano wire with handles works removing the siding then the clean up begins
Quote from: luvrbus on September 03, 2015, 05:27:57 PM
If you can find a place to get started a piano wire with handles works removing the siding then the clean up begins
or a bunch of broken e strings....
Quote from: krank on September 03, 2015, 05:18:31 PMNot sure where to get or what the cost is ...
Australia (in these ads, anyway). The guy calls it a "caramel wheel". Problem is that Sikaflex is meant to be permanent -- really, really permanent.
I thought SIKA-FLEX had a failure temperature? I watched an Airstream guy remove what I thought was a SIKA-FLEXed on panel with a torch.
ugh. ok...I may just pull the panels and put new ones on.... ::)
I don't think using a torch on fiberglass would be a good idea ::)
Quote from: luvrbus on September 03, 2015, 07:57:12 PM
I don't think using a torch on fiberglass would be a good idea ::)
Could be kinda cool ;D
If you can get the fiberglass off you could probably get the adhesive off with a wire wheel, that might not damage the steel skin too much. The airstream thing may have been two part epoxy, that comes off nicely with heat and is commonly used to bond aluminium.
Brian
I've just taken apart the plastic headlight units on my Range Rover using heat, and the adhesive that holds them together looks and behaves exactly like Sika. That was with careful use of a hot air gun (definitely wouldn't attempt it with a torch). Also - Sika is polyurethane-based, as is expanding foam, and there is stuff called 'foam eater' for removing cured expanding foam: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Everbuild-PUREX-Eater-Expanding-Remover/dp/B0012XDEM0 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Everbuild-PUREX-Eater-Expanding-Remover/dp/B0012XDEM0) Might work (or might not) if you want a chemical approach
I'd also wonder if you actually need to remove all the Sika that's on there - once you've separated the panels using the cheese-wire technique (same as how bonded-in car windscreens are removed) you should be able to slice-off 99% of the remnants of the Sika bead using a razor blade, leaving a surface that's to-all-intents-and-purposes completely flat and ready for having something else bonded to it.
Jeremy
call Safelite... they have some weird tools ;D
This is good info. Part of the issue is that the factory foam blocks behind the belt line portion of the skins are bowed out. This gives the coach a "pregnant" look which isn't quite what we're going for. So I may just pull the panels, remove the foam and install flat foam, and then put new panels on.
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Scott - Grab an embossing gun from Michael's for 20$. Try that. They get up to 650 degrees and its a good way to try it out before spending a whole lot of money and time.
Sean I might
Just use my heat gun on low
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