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Vinyl wrap questions

ka6dan

Well Known Member
I am considering applying Vinyl Wrap to my 9A. I have a few questions

What is the recommended surface prep prior to applying a wrap? Or what did you do in the way of prep?
What is your experience with Vinyl (difficulty of application, long term performance)?
Are the any active installers in the Florida area that have a track record in wrapping aircraft?
 
Wrap

Jessie just finished my panel upgrade at x35. I have a 64" Roland printer and laminator. If you need help with a wrap call me. I'm in Orlando
 
My -7A is currently at Saint Aviation (X35) getting HXD upgrade and I have carbon fiber vinyl wrap on my panel and checkered wrap on the rudder and under the flaps. Looks amazing and holds up well. Only suggestion I could make is buy the good stuff such as 3M and avoid the Chinese stuff on eBay.

Stop by if you want to check it out.
 
I bought 3M 1080 on eBay and wrapped the stabilator on my RV-12. Raised pull rivet heads are no problem - just make pinhole to release trapped air and squeeze vinyl around the rivets. Looks like gelcoat fiberglass. Very pleased with first time results using vinyl.
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AircraftWraps.com

What is the recommended surface prep prior to applying a wrap? Or what did you do in the way of prep?
Leave the Aluminum as cleaned bare metal. Lean means no surface oil to impede the vinyl?s adhesives. Don?t prime, it?s just added weight. Fiberglass must be finished to smooth final surface finish, because vinyl highlights imperfections. However, there is no need to fill pinholes.

What is your experience with Vinyl (difficulty of application, long term performance)?
My experience installing was easy: I hired Scott Farnsworth at AircraftWraps.com of Palm Peach FL. The vinyl looks great and holds color well. It?s as susceptible to hangar rash as paint, but easily repairable. Bug cleaning is easy, and you never ever polish vinyl. It?s half the weight of paint.

Are the any active installers in the Florida area that have a track record in wrapping aircraft?
The very best is in Palm Beach (see previous paragraph).
 
How did you wrap around the hinge? I was curious how it would work around my trim tab on the elevator.
 
How did you wrap around the hinge? I was curious how it would work around my trim tab on the elevator.

Not sure whether you were asking me or someone else, but we wrapped the horizontal stabilizer skin to the aft skin edge, and wrapped the tab skin to the forward edge, leaving the hinge exposed.
 
How did you wrap around the hinge? I was curious how it would work around my trim tab on the elevator.

In the pics I included in above post... the hinge is unpainted. Vinyl is wrapped around and over the hinge and tucked against the hinge line. You could paint the hinge prior to vinyl application and then end the vinyl at the hinge edge. The way I did it is a lot of dicking around the rivet heads. Works fine - edges not lifting after 100 hrs flying.

I should mention my stab was bare aluminum and beginning to oxidize. I tried polishing but was disappointed with outcome. To prep the surface I used fine ScotchBrite mainly to knock off the bugs. Vinyl sticks to aluminum surface as long as its clean.

If/when I build another airplane I will most certainly vinyl wrap. Entire airplane can be built and 100% finished in my walk-out basement needing only assembly, inspection, and fly at the airport. No smell, fumes, or fuss.

I don't know if I agree on vinyl weight savings Vs. paint. I bet its close to even. Vinyl is not light...

See... http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=98932 for a good write-up on vinyl application.
 
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I weighed a square foot of vinyl (3m-1080) and multiplied that by my calculated surface area of the entire airframe. The calculated result was 17lb. I rounded that up to 20 to account for some overlap and estimating errors.

A local pro aircraft painter and I had a "why vinyl" versus paint discussion and weight came up. He confessed that an RV he recently painted in three colours base/clear system probably left 55lb of material on the airplane.

Even if his estimate was high by double, the vinyl is still lighter.

BTW, I ended up painting most of the fibreglass parts to color match the vinyl including engine cowl, spinner, wheel pants and wing tips.

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Bevan.
 
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I weighed a square foot of vinyl (3m-1080) and multiplied that by my calculated surface area of the entire airframe. The calculated result was 17lb. I rounded that up to 20 to account for some overlap and estimating errors.

A local pro aircraft painter and I had a "why vinyl" versus paint discussion and weight came up. He confessed that an RV he recently painted in three colours base/clear system probably left 55lb of material on the airplane.

Even if his estimate was high by double, the vinyl is still lighter.

BTW, I ended up painting most of the fibreglass parts to color match the vinyl including engine cowl, spinner, wheel pants and wing tips.



Bevan.

My opinion is that his estimate was high by more than double but I guess it depends on who is doing the paint job.
If he knows that from experience by weighing before and after, then it is not a shop I would do business with........
 
19 Pounds - of Paint

I just had John Stahr paint my plane - 19 pounds of paint / clear.
As the man said, it depends on who does the paint job that makes a significant impact on how much paint weight is gained.
Here in the PNW, there aren't any vinyl applicators that will touch an airplane; least none that I've heard of. And, with John living only 1 hr south, it was a no-brainer for me.
 
My opinion is that his estimate was high by more than double but I guess it depends on who is doing the paint job.
If he knows that from experience by weighing before and after, then it is not a shop I would do business with........

His method of calculation was how many gallons he used, then subtracting for overspray and vaporization/curing. Not very scientific but he was arguing that paint doesn't weigh more than vinyl. Go figure.

Bevan.
 
I've been considering vinyl for my plane but wonder about how to detect cracks that may form under the vinyl. I also wondered about corrosion but that probably isn't a huge concern.
 
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