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Pro-Seal and Rudder Stiffeners

F

findane

Active Member
I'm getting ready to apply ProSeal to the rudder stiffeners on my RV9A. My plan is to apply the ProSeal, cleco the stiffeners to the rudder, let the ProSeal cure for 24 hours then back rivet. Does anyone have applications tips.
 
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First time I've heard of anyone doing this... Wondering what kind of benefit you were looking for.
 
It was a practice to help reduce the risk of cracks developing on the .016 skins of the early RV's. Many of us did this.
I used an industrial epoxy (Boeing) cement on the 6 and Proseal on the 3. I honestly can not remember if I waited for it to cure or riveted it while wet.
 
Brain came back to life. I did it wet.
I put a row of rivets in, held in with back rivet tape, then applied a very thin layer of Proseal to the Stiffener only. I wiped off the excess Proseal from the rivet shank before I set them just to make it a bit cleaner. Results where very good.
Here is a link to Randy Lervold's RV3B build. One of the best resources out there, and still on the web. Thank you brother Randy.

http://www.romeolima.com/RV3works/Airframe/airframe.html
 
Proseal stiffeners

JonJay said:
Brain came back to life. I did it wet.
I put a row of rivets in, held in with back rivet tape, then applied a very thin layer of Proseal to the Stiffener only. I wiped off the excess Proseal from the rivet shank before I set them just to make it a bit cleaner. Results where very good.
Here is a link to Randy Lervold's RV3B build. One of the best resources out there, and still on the web. Thank you brother Randy.

http://www.romeolima.com/RV3works/Airframe/airframe.html
Click to expand...

I did it semi cured.
When I match drilled them, I used a couple pieces of particle board and clekoed into the board. When it was time to proseal them, I coated both sides and clekoed them to the skin and board then left it for a few days. Then back riveted.
I did the elevators the same way.
 
I did my rudder and elevators wet and plan to do it for the flaps too. Not the ailerons, though, as they aren't in the slipstream.

RV-3B, with .016 rudder, elevator, aileron and flap skins. Don't know if I'd do it on thicker skins, haven't thought about it. Maybe.

Dave
 
Good Idea

I didn't proseal my first RV-7A rudder and it started cracking at 3 different rivets within first 150 hours. 600 hours since I rebuilt the rudder with the proseal on the stiffeners and no cracks so far.

Andy
 
My first rudder (0.016) developed cracks within the first 200 hours or so. As many have posted, cracking may be due (or in large part due) to poor fabrication technique. Not being certain, I built my 2nd rudder (0.020) using proseal wherever possible. I did it wet like the tanks are done. So far no cracks on this rudder (~450hrs). I will use proseal for my next plane as well.

Good luck,
 
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