Foam Seals on Canopies - Jan 2008

We use thin, self adhesive weather-strip available at any home  improvement
store such as Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. Ace Hardware has good foam,  too. I
particularly like the Ace Hardware brand foam because it has a thin  film of
cellulose.

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Date:         Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:09:35 EST
Reply-To:     "Ximango Owners Group (XOG)" <XIMANGO@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
Sender:       "Ximango Owners Group (XOG)" <XIMANGO@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
From:         John Lawton <Thrmlseekr@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Foam seals on canopies
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In a message dated 1/24/2008 3:51:12 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
faselh@EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU writes:

>>>>>Where do you buy the foam? Is it standard material  or something
special? What
kind of tape do you suggest to attach the  foam?<<<<<<
 
Hello Hermann,
 
We use thin, self adhesive weather-strip available at any home  improvement
store such as Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. Ace Hardware has good foam,  too. I
particularly like the Ace Hardware brand foam because it has a thin  film of
cellulose between the adhesive and the foam that makes removal  easier. The gray
Ace stuff seems to be a bit more UV resistant than  the tan stuff sold by Home
Depot, too.
 
 Get the thinnest you can find, i.e., 3/16" or thinner, open cell.  1/8"
really works well, but is sometimes hard to find.  If you use anything  thicker or
the closed cell variety, you run the risk of affecting the fit of  your
canopy when closed. Apply when it's warm, say 60F or above. If you don't  get these
sorts of temps, you can heat the mating surface slightly where  the foam is
to be applied with a hair dryer or heat gun.
 
You probably won't need the foam after temps warm up and the  existing closed
cell foam becomes pliable again. Just peel off the open cell  foam when the
temps warm up when you're done with it. Any residual adhesive  left behind will
come off easily with acetone. Even though it's not  pretty, I would stick it
to the fuselage, opposite the closed cell foam on the  canopy rail. You could
stick it to the existing closed cell foam on  the canopy rail to keep it out
of sight, but we've found that it doesn't stick  very well to the closed cell
foam and usually peels off in a matter of a  few days, no matter how much prep
you do.
 
Wipe the surface where the foam is to be applied with acetone or  denatured
alcohol before application to remove any grease or wax. Be careful if  you use
acetone to keep it far away from the canopy itself. Acetone will harm  the
Plexiglas canopy by making a frosty spot anywhere it contacts it.  If you do
happen to get a drop on the canopy and the resulting frost, you  can sand it out
(LIGHTLY) with 1200 then a light buff with plastic buffing  rouge will make it
go away in most cases, but it's best to not go there.  Denatured alcohol will
not harm the canopy. Neither acetone or denatured  alcohol will harm the
finish, gel coat or urethane, although I wouldn't  leave a rag soaked with acetone
sitting on any painted or gel coat surface  for long because after a while it
will soften the paint or gel coat. Denatured  alcohol will not do this. Wiping
the painted or gel coated surfaces with acetone  or denatured alcohol is
fine, though.
 
You can also use this type foam to seal up the fuel access doors and gear 
doors, both of which if not sealed are sources for drag because of the pressure 
differential between inside and outside the wing when at flying speeds.
 
Anyway, hope it helps!
 
Regards,
 
John  Lawton
Whitwell, TN (TN89)
Ximango #135