Proseal Day

27 Jul 2004 Proseal Day

Today I felt like I finally had enough stuff queued up to open up a little package of Proseal (a.k.a. Flamemaster Corporation Sealing Compound CS 3204 – Integral Fuel Tank Sealant, 8802 Mil-S-8802F Type II) Product Specification – CS3204.pdf and start gluing stuff together.

I glued on the two NACA vents, one in the wing, and one in the fuselage, my two Proprietary Systems Angle of Attack air inlets, sealed the fuel return bulkhead fittings, the fuel senders, and a little plug to cover an errant hole drilled in a fuel tank cover.

One mistake I made, which is very embarrassing, is that I did not mix up the proseal as recommended on the package. I apparently didn’t read the instructions completely, since I didn’t read the part where it said to mix at least 50 times. Yes, it was in bold, and underlined, and I missed it. I probably mixed it about 20 times, which I hope was enough. I’ll find out tomorrow when it dries. I made a little test piece that I will use to see how strong this batch was.

Here are some pictures of what I glued today. All I have to say is “I love the smell of proseal in the morning”.

Update: 28 July 2004

48 hours after applying the proseal, it has still not set up. It’s still sticky, and not firm. Of course, I got concerned at 24 hours and consulted with some other builders, and they said this was normal. I also spoke to the company that makes the product, and they said that the curing times mentioned in the documentation are at 77 degrees F and 50% humidity, and that lower temperatures and higher humidity would greatly slow down the curing process. I’m running about 18 degrees C (about 65 degrees F) and about 80-90% humidity in my underground workshop. The technican at Flamemaster said it might take a week to dry. Good thing I’m not in a hurry!

Update: 16 August 2004

No chance this stuff is going to dry. I’ll have to take all the parts off, clean them, and do it again. I clearly didn’t mix in the hardener enough. Bummer!