Robie wrote:
I was hoping fellow pilots could share first hand experience with using structural adhesives and 2 part epoxies.
If you could carry 10 oz. of one product on a 5 month trip in the wilds,What would it be ?
I've used a couple of products successfully on Hobie's HDPE -- Loctite 3035 and 3M DP 8010. I've also used several other adhesives that have failed to bond under stress. Here's what it looks like:
Anytime I try an adhesive out, I also run a sample to assess the strength. Here's the 3035 bonding 2 Hobie sample PE disks that I tried to separate with a chisel. As you can see, they didn't separate.
I've used both of these products on high stress (drivewell and cam columns) repairs and limited bonding surface area projects with no problems. Of the two, the 3035 is slighely easier to work with because it uses a 5:1 ratio rather than the 8010's 10:1 mixing ratio. It's also a newer product that replaced a very good Loctite 3030.
You have to get these at an industrial supplier like RS Hughes (or Amazon). They're not cheap, they have a shelf life and they are not exactly easy to work with. Work life is about 4 to 5 minutes. They should be used outside and should not contact your skin. Other than that, they are great!
Here are a couple of small projects:
This drivewell insert is bonded to the drivewell plug for easy removal using DP 8010:
This is a drivewell streamline project with 3035. These inserts are only held on place by their edges and are solid and stable:
So far, nothing else I have tried has bonded well.