Best adhesive for minicell to plastic?

I want to add some minicell padding to the seat depression of a Prijon Twister SOT. It is so big I am sliding around in it when practicing rolling, and there is no backband or thigh brace to make up for this slop (like there is in my SINK). Someone suggested adding minicell to the sides to tighten up the fit, and I like that idea.



I have GE Silicone II, which I know will stick to both minicell and plastic. (It’s what is used to seal foam bulkheads in plastic 'yaks.) But is it the best adhesive for this purpose?


contact cement
NOT silicone. It’s good for gap filling and a sealant, not good for glueing.



Any good waterproof contact cement works best. Barge cement, Mondo Bondo, Shore Adhesive, Super Stick Outfitting glue (Voyageur brand)and DAP Weldwood (the original NOT the water soluable)contact cement, to name a few.



coat both sides, let dry 10-15 minutes, warm with a hair dryer and stick. Double coat if you want a bomber job. let the first coat dry for a while (1/2 hour or more). Dangerous fumes and hard to clean up. wear latex gloves and respirator (or work in ventilation)



btw, had a great drive up from AZ thru CO to Livermore. Did backroads the whole way. Pretty frozen and brown, them Rockies, eh?



steve

Thanks!

– Last Updated: Feb-21-04 1:41 PM EST –

Yup, that's what I was wondering about: sealant vs. adhesive properties. I have some waterproof spray-on contact cement somewhere, 3M 77 if I remember correctly. I'll read the label to see if that'll do. Also have Marine Goop lying around.

We've been getting snow 2 to 3 times a week, so I hope it wasn't too much of a pain while you were in CO. I managed to put together a last-minute, Carpe Diem day paddle at Pueblo Reservoir in the sweet spot between storms. There's often a calm, mild day after a windy one, just before the next snowstorm hits. We nailed it! Felt wonderful to be out paddling again, making the ice twing and sing while bald eagles soared overhead.

BTW, the Twister is a hoot to spin around in circles. I think I could make myself sick beetling it 'round and 'round really fast (not that I want to). I did roll it but it was much harder than in my SINK. Broke the thigh strap fastening hardware the first pool session, got a better replacement from Prijon, and that seems to be holding up better. It's gonna be a lot of fun to play with in hot weather.

yeppers
the 77 will work, tho I find the paint-on type a bit more ‘bomber’. The Goop won’t work. again a good sealant.



yep the 'round and 'round will make you puke if you’re not careful! It’s all about spin momentum and YAW.



Soon as I got home I took a spin around the end of our Isle and watched 3 baldies play tag for 1/2 hour. Pretty cool!



Being originally from CO, I find the greenery and liquid h2o of the PNW pretty sweet. Tho, all the sunshine in CO is nice. Sno’s ok for about a week! =:-0)





steve

3M 77
If you like to use spray on adhesives as I sometimes do, consider using 3M 78 instead of 77. It has a more dry and much easier to control spray and the can has an adjustable spray tip to control the height of the fan. It’s almost like silly string. You can put it right where you want it. The 78 is designed specifically for rigid and semi rigid foam materials in outdoor applications whereas the 77 is more of a general rubber cement type of adhesive.



Happy sticking.

Consider a full on respirator
Many kayakers who work on their own boats using toluene solvents (contact cement), varnish etc use one. Get a really good comfy one if you an with organic vapor cartridges. Whe you stick you head into a boat which had contact cement in it for a foam bulkhead, you’ll be glad you did!



Quetion for flatpick and others, do you clean up areas to be stuck with a solvent before hand? What solvent would you use on plastic, fiberglass, and minicell?

Green can…
weld wood, been using it a few years now in salt and fresh water and still holding fine, the old addage if it smells like it it’ll kill you it’s got to be good is not always true. probably to do with the neo-rubber formula

It’s "Super 77"
I have no idea what the difference between regular 77 and the “super” version is. Oh, well; the label on the Super 77 says it works with foam and plastic, among other things. I’ll try it.

Respirator
I think for this job I’ll just do the glueing outdoors; still waiting for a warm enough day. Because it’s a SOT (completely open), fumes should dissipate very quickly.



What I should be using a respirator for is the rest of the work on my Merganser 16. Talk about fumes…sticking my head into the bow and stern to check on hot end pours was like entering a vapor cave. Really bad.

check out
this webshots page for outfitting photos and how-to’s

Brian’s page is pretty helpful I just made a custom seat and hip pads based on his instructions.

http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom




nope
I don’t ‘clean-up’ an area before contact cementing.



rough up both plastic and foam w/ dragon skin, 60 + grit sandpaper or a wire wheel, etc.



I usually flame the plastic w/ a propane torch. just a quick over with the flame, then let it cool. this preps the plastic for the glue.



steve

Yep, you are too smart
to want brain damage.