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Re: [Amel Yacht Owners] Re: fresh water hose join to pipe

James Alton
 

Bill,

   I have heard good things about the butyl caulking tape.   I have removed quite a bit of hardware that was bedded with it over the years and don’t recall see many problems but I have not used it much myself to date.  Are there any limitations in where you would use this material?  I hadn’t thought about the shelf life aspect, that alone is a good reason to carry at least some aboard.  I have some of the tape  and will put some in the box of parts I am taking to the boat on the next trip over.

   Yes, I can imagine that trying to migrate a solvent into caulking to soften it would be a slow process.  If the fitting is metal that you want to remove, try heating it up to about 200F.  I find that I can usually  remove the fitting using very little stress so no damage the gelcoat/fiberglass.  It is of course preferable to only heat the metal part,  not the gelcoat/fiberglass since heat will soften that as well.

Best,

James Alton
SV Sueno,  Maramu #220
Sardinia,  Italy

On Mar 6, 2017, at 9:48 AM, greatketch@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

James,


There are a couple of proprietary solvent mixtures that do soften 5200 and help with its removal.  (DeBond is one I have used) but it is a slow and tedious process.

For most bedding purposes I use butyl caulking tape. It is non-hardening, non-adhesive material that is easy to use and lasts indefinitely. Keeps forever in the boat locker too.

Bill Kinney
SM#160 Harmonie
La Parguera, Puerto Rico


---In amelyachtowners@..., wrote :

Bill,

   Besides the removal issue, I also avoid 5200 for underwater or deck applications because it can be permanently softened by oils.  As to the removal of deck hardware that has been bedded down with 5200, the gentle application of heat using a paint stripper gun (or  better an induction heating tool which eliminates the risk of overheating the gel coat) to the fitting being removed will often prevent damage.  Placing a sheet of aluminum around the fitting to be heated can also help protect the gelcoat.

   What type of caulking do you like to use for your deck hardware?  I am having pretty good luck with the polyether caulking myself which is resistant to oil,  has good elongation properties but isn’t so strong that damage is likely when taking things apart.

Best,

James Alton
SV Sueno,  Maramu #220
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