Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #25 – February 20, 2022, 06:17:47 pm Many Thanks Larry!!I'll give this a try. I pray the damage is not as bad as it appears. Would you hand sand or use a palm sander?Mark
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #26 – February 20, 2022, 07:56:57 pm Quote from: NADAZE! - February 20, 2022, 06:17:47 pmI'll give this a try. I pray the damage is not as bad as it appears. Would you hand sand or use a palm sander?Neither, I wouldn't touch the surrounding paint, instead, I would work strictly on the bubbles. The surrounding paint doesn't have a problem, fix the bubbles first, along with resealing the window and any other sources of leakage. If you want to spray paint the areas, plan on doing it later. Larry 1 Likes
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #28 – February 20, 2022, 09:10:25 pm NADAZEI am not sure where you are located in the states, but if you are interested in a first-class Lazy Daze repair facility on the west coast - here are the contact numbers.Recommended by the Mother Ship. They are located north-west of San Diego in an old neighborhood. These folks did some work for me recently, and the job was outstanding. Their specialty is body repair and paint - and they do aluminum bodies and sheet metal. Todd at LD sent them whatever parts/decals were needed.They have a first-class paint shop, and the block long shop is loaded with Old-Time Custom autos that they are working on.619-561-0187Lakeside Auto BodyA&S Collision Repair, Inc9786 Los Coches RoadLakeside, CA 92040Owner is George Toth - and the Manager is Trevor GreenThey guys have been in business for almost 60 years in the same location.I have no financial interest or any dog in this race other than to suggest a really good old-time work ethics shop. Cheers!Tony R. (aka codefour) 2 Likes
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #29 – February 21, 2022, 02:45:36 am Hi Tony; Funny to hear that Lakeside is north west of San Diego. West would be really wet, and I live in the city limits but north of the central city. Lakeside is distinctly due east of central San Diego. I've never heard of the place, but It's nice to know that there is someone so close to me. I'd probably go to Montclair if I needed any work. RonB 1 Likes
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #30 – February 21, 2022, 08:27:04 am Tony, thanks for the info on the repair facility. You may want to add it here:REPAIR, MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE FACILITIESIn my younger years, having lived in Santee which is east of San Diego, I can attest to what Ron said. Lakeside is a little east of Santee. If needed, there is a campground in Lakeside at Lake Jennings:Camping » Lake Jennings
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #31 – February 21, 2022, 09:43:05 am Thank you my friends!Definitely EAST of San Diego......and I did post this to the Repair Recommendations list.Todd was unable to take our coach last year because of Covid-19 - and he highly recommended these folks. And he was right on.!Cheers!Tony R. (aka codefour) 1 Likes
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #32 – March 03, 2022, 11:57:20 am The weather has finally cooperated enough where I can begin addressing my rust bubbles.Three photos attached of my end caps where I'm sure is the source of my water leak. Photo 1: The cap gap after I cleaned out most of the caulk.Photo 2: Temporary acrylic caulk covering a hole caused by water, forming a rust bubble. This hole is next two the end cap, rear driver's side.Photo 3: End cap gap on right side of same end cap.As I was cleaning out the caulk near the rust bubble 4 or 5 water droplets trickled out. Question: I can not tear off and replace the end caps. Time, money and skills. Can I save do this for of extensive repair by cleaning to and recaulking the end cap gaps?Many thanks!MarkPS: This is the only rust bubble that has rusted through. It's about the size of a quarter.
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #33 – March 03, 2022, 12:51:20 pm The caulk on the rust bubble was applied in the cold and mist. It is what it is.
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #34 – March 03, 2022, 12:57:53 pm Quote from: NADAZE! - March 03, 2022, 11:57:20 amThe weather has finally cooperated enough where I can begin addressing my rust bubbles.Three photos are attached of my end caps where I'm sure is the source of my water leak. I was cleaning out the caulk near the rust bubble 4 or 5 water droplets trickled out. Question: I can not tear off and replace the end caps. Time, money and skills. Can I save do this for of extensive repair by cleaning to and recaulking the end cap gaps?MarkYou definitely need to reseal all the caps, do to try to remove them unless they are all ready to fall off. Good chance the window frames need to be resealed too.If you search end cap repair and my user name, you will find detailed descriptions on how to seal the end caps and window frames, the normal sources of leaks.I always recommend using a polyurethane sealant, due to its long service life.Use stainless steel sheet metal screws evenly spaced, to pull the caps into place, if needed.The gaps need to have the old sealant removed, cleaned well with solvent, and taped off, to keep the sealant where it belongs.I would be concerned that there is rot in the corners, a common occurrence with end caps leaksI would also check the bottom of the rear wall for rot.https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwade/sets/72157671788034655/'Larry
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #35 – March 03, 2022, 01:17:08 pm Thanks for your help Larry.I inspected the spare tire cargo area. No obvious water stains or mildew smells.My LD has the rear queen with closets on either side. No water stains of mildew smells.Do you think it wold be okay to clean and recaulk? We have rain in our forecast for the weekend.Do you think duck tape would protect the end caps until better weather?Thanks!Mark
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #36 – March 03, 2022, 02:02:03 pm Quote from: NADAZE! - March 03, 2022, 01:17:08 pmDo you think it would be okay to clean and recaulk? We have rain in our forecast for the weekend.Do you think duck tape would protect the end caps until better weather?Duct tape can leave adhesive behind and sometimes damage the paint. I prefer using Gorrila Clear tape for such purposes, it comes off clean.It's best to wait for a dry period but if you can get it done before it rains, polyurethane is not damaged by exposure to water when it hasn't been fully cured.Larry
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #37 – March 03, 2022, 04:48:54 pm Thanks Larry.I was told to use Marine Sealant 5200. Is this a bad idea. One everything is recalled I have a body man who will make repairs a nd paint. Is it true paint won't adhere to poly?Mark
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #38 – March 04, 2022, 12:30:04 am Quote from: NADAZE! - March 03, 2022, 04:48:54 pmI was told to use Marine Sealant 5200. Is this a bad idea. One everything is recalled I have a body man who will make repairs and paint. Is it true paint won't adhere to poly?When sealing end caps and window frames, I always use 3M 5200 Fast Cure, it's still the best adhesive sealant I have found.Paint doesn't stick to it permanently, since you already have a lot of gaps. I would be more concerned about keeping the frame dry, preventing rot, and stopping any present active rot. If you want to paint the poly, fine, just be ready to touch it up every year or two.Larry
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #39 – March 04, 2022, 08:55:41 am Thanks Larry.I have 4 new tubes of regular 5200. The cure is 7 days.Because this caulk is so expensive. Could I use the caulk I have?
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #40 – March 04, 2022, 12:01:58 pm Quote from: NADAZE! - March 04, 2022, 08:55:41 amI have 4 new tubes of regular 5200. The cure is 7 days.Because this caulk is so expensive. Could I use the caulk I have?Regular 5200 is fine. The seven-day cure means that once something has been glued, the 5200 is going to be very sticky for several days. Once an area is fixed, stay away from it until it finishes curing, it is easy at this point to accidentally touch it and mess up the surface. Once cured, it performs the same as 5200 Fast Cure.Larry
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #41 – March 04, 2022, 03:02:44 pm Here's a tip that's been posted here before, but is worth repeating. 3M 5200 has a tendency to get everywhere, no matter how careful you are. So what I do, and I know Larry does the same, is to wear several pairs of gloves--one over the other--so that when your gloves get messy, you can strip them off and go on working, protected by the pair underneath. I usually wear three pairs of nitrile gloves when working with 5200 or other messy sealants. I also keep a can of mineral spirits and a bunch of rags or paper towels handy. (3M recommends their General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner 08984, but I haven't tried that.)The 5200 data sheet is worth reading before you start, if it's your first time with this adhesive.Oh, one other tip: don't use alcohol when prepping the surfaces before applying 5200. Isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) is a very useful general-purpose cleaner/solvent, but this is one case where it's absolutely verboten, because it will stop 5200 from curing. Use acetone instead. 1 Likes
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #42 – March 04, 2022, 03:38:18 pm Quote from: Andy Baird - March 04, 2022, 03:02:44 pmHere's a tip that's been posted here before, but is worth repeating. 3M 5200 has a tendency to get everywhere, no matter how careful you are. So what I do, and I know Larry does the same, is to wear several pairs of gloves--one over the other--so that when your gloves get messy, you can strip them off and go on working, protected by the pair underneath. It.)I buy boxes of 100 5mm nitrile gloves and use them whenever things get messy...and things get real messy with 5200. Wear old clothes too, 5200 isn't easy to remove when wet and impossible once cured.To ease the clean-up, I tape everything around the end cap or window frame where I do not want to get 5200 on, leaving a thin 1/8" gap for the sealant. With 5200 Fast Cure, the tape comes off immediately after application and smoothing, The surface of 5200 FC begins to cure quickly, so removing the tape quickly eliminates disturbing the surface. Regular 5200 takes a couple of days for the surface to cure, I'm not sure when to remove the tape due to my limited experience using it. You will want to experiment with it.LarryLarry
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #43 – March 04, 2022, 03:58:36 pm Thanks guys.Sorry for all of the questions. Appears you only have one shot when using 5200. I ordered 3 tubes of the 5200 quick cure.I have most of the seams cleaned out. I'm not sure if the old caulk was silicone. Will 5200 caulk over any silicone residue?Do you smooth 5200 with a wet glove?Mark
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #44 – March 04, 2022, 04:21:47 pm Nothing will adhere to silicone caulk, including more silicone caulk.If it's on metal, the only solution is to remove everything down to the bare metal. If it's on plastic, I don't know whether there's any way to remove it sufficiently to allow sealant to stick. Maybe others who've had experience removing silicone can chime in.
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #45 – March 04, 2022, 06:05:00 pm I'm not sure what the old caulk is. I'm assuming it's white silicone.
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #46 – March 04, 2022, 06:57:28 pm Quote from: NADAZE! - March 04, 2022, 06:05:00 pmI'm not sure what the old caulk is. I'm assuming it's white silicone.Silicone is bad news and hard to deal with.You need to sand the aluminum, as Andy said, and undercut the cap's edge and keep removing material until you hit clean plastic.I would first try a utility knife. Tape off everything first to reduce accidental damage. it would be tempting to use a vibratory tool and a wood/metal blade to cut deeper into the gap.Also, consider adding #8X 1" stainless steel sheet metal screws every 4"-6", keeping the spacing even for a factory look. The screws will add to the holding strength that may have been lost to silicone poisoning.Drill pilot holes through the cap into the wood below and then drill the cap's holes slightly larger than the screw diameter, to prevent cracking the cap when tightening the screws. Use the screws to pull the caps in evenly, do not overtighten, and squeeze all of the sealants out.Use a wet, gloved finger to remove excess sealant and to smooth the polyurethane.Larry 1 Likes
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #47 – March 04, 2022, 11:17:39 pm Thanks Larry!The caulk I removed was white. Hopefully that means it was not silicone.I may take a chance and recaulk over it with #M 5200 quick.I'll send you a a couple of photos of a section of the cap with the white caulk.Have a great evening.Mark
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #48 – March 05, 2022, 12:42:17 am That brings up a good question: what's a definitive way to test whether a caulked seam is silicone or something else? Could one wipe with a solvent, and if the sealant doesn't get sticky, then it's silicone? Any ideas, folks?
Re: How to repair rust bubbles Reply #49 – March 05, 2022, 09:26:47 am Quote from: Andy Baird - March 05, 2022, 12:42:17 amThat brings up a good question: what's a definitive way to test whether a caulked seam is silicone or something else? Could one wipe with a solvent, and if the sealant doesn't get sticky, then it's silicone? Any ideas, folks?The only way with 100% certainty is bring these old caulk pieces to a lab and use FTIR spectrometer for an analysis. Their infra red spectra are totally different between silicone and regular hydrocarbon based caulk. Another way is to brush some thick paint and let it reach full cure, then try to peel off the paint. If it peels off, it is likely to be silicone or "siliconized caulk" in which silicone migrates to the top surface of the caulk during cure. If the paint sticks well, it is unlikely to contain silicone.
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