fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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Here you can see the thin film that was left, but didn't stick.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/coatedsteel4.jpg)
If you want to do something, you will find a way.
If you don't, you will find an excuse.
-------------------------------------------------
Good judgement comes from experience.
A lot of experience, comes from bad judgement.
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fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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This is the steel I have been using for the side walls. It is the 1" x 1.5" tubing.
The left side of this is how it looked when I picked it up from the shop I purchased it from.
In my earlier tests, I wiped steel that looked like the left side, with lacquer thinner, and just coated the steel with Por 15. It did not hold well. By that I mean, the other piece I used was a piece of wood, because I knew it would stick very well to that.
When I put it in the press, it came apart without a lot of pressure being applied.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/coatedsteel5.jpg)
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fulltimin
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Without grinding, I used a piece like the left side. I cleaned it with the cleaner/degreaser from Por 15, then used the metal prep, like the instructions said to.
I then applied Por 15 to the steel, and again, to a second piece of plywood, and "glued" them together.
When put in the press, it required a fair amount of pressure to break them apart.
So, that satisfied me that it would work like that.
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fulltimin
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The next thing I did, was to grind/sand the coating of the steel off, like the right side of this piece.
All the coating was gone, and if any water was applied, it would start to rust almost immediately without the coating on.
So, I wiped this off with lacquer thinner, (again - not supposed to), but I did, and then applied Por 15, and again to the plywood and "glued" them together.
It held well, even though according to Por 15, it should not have.
Also, after applying Por 15 to a piece of steel like this, I was able to bang 2 coated pieces together without the paint chipping or peeling,
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fulltimin
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So, that is what I have done to test it.
I have heard a few complaints about Por 15 not sticking from a few people. Every time, when they explained what they did, it was not even close to what Por 15 recommended. (not that mine has been close either, but at least I tested it before I used it)
On their website, their claim is that up to 95% of failures, are because of improper prep. I can see that after talking to the rep.
This is what I used to sand the finish off of the steel. It is a 40 grit flap sanding wheel that I used in my portable grinder.
It does a pretty good job removing the coating from the steel, and seems to allow the Por 15 to stick.
Like I said earlier - do your own research, and make your own decisions.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/flapsandingdisk2.jpg)
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fulltimin
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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In case you didn't remember, this was how I tested it this summer.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/porplysteel5.jpg)
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fulltimin
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Here's an update on the plywood that has been completely coated with Por 15.
It has spent a day soaked in water, then a day in the freezer. I removed it from the freezer, and thawed it out for a day, letting it soak.
So, here it is in the bag full of water.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/plywoodsoaked2.jpg)
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fulltimin
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I pulled the plywood from the bag and put it on the scale again, after being soaked, frozen, and soaked again.
Here it is with the weight, exactly as it was 3 days ago.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/weighplywood3.jpg)
The pic below is the one from 3 days ago. As you can see, they match.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/weighplywood.jpg)
So, that's a good thing. That means so far, the plywood has not absorbed any water.
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fulltimin
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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Anybody remember this wood square?
Yup, that's the one that I used when I was testing Por 15 and aluminum, while standing on top of it.
I cut the sides just a touch, to remove the Por 15, so I have fresh sides again, as I have another test that I want to do with this wood, and Por 15.
Test and results to be performed in a few days.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/woodsquare.jpg)
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fulltimin
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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I bought a couple of tubes of this for use with the motor home.
In my research I discovered that Pleasure Way - the motor home manufacturer uses Sikaflex to bond all of their fiberglass to their steel frames.
They do not use any fasteners to secure the fiberglass to their frames, thereby eliminating leakage points.
In watching their video, they have a 5 year warranty on their coaches. I figure, if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.
They did not specify exactly which Sikaflex was used. Looking at Sikaflex's website - this one looks like it should work very well. It is a permanent structural adhesive, but also has some flexibility in it.
So, I probably will test this also. It is not cheap, but hey, sometimes you get what you pay for, right?
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/sikaflex252.jpg)
In case you want to watch the video of Pleasure Way, I will link it here.
Pleasure Way on YouTube
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