Sealers of Sorts and Sizes

I got a lot of feed back asking to go into a bit more depth as to the sealers I have used on the Double Door. There are no trade secrets here. I honestly do not know if they are the best products for the job, but they sure do work well for me.

My favorite sealant is butyl tape. I love the stuff to be honest. Here you see where I used it behind the L-200 lock and the dead bolt. I like the way it bulges out over the edge. A sharp knife trims the excess right off. The wide variety of widths and thicknesses makes for a perfect fit. I use butyl behind window flanges, vent stacks, and such. I buy this at my RV Supply House. Your local RV Center with a store will have some sizes.

I have also become very fond of Acryl-R. I buy it from the Airstream Store. You buy a pump and a can of the product. One can will do a few trailers or your own for a number of seasons.

The applicator tip has a real fine orifice and once you learn how much pressure to pump and how fast to move the tip, it will give a real nice bead. I use this for the outside seams. The aluminum color helps it blend in real well.

The literature says it does up to 1/4", but I only use it on 1/8" or less. Something with a little more body, like Vulkem is good for the wider gaps.

The Acryl-R actually pulls into the seam. Capillary action helps wick the material into the seam. It is amazing to watch happen. I buy this from Airstream online.

Although very new to me, C-10 Flow Seal sealant has been used on all the interior seams. It also has a bit of capillary action going for it. I will warn you now, it has many products with "something ol u ene " in their name. If you are chemically sensitive or live in California, this is not a product for you. In good ventilation, and a 24 hour span for the product to fully cure, it is very safe and highly flexible material. It worked really well on the seams.

If two edges of aluminum join, they are sealed with the C-10.

You can see how it pulls in to the gap. I also used this to seal the Fantastic Vents to the roof and around their edge. This stuff flows slowly for about four minutes and then flashes off. To answer the inevitable: I buy it from my RV Supply House. I can ship it to you if you want. It is not cheap.

I also sealed areas using rubber gaskets. To stick the rubber to the skin, I used this adhesive.

I apply it by putting a thin bead on one surface. The bead is feathered out with a brush dipped in lacquer thinner. I then let it dry completely.

A thin bead is applied to the center of the gasket. The wet adhesive activates the dry film and the two are bonded together. You need to be sure of your placement, for once put down, it is down for good.

Well the most unusual sealant to roll through the Works has to be what I found on the back of one of the 54 Safari's. This trailer was part of a deer camp. So when sealing gaps, why not give the sealant some body and use deer fir. Yes that is deer fir and painters caulk. When it failed, hot tar filled in the pinch. You see it all on these old girls.

Hope this helps with some of the "Sealant Curious". Thanks for reading....