Heck has frozen over!
 

Well, believe it or not, I have to seek advice on adhesives.

I'm getting ready to put the vacu-formed wraps on an Estes SV. I've built LOTS of Estes SV's, but this is the first one with the plastic wraps. I've tested most of the adhesives and plastic welders in my arsenal: contact cement, plastruct, ambroid, Tenax7, etc. The contact cement (snot) grips nicely but softens the plastic too much. The welding fluids don't seem to weld the plastic to the BT's.

Any advice? Thanks!

The last one I built I used the double-sided tape Apogee recommends on theirs. On the inside of the roll, it has 3M 463 729 3350. Good stuff, the wraps have not come up on my Apogee or Estes Saturn V. The Saturn V I built back in 2003 I used contact cement.

A good contact cement would be my first choice. Ive used 3M super 77 before, and also a thin coat of epoxy before to attach wraps.

kj

Yes, contact cement is MY first choice also, but I'm afraid of softening the wrap so much that the details distort. I'll try it with the bottom wrap, see how it goes, and then decide. Thank you.

I'd love to try that. Do you know where to get the tape?

I ordered it online quite some time ago, when Apogee introduced there Saturn models. There were people having a problem with CA melting the wraps and I decide to try it instead. It comes in a big roll. Maybe call Tim at Apogee and he can give you a source.

Contact Cement is the way to go, but most people use way too much. Back in '69 when I built my first one, I was really careful with the contact cement, and everything went on perfectly. Ok, there was one place that got soft, but it was under one of the fin fairings so I got away with it.

You can use one of the Scotch aerosols (can't remember the designation? 77? 88?) but you have to spray lightly and protect against overspray and reflection (getting overspray around the edges and onto the front of the wraps).

Thanks. I have the Scotch aerosol adhesive. I've used it before but I'm not a big fan of it. You just can't beat "snotty" contact cement for permanence(sp?), but I'll be careful of the amount I use.

I didn't know ANY kit had vacu-formed wraps in 1969!

The wraps in the Estes kit are pulled from the same molds as the 1969 Centuri kit.

Ah so.