I have searched on here about using acetone to seal monokote trim/stripes. Could someone explain this process in a little detail to me please. For example, which acetone (regular acetone from the hardware store etc.) to use and methods for applying. Never tried this before and have a nice trim scheme I want to keep in place on a plane I am finishing up.

thanks!

I haven't heard of using acetone but I have heard of using window cleaner.
The window cleaner MUST have ammonia in it. That is what softens the glue.
I've also heard this only works on Monokote.

Spray the cleaner on the plane
Peal the backing of of the trim
Place the trim where and how you want it.
Squeegee out the excess cleaner.
Make sure it has no bubbles and is where you want it.
LEAVE IT ALONE Let it sit overnight for the chemical reaction.
Some like to use trim solvent on the edges - I haven't done it enough to comment on this.

There are other threads on this if you want to do some searching.

Good Luck,
KW_Counter

Acetone will do nothing but make you high. The main ingredient in trim solvent is toulene. This is apparently what activates the glue on MONOKOTE ONLY. Yes, glass plus (or other ammonia basded cleaners) will soften the adhesive on MONOKOTE ONLY, but will not stick it down permanetly. A trim iron or a Qtip soaked in trim solvent will have to be applied around the entire perimeter of your trim piece. Otherwise the edges will start to lift. I used this method on the CAP 21 below. 60+ hours in that covering scheme.

And if you think acetone will make you high, just try the toulene out. That stuff will make you, the wife and the cat loopy. But it works great! Have fun!

Tom

Acetone WILL work (and very well I might add) on Monokote. But I would avoid using it like "No Heat" (where you wet the covering and apply it) as it is VERY aggressive to the adhesive while wet.

However, if you have your trim in place (Either with heat or windex or whatever) just wiping the edges with acetone (On a rag or Q-Tip) will activate the adhesive along those edges and really stick them down.

i used the windex texh on a gs p-47 that goes 75mph. nothing ever loosened! its 2 years old at least 50 flights

I understand that toulene can cause almost instant blindness. Several hobby products like dope and paint and polyester hardener (almost pure toulene) contain some. Read those content labels!!!!!!

Not to mention that the name "TNT" stands for Tri-Nitro Toluene

OK so let me get this straight. For my trim pieces (a couple of looong triangles on the wings going from a point at the root to approx 4 inches at the tip) I can spray the wing with windex, apply the trim, squeegie out the air bubbles, let it sit 24 hours, and then come back and either trim iron the edges or trim solvent the edges. Will this cause bubbles to appear later on?

On another note, has anyone tried woodpeckering the base monokote on a wing and then trimming over it? Works fine on a closed structure but I haven't tried that on an open structure.

Barry

woodpeckering (is that a word?) the under covering is an excellent idea. I do it all the time.

In fact, if the trim piece is very large, I will cut out most of the covering underneath first.

If I'm going to trim solvent the edges of the covering after the Windex has dried, do I need to actually lift up the edges or is applying the solvent on top of the edges enough for it to wick around to underneath.

BTW . . . if "woodpeckering" was not an official term, it now is.

You don't need to lift the edges, the acetone will work its way in.

What about putting some toluene in an airbrush, spraying the area with a mist coat and then using a squeegee to put the trim down?

That's not a suggestion - it's a question. I've never used any type of trim solvent because I've always just ironed the stuff down.

Like MinnFlyer, unless it's a pin-stripe I remove the covering below first.

If you apply dry monokote using their "Trim Solvent" you should never have any problem with the trim lifting. Acetone, lacquer thinner, or MEK may work to some degree, but nowhere as well as Monokote's product. The active solvent in their "Trim Solvent", and what gives it it's characteristic odor, is - cyclohexanone. I have used cyclohexanone for years to "glue down" my trim and have had zero lifting.

I used to use it in a business I had and bought it in 5-gal cans for about $45-50. I still have a few gallons left and all I use it for now days is to glue down my monokote trim, so it's probably a several lifetime supply. It may be hard to find, but look under industrial solvents in your yellow pages. My guess is that it probably is in the $20-25/gal range and you might not be able to get a smaller supply. Find a few friends, buy a gallon and split it 4-8 ways and you'll each have a pint to a quart for less than you would pay for 4 oz. of Trim Solvent, AND you can stretch it further with adding another ketone. Very little goes a long way.

I use the windex technique, and once the trim is solidly in place, I use the covering iron to heat any sharp points, as well as tack down about 50% of any long edges (keep the heated area to about 1/8" wide, and about 1 inch wide. Don't heat a broad area, as it will cause bubbles to form and stretch the monokot.

Brad

I have experimented with adding a small amount of acetone to Windex with good success. Windex by it self did not really activate the adhesive very well. The combination of acetone and Windex allows for application movement and better adhesive activation as it dries.