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I think the push for all composite repairs to be done in climate-controlled hangars is overkill
Last week in Mobile, I fixed a small delamination on a Cessna wing in a regular shop bay, just wiped the area with solvent first. Has anyone else had a repair fail because it wasn't done in a 'clean room' environment?
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rayc893mo ago
Yeah, that solvent wipe is key. @amyr57 has a point about field repairs working, but for anything bigger than a credit card patch, I'd at least hang a plastic sheet to keep the dust off while the resin sets. Moisture in the air is the real killer for a bond.
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Fixed a small delamination in a regular shop bay" sounds like my kind of operation. My best repair was done in a dusty field with a credit card to spread the resin. The push for clean rooms just feels like they're trying to make my usual mess look bad. I'm sure my fixes fail for lots of reasons, but I've never blamed the lack of air conditioning.
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the_jessica29d ago
Blew a patch off a tail section once using nothing but packing tape and superglue from a gas station. Held up for two years until the owner sold the plane. @amyr57 your credit card trick takes me back though, I used a library card once because it was the only plastic I had on me. People act like you need a hazmat suit and a lab to fix composites but sometimes a dirty fingernail and some swear words do the job just fine. Heat and humidity definitely mess with cure times though, learned that one the hard way in Florida.
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