Subject: Re: baidarka Source for PVC welding info
From: RCH3149@aol.com
Date: Mon Jul 24 2000 - 20:09:17 EDT
In a message dated 7/22/00 3:11:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time, stmoretti@tin.it
writes:
<< beware, hot air guns are no good for welding soft PVC lined polyester
skins. it melts through. soft PVC is welded with microwaves system that I
know. >>
Do you have any more information on microwave system (also referred to as
radio frequency (RF) welding)?
The PVC hull material used on commercial folding boats is soft, has a
polyester substrate / matrix. Commercial builders do use hot air guns on it
successfully all the time. Presumably you are talking from experience with
thinner material than that used on commercial folding boats?
The latter also welds very readily with a 60-80 Watt soldering iron. Make
sure that the tip is thin and flat. The trick lies in finding the best area
and thickness for the tip, as well as the best dwell time for your soldering
iron and the material at hand -- readily done with some experimentation on
scraps. The seam is at least as good as a glued one. I probably went over the
top in using an inch of overlap, but I have yet to experience failure even in
the abesence of any stitching by way of a mechanical reinforcement. Just
don't breathe the fumes!
Many East German owners of commercial boats resorted to welding patches with
hot knife blades. I have seen impressive results -- after admittedly somewhat
painstaking work.
I have also used the two component glues normally employed for assembling
hard PVC plumbing pipe (I guess I lucked out in matching the glue and the PVC
type by sheer chance). I used more of the softener than the glue, hoping to
achieve a chemical "weld" rather than a thick and potentially brittling layer
of glue between the PVC sheets. Patches have withstood the rather careless
abuse of the last 6 years or so.
Ralph C. Hoehn
Ralph@PouchBoats.com
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