Aircraft Vinyl Wrap 101

Anyone interested in vinyl-wrapping an airplane? I’m not discussing the merits of vinyl vs. paint. There is plenty of data on the internet already. I also do not have letters after my name like Ph.D. or even KsG (Kind-of Smart Guy) although that does sound cool. I like to help others—plain and simple.

I have spoken to quite a few builders with vinyl-wrapped airplanes and the consensus is favorable. By and large, they all love it. The cost savings over a professional paint job is significant. An RV can easily be wrapped with two rolls of vinyl for less than $2,000 including tools. There is also a weight savings. I weighed quite a few samples. 3M 2080 is 15.5 grams per square foot. A typical RV-7A with a full vinyl wrap will gain about 13 pounds. Paint weight is so variable, it is difficult to estimate, but I have been told anywhere from 15 to 30 pounds. However, there are caveats. One is flight in IMC. Vinyl does not tolerate flying 200 mph in the rain. If you intend to fly hard IMC, I recommend paint. Another option is to spray a base color on the whole airplane, then use vinyl for the graphics. I chose vinyl, understanding its limited longevity. I painted fiberglass black because it matches any color, and my plan is to replace the vinyl when it reaches maturity. The beauty is I can change the color of my airplane any time I want, and any color matches the black.

OK, I will step off the soapbox. Let’s get started.

First, pick your vinyl. Application methods are basic, but there are some specific instructions unique to each, so do some research.

The two big vendors are Fellers and Metro Restyling. Fellers’ customer service is excellent, and they have warehouses all over the country with enormous inventories. I visited the Denver warehouse. It was quite impressive. They took good care of my order, and it arrived quickly. They usually have free shipping over a certain dollar amount. I purchased two full rolls. Either vendor will sell vinyl in almost any linear quantity. Vinyl is pretty much all 60 inches wide. Full rolls are 25 yards linear length and offer significant savings. Two rolls were more than enough to wrap my RV, “Lucy.” If you run out, vinyl colors are very consistent, so matching is not like mixing paint. A roll purchased a year later will be the same color as the first one. A roll currently is about $750.

Both companies sell small pieces, but Metro sells 3×5-inch samples. It is cheaper for a bunch of samples. Fellers was cheaper on full rolls plus offered free shipping.

I recommend narrowing the choices of colors across the different brands and buying 3×5-inch samples. They look different in person. Some products have sample books, but you are paying to see colors you may never choose.

Once you narrow the list, buy a 12×12 of each and give them a good look. Apply some to a piece of aluminum. Take them outside. Look at them closely at different angles. Vinyl is not a 12-inch paint job. You will not get that wet-paint look with vinyl. It looks like a glossy, mildly orange-peeled paint job. Funny—most visitors to my hangar cannot tell.

Call and ask about availability in the quantity you want. Some brands/colors are in high demand—they may have long wait times. Ask.

All things considered, vinyl is easy to apply—far easier than priming, sanding, painting, sanding, cutting, buffing, blah, blah, blah. And no respirator is required. Don’t get me wrong. I still love paint, and all my fiberglass parts are painted, but I don’t want to paint the whole plane or try to apply vinyl on complex curved parts. It is the best of both worlds, and I can change the color for a fraction of the cost of one paint job. Vinyl is not as difficult to remove and replace as many think.

The downside is lifespan, so I expect to peel it off at some point and put new vinyl on.

There is also a potential for surface corrosion under the vinyl, although none of the builders I have spoken to has encountered it. Still, it is a valid consideration.

I chose 3M 2080 vinyl. Other builders recommended it because it conforms to irregularities like rivet heads better than other vinyl products. It also has a clear protective layer. It allows the vinyl to be squeegeed on without damage. When you are done, simply peel it off. Note: It is easy to forget about the clear layer, so make sure you pull it up where seams overlap.

What about surface preparation? Bare aluminum, Alodine, primer, paint, etc. It’s your decision. I Alodined, and the reasoning was weight—I wanted to keep it down, but your mileage may vary.

The Tools

I don’t need much of an excuse to buy a new tool. Vinyl tools are far less expensive than painting tools. Here is a partial list.

Gomake Vinyl Backing Cutter Bodyguard Vinyl Wrap Cutting Knife, Stainless Steel Hidden Blade Vinyl Cutter for Car Tinting and Backing Paper Cutter With 10 Extra Blade and 3 PTFE Stickers
This thing is better than sliced bread. It cuts the paper backing without damaging the vinyl. Make sure you buy the one that matches the PTFE stickers. Notice the foot. If you buy the wrong one, the stickers do not fit the foot. Yep, I have two now. Link

Gomake Replacement Blades for Bodyguard Vinyl Backing Cutter Knife, Stainless Steel, Pack of 50
These are additional blades for the cutter above. They last quite a while because each corner can be used. When the cutter seems dull, remove the blade, mark the used corner, and reinstall with a fresh edge. Link

Gomake Bodyguard Vinyl Backing Cutter Knife PTFE-Coating Sticker, Pack of 50
These are PTFE stickers. They go on the foot of the cutter and help it slide between the vinyl and the backer. Link

Gomake 10 Pack Vinyl Squeegee Plastic Scraper With Felt Edge Tint Film Decal Squeegee Application Tool Wrap Wallpaper Smooth Tool Scratch Free
These are extra felt-covered squeegees. The felt comes off after several hours of use and sticks to the work. It is easier to grab a fresh one. They seem to grow legs and walk away. Link

Umaki Automotive Vinyl Wraps Tools Tint Film Kit Wallpaper Tools
This is a nice set of tools. The cutter (handle-looking thingy) makes quick cuts through the vinyl and backer. The blades are simple double-edge razor blades. When it dulls, remove, mark the dull corner, and reinstall with a new cutting corner. The rubbing tools get into all those nooks and crannies. There is a knife with snap-off blades and finally a couple pairs of lint-free gloves. Link

FOSHIO Plastic Razor Blade Scraper
Includes two PCS Scraper Tools and 100 PCS Blades for gasket remover, labels, decal, and adhesive remover for windows and glass. Great for removing adhesive. Link

3M Knifeless Finish Line Vinyl Wrap Cutting Tape 50 Meter Roll (164 ft)
Knifeless tape is your best friend. Do not cut vinyl on the airplane using a razor. It will score the aluminum. Link

3M Edge Sealer 3950 1/2 Pint 8 oz
Edge sealer is used to seal exposed seams. Metro Restyling is a good place to get it. Do yourself a favor and cut the applicator off. It is in the way and overkill for sealing edges. Use the small detail brush. Link

RapidTAC Application Fluid
Great pre-cleaner. You can apply vinyl wet, but it is not a good idea on aluminum. Humidity can get trapped. Wet application works well to apply graphics over vinyl. Spray and slide the graphic around till it is positioned, then squeegee. Link

RapidTAC Rapid Remover
If you need to remove the adhesive, this is the stuff. Link

Meguiar’s Ultimate Quik Wax, Car Spray Wax, 450 mL – G17516C
This is the product recommended by 3M. Use as final treatment to get that shine and make the vinyl slick. Link

Misc Tools
1-1/2-inch PVC pipe x 48–60
Scissors
Utility knife (case cutter) and extra blades
X-Acto knife and extra blades
Single-edge razor blades
Double-edge razor blades
Tailor’s measuring tape (60″)
Heat gun with fishtail nozzle attachment
Frog Tape (yellow and green) painter’s tape
Blankets
Big beach towels
1/4-inch-wide detailing paint brush
Sharpie markers (two or three colors)
Mechanic’s creeper
Alcohol (99% isopropyl)
Lacquer thinner
Tack cloth

Rack

I fabricated a rack for the vinyl roll from scrap I had available. It feeds from the back side of the bench. I prefer the backing side up so the measurement markings are visible. The mount is a section of conduit suspended between two 2x4s clamped to the bench. An extra 2×4 spacer on each side allows the 60-inch roll to rotate freely without damaging the vinyl. The side braces are drilled for a 1/2-inch dowel so the assembly can be rotated up. A section of 2-inch-diameter PVC inside the roll helps to allow the roll to rotate. The blanket clamped to the assembly keeps the vinyl from slip-sliding away. Use your imagination. Buy old blankets and towels from the thrift store.

Let’s Start

Start by cleaning. The process is very similar to paint prep, except vinyl has a lot of static, so anything airborne is going to end up stuck under the vinyl. Slide your hand over the part—if you feel surface irregularities, mark them with a Sharpie. Vinyl is just like primer. Remember those yoga pants? If you can feel the surface irregularity, it will show. The good news is if you do not feel it, vinyl will probably cover it. Do not go overboard like when paint-prepping, filling every little imperfection.

If you plan to wrap the cowl or other fiberglass, seal the surface and insulate the inside of the cowl. Pinholes will allow air to escape between the surface and the vinyl and create bubbles. Heat will also cause the adhesive to release. Treat fiberglass as if it would be painted. Finish it to a nice, smooth, primed surface. Once the surface is smooth, we can move on to final prep.

Grab a roll of those blue shop paper towels and use a fresh one for each step. Wipe the surface with alcohol first. It will clear most debris. Stubborn areas can be wiped with lacquer thinner and/or lightly scuffed with gray Scotch-Brite. Wipe the surface again with the alcohol. Finally, wipe with RapidTAC and dry with a clean shop paper towel. Unlike paint, we are not as worried about finger oils, but try not to handle the part too much. It is like a sponge for floating debris. We want to limit particles stuck under the vinyl—they don’t come out.

Apply the knifeless tape anywhere you want a sharp edge. Leave a 6-inch tail on both ends and stick the tail down out of the way so you can’t cut it by accident. An example would be the fuselage skin overlaps. Run a strip of knifeless tape right in the seam where the inside and outside skin overlap. The first vinyl layer will be applied right to the seam edge. The next skin will overlap the seam plus 1/4 inch. Tuck the excess tape out of the way so it does not get accidentally cut off. If two tapes overlap, make sure you label them so you know which to pull first. If you pull the one underneath, it will leave a torn piece of vinyl and ruin the job.

Time To Cut Some Vinyl

Start measuring and calculating. Small stuff is easy. The 60-inch width will cover most control surfaces. The fuselage and wings are totally different. Grab the tailor’s tape. It is 60 inches—cool, right? Use it to figure out how you want to lay out the big stuff. Remember, seams need to be arranged so they cannot catch the wind or allow water to wick in between. Always apply vinyl skins starting with the bottom and aft first, then work forward and up. The bottom of wings will be applied first, then the top skin. Reduce waste by orienting the vinyl skin so the least amount of vinyl is cut away. The remaining panel might be big enough to cover another area like a fuselage side or top. However, do not be too conservative. Leave some area to work the vinyl. There is nothing worse than coming up short on a huge panel.

3M 2080 vinyl is labeled on the back with crosshairs 4 inches apart. However, study those markings. They are 4 inches apart, but they do not always align to an edge. Use the markings. It makes it easy to measure and draw cut lines. Figure out how big a section is needed. The first part I skinned was the vertical stabilizer (VS), so let us start there. The width of the vinyl (60 inches) was plenty to cover the VS, so I just needed to measure for linear length. Figure out how many linear feet are required, then calculate how many 4-inch labeled sections you need. Number the sections and roll the vinyl onto the PVC pipe as you pull it off the roll. The bottom fuselage section required 15 feet. That is 45 4-inch blocks. I added an extra just in case. It is cheaper to waste a 4-inch strip than cut another 15 feet. That is why you start with the empennage. More on this later.

Grab the vinyl cutter and cut that piece off. The vinyl cutter is the one with no foot. It has grandpa’s double-edge razor blade inside. It is great for cutting a section off. Do not try to cut just the backer with it. The other cutter has a foot. It slips between the vinyl and the backer so you can cut just the backer paper. Watch out for paper swarf. Both tools get dull quickly, so test on scrap before using, or just use a fresh edge each cut. The cutters use one corner at a time. Mark the used corner and place the blade back in the cutter with a fresh edge exposed. The backer cutter needs a sharp blade, or it leaves paper swarf stuck to the vinyl. I found out the hard way. That mess of paper debris gets stuck to the vinyl. My wing skins ended up with swarf embedded under the vinyl. It is visible and everyone called me out on it, so they got reskinned—lesson learned.

Let’s Apply Some Vinyl

My example is the VS. Just like building—start with the cheapest part. Draw a centerline on the backer paper. That is where the leading edge of the VS will land. If you want to try it, use the backer cutting tool to cut the paper backer. Just cut a line all the way across. Lift the paper when ready and fold it back. The fewer cuts, the less swarf left behind. The pros pull the backer and apply it as one big piece. I am not good enough and do not have three helpers to keep the vinyl from bunching up. The other option is to peel the backer starting at an edge and apply it starting at the trailing edge, around the leading edge, then back around the opposite side. That is how my wing top skins were applied. I prefer to divide the vinyl skin into smaller parts by starting in the middle and working outwards. I have since gained the skill required to lay down a large section without cutting backer paper. It just takes practice.

Lay the vinyl down sticky side up on the bench. If you left the backer paper, roll the excess of the section you will be working on the tube. Leave the bottom section loose on the bench, draped over the edge. If you removed all the backer, be vigilant. Everything sticks to the vinyl.

You should be ready to apply the vinyl. Wipe the part one more time with RapidTAC or isopropyl alcohol just to make sure the surface is clean, and allow it to dry. Wipe with the tack cloth to grab any debris.

Lay the VS down on the centerline and double-check the section of vinyl will cover. It is kind of like wrapping a Christmas present—except the “do over” costs a lot more! Once you are satisfied, set the leading edge right on the center, making extra sure the vinyl will cover the piece. Double-check. Apply a couple strips of painter’s tape or just fold the backer away from the starting area.

Start rubbing vinyl down on the leading edge. One of those gloves on a hand works well here. Rub the vinyl down on the leading edge. Switch to the squeegee with the felt-edge tool to smooth the vinyl down from the leading edge toward the open area. The vinyl adhesive is pressure sensitive. The harder you press, the stronger the bond. Lay the squeegee almost flat and gently slide the felt surface over the vinyl up to the bond line with the edge of the tool moving toward the backer paper. Do not press too hard. Just gently work the vinyl down. The goal is to smooth the vinyl down but not so hard the adhesive activates. That way, if an imperfection is discovered, pulling it up will not be disastrous. Start from the leading edge toward you while pulling the roll to keep the vinyl tight. Hopefully the vinyl will stay flat, but it may get waves. Notice how the waves change when tension moves left or right. You can control the waves by pulling tension either direction. The key is to work the vinyl squeegee toward the backer paper or open area and not across the waves. The waves are called a crow’s foot. Do not smooth across a crow’s foot. Think of it like waves on an ocean. Do not surf the wave. Smooth the wave down from the end of a wave along the crest with the felt edge perpendicular to the wave. If you see a wrinkle form, stop immediately. Pull the vinyl up and start again. Just reach in and lift slowly to pull the vinyl away from the surface. The vinyl may stretch a little. That is OK. Wrinkles are easily repaired by pulling it up and rubbing it back down, but if you squeegee hard, the wrinkle will be permanent. The heat gun is your friend. Set it for minimal heat. I set it at 500° F. Wave it back and forth while pulling tension. Notice the vinyl relaxes. Go back in and smooth the vinyl down to eliminate the wrinkle. Do not heat past 200 degrees or it will melt. It is easy to blow a hole right through the vinyl. Yep—I did that. Keep going in small sections till it’s applied all the way to the edge. Use the X-Acto knife to cut the excess vinyl away about 1 inch from the edge. The excess is difficult to manage, sticks to itself, and picks up debris.

Flip the VS and repeat, but look closely at the leading edge—you want it nice and tight with no wrinkles. I had to reskin an aileron and a flap because I did not notice the wrinkled leading edge. Take your time. Work as before till the vinyl is stuck all the way to the trailing edges, then trim the excess again. Congratulations—the most difficult step is done.

Now we need to dress the edges. Make a few marks 3/16 inch from the aluminum trailing edge. Too much and it overlaps the rivets when rolled over to the inside. Measure first just in case. Stick the straightedge right to the sticky side. Run the razor down the edge. 3M 2080 has the clear protective layer. It does not cut quite as cleanly as the vinyl layer. If you find it wants to resist, pull the clear away so the vinyl can be trimmed cleanly. Repeat until all the edges are trimmed. Work slowly, then fold the edge over and press it down.

Now we need to do something about seams. The VS does not have a seam, but you will have to deal with a seam eventually. These are tricky—they overlap.

Remember that clear protective layer? Pull it away before working the overlapping seams. Vinyl has a habit of sticking to itself in the worst possible places. Do yourself a favor and trim away excess before the nice straight trim job is done. Small seams are easy. Cut the bottom vinyl skin and press it into place. Cut the top skin so it covers and press it down. You always want the bottom seam inside so water will run off the top seam.

Long Seams

The vinyl skin on a control surface like the rudder will likely end at the rolled leading edge—yes, that is the forward surface. You could overlap at the trailing edge, but who wants an ugly seam where everyone can see it? If you want to try it, feel free, but starting at the leading edge will not be easy. It is not a nice straight edge. Let us assume you decided, like me, to apply the vinyl forward, toward the rolled leading edge. Rolled leading edges are also assembled so one skin overlaps the other. We want to trim the bottom vinyl skin right to the edge of the top overlapped aluminum skin. Remember the knifeless tape you applied? Time to pull it. If you do not apply it, no big deal—just lay it down now. Rub the tape then the vinyl over it firmly. The knifeless tape has a Kevlar string. It needs to cut through the tape and vinyl. If the adhesive releases, the knifeless tape will come out and rip the vinyl. Grab the tape a few inches from the end and gently pull straight back till the green part snaps and peels away, leaving a piece of Kevlar string. Be careful or the string will break. You may even get a tiny cut from the string. Make sure the string is exposed at the start of the cut line. If it is not, the green tape will rip the vinyl and make an ugly edge. Carefully pull it at 90° until it cuts, then pull all the way across. If it does not cut, make a tiny cut with the razor to get it started. Remove the unwanted vinyl and pull the green tape out. Half of the green tape will be on each side of the cut. It pulls right out. Rub the edge down. Peel the clear protective layer back, if not done already. Apply another knifeless tape line 1/4 inch from the edge of the vinyl so the top vinyl skin overlaps the rolled leading edge, rivets, the aluminum overlap seam, and the bottom layer of vinyl. Rub the top vinyl skin overlap down and pull the knifeless tape. Repeat the steps and rub the edge down. Stand back and admire your work. Ok, get back to work. The edges and seams should be done, so let’s finish this piece.

Peel the clear protective layer off the part and finish trimming.

Put the gloves on and fire up the heat gun. Heat the area ahead of your hand while rubbing down the vinyl. Do not get it so hot anything melts. Warm to the touch is plenty. The heat gun can easily melt your glove and the vinyl, so pay attention. Watch the surface. You may see little bubbles form that look like a rash. Not to worry. Gently heat and rub. They smooth right out. That is a good sign—the adhesive is really holding. However, if you notice big bubbles, stop. Do not smooth across big bubbles because you will get wrinkles. Place a finger in the center of the bubble and press. Divide the bubble and press. Keep pressing in the middle of each remaining bubble till they are gone. The vinyl has channels to allow air to escape. Rub the vinyl down over rivets, seams, and surface irregularities. The heat enhances the adhesion. Double-check edges, nooks, and crannies and use those cool tools to rub the vinyl down.

Finally, use the detail brush to apply the sealer. Dip the brush and apply half the width of the brush on the vinyl, half the width on the part. Allow 30 minutes to dry.

Lastly, polish with the polymer wax. Mist the part and wipe till dry, then stand back and admire your work. OK, that is long enough. Move on to the next piece already!

Speaking of next pieces—plan your fuselage and wings carefully. Remember belly skins first, working aft-forward. Bottom skins first. I moved on to the fuselage.

After success on the empennage, I made an arrogant mistake thinking I could skin the belly of the fuselage in one section. Big mistake. Gravity is a ruthless biscuit. With four other handlers—maybe. Remember, you will be doing this lying on your back on a creeper or similar apparatus. I ended up with a pile of vinyl worth about $200. No one will ever see the seams on the belly, so just apply it in sections aligned to the skins. Consider it practice. Start at the aft end and apply skins moving forward.

With these lessons learned, let’s get ambitious and skin something bigger—the fuselage side or the wings.

Applying large skins is tricky. It’s difficult enough standing up, but it is a real pain lying on your back. I envy those teams on YouTube videos where two or three guys are holding a section of vinyl. They just plop it down and start squeegeeing. Sure. No can do! I am a solo practitioner. However, I found some tricks that seem to help. Start at the center. Divide a large panel into smaller sections.

On the belly skins I cut the backer paper about halfway and folded each section over to allow easy removal. In retrospect, it tends to leave paper swarf embedded in the vinyl adhesive. If you have helpers, just remove the backer from an edge and work center-out across the surface. When you reach the adhesion point, pull the backer paper back another 6 inches or so.

Start by positioning the skin. Double-check the edges of the vinyl cover to the edges of the part plus a little. I like an inch of extra. Make sure it is aligned where you want it. Run a finger down the starting edge. Tape off the skin so it does not fall off. Double-check the edges cover the trim line on the outside edges. If it is crooked or shanked, like a bad golf shot, pull it up and reposition it. Once you’re confident in the positioning, smooth down with the felt squeegee. Peel the backer back a few inches at a time. Try not to pull the backer paper completely off. The backer paper helps to distribute the tension evenly when you pull. Without the backer, you will fight the vinyl stretching irregularly and get wrinkles.

A PVC pipe can be taped to the end of the section you plan to work. A couple pieces of painter’s tape is enough to hold it. A second person really helps on big sections. If you can bribe someone, they can apply tension by pulling on the PVC pipe. Long sections can be rolled onto the pipe and unrolled as you work. Same for the backer paper. I roll it up as it is pulled back and cut off the excess. It goes much easier with help. Thankfully my Sweetie is happy to help. We got pretty good at working as a team—she has been such a good sport. All the other skins are full-length sections.

The side skins were much easier than the belly. I cut a 15-foot-long section and cut it into two 30-inch by 15-foot pieces. Once again, I cut the backer at the center—7-1/2 feet—and folded it back. We located the matching center on the fuselage and marked the area with a piece of tape. Then the vinyl was unrolled so we could verify it was aligned horizontally a couple inches above the top seam and extra to cover the seam underneath. We taped one end in place, then the strip at center was verified and rubbed down to hold it. The rest was easy. I rolled up the section we planned to work. Sweetie held the roll tight, and I gently squeegeed down the vinyl, working from the centerline a few inches at a time. It was a four-hour job from start to finish.

The top aft skin was easier to apply as three panels because of the canopy slider track. Since the vinyl would have to be cut for the track, each side is a separate section. If you have a tipper, you can apply the top aft as one piece. I would pull the backer completely off and lay it down centered, then work from the top center down. Complete one side, then repeat top-down on the other side.

The top forward skin from cowl to windshield trim is tricky. It helps to make a template from paper and cut the panel a few inches bigger. The reason is the corners require some stretching. Cutting out the excess allows the vinyl to stretch much easier. Also, when you are working the stretched area, slip on one of the vinyl gloves and use your fingers instead of the felt squeegee tool. Your hand will apply the pressure to a larger area. The felt squeegee puts too much pressure in a small area.

Wings were tricky. They were skinned with a bottom and a top panel. The top skin was applied center-out, but the backer was cut about a foot from the leading edge. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but the cut left lots of paper swarf. Ultimately, I removed the top skins because it looked horrible. The following method worked much better. Bottom skin was first. It was trimmed, then the top skin was applied. Figure out where the top skin will overlap on the bottom and take some measurements. Give yourself some extra for insurance just in case and apply a strip of knifeless tape where the bottom skin will end. Apply the bottom skin and trim the excess by pulling the tape. We applied the skins by starting at the aft inboard corner and working outboard and forward. Remove the clear. The top panel is a full 120×60 inches and overlaps the bottom skin on the bottom of the wing where it is less visible. Apply the knifeless tape where the top skin will be trimmed. Working that big panel can be difficult unless you have gorilla arms, and wrinkles are inevitable. I fabricated a wrinkle remover tool from a board. A section of 1x6x36 inches is more than long enough to push the vinyl enough to lift it and remove the wrinkle. I taped a piece of pool noodle to the end as a pad to distribute the force. Then I taped a piece of the backer paper over the entire board so it would not stick. Wipe it off with the tack cloth before use so you do not introduce debris. Push slowly from the forward side until the wrinkle is gone. Heat and pull while smoothing the vinyl back down. This requires a second person to tug while the applicator smooths the vinyl down. I also found a PVC tube placed inside made a fulcrum to apply tension. Once the top skin flat area was applied, the vinyl was smoothed around the leading edge then underneath until it overlapped the knifeless tape. Watch out for the stall-warning tab. If you do not want to remove it, make a cut and slip the vinyl over. It will require some trimming, and there will be a bare area under the tab. Make a small patch to cover and apply it. The rest was trim work.

Vinyl Wrap Wrap-Up

Of course, if you put the stuff on, you probably will have to remove it at some point. Heat is the trick. Start the removal by peeling from a corner. Once you get it started, grab that heat gun and crank it up to 500–600°. Point it right where the vinyl will peel and pull up at 60–90° from the surface. Don’t get it so hot it melts. The heat reactivates the adhesive and it releases. It will probably stretch, tear, and rip, but who cares—the idea is to remove it. Just keep on heating and pulling. I removed a top wing skin in about an hour. Almost zero adhesive was left behind, and RapidTAC Rapid Remover works great to remove any residue. Apply it by spraying onto the surface, then wiping it with a paper towel. The idea is to leave a film on the adhesive residue. I do not know what the stuff is, but it smells a little like an orange-based product. I do not know if it is bad for aluminum. Follow directions and do not leave it on the surface more than two minutes. That is more than enough. It quickly softens the adhesive. Use the plastic razor to scrape the residue and collect it on a paper towel. After the adhesive is gone, wipe the surface with RapidTAC Application Fluid and a paper towel. A follow-up wipe with a fresh paper towel will remove any remaining residue and leave the surface clean. Wipe the surface with a tack cloth before applying the next skin, just in case any of those little balls of adhesive are still floating around.

Do you want that cool checker pattern on the rudder? Simple. Lay out the pattern with knifeless tape. Just make sure you know which tapes are on top. Apply the checker vinyl. Pull the knifeless tapes to cut the squares. Remove the unwanted squares. I recommend sealing edges, but the sealer is visible, so apply some to a test part and decide for yourself.

Testing 1, 2, 3

Back in 2017 I bought a 12×12 of matte white 3M 1080 to test longevity, adhesion of the vinyl, and corrosion on aluminum treated with various products for an unscientific study.

All three have been outside ever since. They endured Colorado sun, snow, rain, hail, subzero temperatures, and bouncing around in the driveway due to our high winds. None of the parts show any sign of corrosion on exposed metal.

As some are, no doubt, interested, I brought them inside and cleaned off all the mud and dirt. Samples still look matte white just like when applied, although I did not keep a control sample on a part out of the elements. That would have been more scientific. Adhesion is good to the edges. I have no concerns about vinyl peeling off in flight—it’s really stuck.

I trimmed off a 1-inch section of each. The trim was not easy to remove—possibly because I was just trying to peel a small area. There is no way my airplane would be in the same environment for seven years. They did peel off, but any longer and they probably would be coming off in tiny pieces. Funny thing—the hardest to remove was on P60G2. The easiest was bare aluminum. It peeled nice and clean but did leave more adhesive. This was done before I found the trick to using a heat gun to remove vinyl. Again, it is a totally unscientific test.