Let me say this right up front—I have frequently touted the use of packing tape to keep fiberglass layups from bonding to something where you don’t want a bond—like building fiberglass fairings that mate with aluminum parts. Yup—I’ve used it and recommended it and will probably use it again … but with a little more caution! The problem? If you leave it on for long, getting tape residue off can be a challenge.
I have been working on an empennage fairing for the F1 Rocket for several weeks now—the kit-supplied fairing was close enough to build on it (rather than starting from scratch) but it still took lots of fitting and glassing, fitting and glassing. Each time you put on glass or micro, you let it sit overnight before sanding—then more fitting seems to always be required. Before I started, I laid packing tape about three layers wide on the fuselage and stabilizers so that I wouldn’t accidentally bond the fairing to the airframe. I didn’t really think about it being on there for an extended period of time.
With the fairing finished, I got to taking the packing tape off … and while the plastic came off fine, the adhesive really liked the aluminum. And about the only shop chemical I had that touched the adhesive was “Goo Gone.” I’m glad I had a gallon of it, because I used about half a can, and it took all day—this stuff was nasty!
So take this as a modification to my longtime recommendations—use packing tape for short-term applications! For long-term layups, vinyl electrical tape is just as good as a parting agent and comes off clean. You can also get it in rolls 2 inches wide, which makes it easier to apply to larger areas. That will be my tape of choice for the upcoming windshield frame and canopy skirt touchups.
I’ve found kapton tape leaves little to no residue and can be had in 4″ wide rolls.
Lots of tapes leave glue residue and some like cloth tape will squeeze out making a real mess. My go to cleaner for most is lighter fluid. Take care — extremely flammable!
Alternatively, you can put a thick coat of wax on the aluminum prior to your layups. The wax acts as a release agent.
I had the clear 3M protective tape put on the leading edges of everything on my Grumman Cheetah when it was painted 15 years ago. Black spots grew under it. It only comes off with heat in brittle, quarter sized chunks and I still haven’t figured out how to get that residue off.
Paul. You’re a sharp guy. Try Frog Yellow Painters Tape as the first layer. It’s great for marking too. Lay the packing tape over it. After the job is done, the whole mess comes right off.
I’d the same problem when fitting my upper intersection gear leg fairings on my RV14A. Only thing I found able to remove the adhesive was petrol ( gasoline). Took about 2 hours to clean the mess!
Random though to use painter’s masking tape first and then packing tape.
I second your suggestion re: electrical tape. Layer it using two colors for help when sanding in situ.
I use acetone to remove the residue
The right tape to use is “Flashbreaker tape”. It comes in blue and is made for this purpose. It is used in the aerospace industry throughout. It might be Kapton but it has a special, pressure sensitive adhesive that NEVER comes off the tape. At 1mil it is also the thinnest tape for best fit. I also use it for gap sealing.
It is available from ACS in 1″ width. Also available in 2″ (1.5mil) from aerospace suppliers like Airtech. For release and protective purpose you can buy this material in 12″ width (red). Hard to find and very expensive.
After about 6 months in the sun, the UV gets to it and it becomes brittle. Then it no longer comes off in one piece but the adhesive still does not separate from the tape.
Packing tape is no where as bad as duct tape.
Actually, electric tape works well as a base to prevent residue transfer
(and then, there is always MEK as a removal agent)
I used red stucco tape. Came off with no residue even around/on my canopy.
Try this Paul! I recently removed the old stripes off of our motorhome. Big job! The adhesive was left behind so I tried several things like Goo Gone, acetone, parts solvent and such. The acetone loosened the glue the easiest but it drys quickly and the globules of glue are sticky and made a mess. I made a mixture of acetone and solvent (I think it’s Stoddard solvent?) This made the glue come off quick and glue globules not sticky anymore and shook right off the rag. Worked awesome.