Best adhesive for Hypalon?

[wannacat]

Prep as mentioned is key. 5200 works great and lasts a long time but also takes a couple days to cure properly. So if you need it quicker then go with the 2 part glue made for hypalon.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by wannacat

Prep as mentioned is key. 5200 works great and lasts a long time but also takes a couple days to cure properly. So if you need it quicker then go with the 2 part glue made for hypalon.

Slow cure was definitely an issue with 5200. I had to use various combinations of duct tape, clamps and bracing to hold my rub rail in place. It cured enough overnight that I could remove the clamps and such but still waited a few days before fully inflating the tubes.

[sailjumanji]

Note that some of the best two part hypalon glues recommend application in low humidity. I think a limit of something like 70% percent. Which means for most of us that it can only be used in a dry norther cold front, or indoors in air conditioning. Luckily our foyer is large enough to fit the dinghy, although wife did complain about the glue fumes in the house.

[StoneCrab]

I've had good luck with contact cement.

I buy the quart cans. Brush it onto both surfaces, let it dry completely. Brush on a second coat, let it dry until tacky and then press together. Use a roller to roll out any air bubbles. In no time, the glue firms up and you are good to go.

Mask off where you don't want the glue to go. Only down side of the contact cement is that the dried glue, if visible, is brown and unattractive. The glue doesn't store for very long after the can is open. But one can per season works for me.

It is good for headliners, fabric and many other repairs. You can patch a bicycle innertube with it, glue the sole back on your shoe or sandal and make that velcro strip actually stick to the wall.

Tired of the color of your countertop? You can lay down a new skin over the old one with contact cement. Use small dowels to elevate the new piece over the old. Slip out the dowels one at a time when you are ready and slowly lower it into place, roll out any bubbles and trim route the edges... or use a file if you don't have the router. Heat activated glues is better for this but I have had success with contact cement.

I like that the joint is very firm but slightly flexible. This is a good thing on the dink. It can be removed with heat, patience and a putty knife.

Shoe Goo is my second favorite. Basically the same stuff with more solids. Probably less holding power than the contact cement, but sometimes you need to build up an area and the Shoe Goo gives you that option.

The dingy repair kit came with a tube of glue that was dried out before I had to use it. I smelled the glue before tossing the tube. It smelled just like contact cement, which is what tipped me to using that instead.

I never tried it, but I imagine you could color the glue if you stirred in some pigment, to hide the repairs.

I take some pride in my repairs. While I keep the glue lines to a minimum, the dink repairs are a bit like the souvenir posters people used to stick to their suitcases. It becomes a history of the trips.

[Morrissey]

I need to make better repairs on a hypalon RIB. I used hypalon patches I had on board, and slowed the leak to a level tolerable for a short period, but had the issue of old/stale adhesive. I used the one-part stuff, but tube had been opened (about 9 years ago!) so it was fairly amazing that it worked at all.

The active ingredient seems to be "polychloroprene", which is the same stuff in many contact adhesives in hardware stores. eg Sika Contact Fix. So why buy "marine priced" versions of it?

I also have an unopened container of 2 part hypalon adhesive, but its also around 9 years old so I suspect it will no longer be reliable to use. The repair areas are not structural or stressed, other than by air pressure. In this case, is the 2-part stuff needed, or will the simple 1-part adhesive be OK?

Also, how about some VHB double sided tape? I guess I can do a test of that when I get home as well, I have some tape and I can test on a couple of small hypalon pieces. But hoping someone has already tried or experimented with it and can share their results.

[StoneCrab]

I've used contact cement from hardware stores for years with great results.

The trick seems to be giving both surfaces an even and full coat, allowing it to dry and then a second coat prior to applying the patch. The first coat provides the grip to the hypalon and the second coat provides the adhesion between the twol... A roller used to press the patch to the base material helps work out any air bubbles but it is better to develop your technique where the patch is progressively applied in order to avoid bubbles in the first place.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Morrissey

I need to make better repairs on a hypalon RIB. I used hypalon patches I had on board, and slowed the leak to a level tolerable for a short period, but had the issue of old/stale adhesive. I used the one-part stuff, but tube had been opened (about 9 years ago!) so it was fairly amazing that it worked at all.

The active ingredient seems to be "polychloroprene", which is the same stuff in many contact adhesives in hardware stores. eg Sika Contact Fix. So why buy "marine priced" versions of it?

I also have an unopened container of 2 part hypalon adhesive, but its also around 9 years old so I suspect it will no longer be reliable to use. The repair areas are not structural or stressed, other than by air pressure. In this case, is the 2-part stuff needed, or will the simple 1-part adhesive be OK?

Also, how about some VHB double sided tape? I guess I can do a test of that when I get home as well, I have some tape and I can test on a couple of small hypalon pieces. But hoping someone has already tried or experimented with it and can share their results.

I know this isn't the professionally recommended method but I repaired the rubrail on my Hypalon dink. One side with an expensive adhesive but when I ran out, finished the other side with 5200. This was about 6 years ago. So far both sides are still holding and in fact if anything, the 5200 side is doing better.

The only caveat, have a method to secure the repair until the 5200 cures.