3M Dual Lock Fasteners for Dodger Windows

[Epicurean]

I would like to add some rigid acrylic windows to my rigid dodger frame instead of the flexible sewn in ones. If I use the 3M extreme/dual lock/molded mushrooms (Are these all synonyms?) affixed to the frame and another to the window I can take them on and off for ventilation or rain protection. This seems like an easy way to do it. I've seen they come in numbers representing strength, I think;400, 250, 170. What would be a good combination? Any suggestions? Thanks.

[tkeithlu]

I probably would grind slots in the edges of the acrylic panels and use washers and wing nuts. That allows some error in alignment. I would be concerned about snaps not quite matching.

[Epicurean]

There aren't any snaps. This stuff's like Velcro so it tolerates a lot of misalignment.

[thinwater]

I suggest getting a small roll and playing with it. It's different than Velcro and hard to explain. Yes, I would be very strong. Probably too strong.

[Epicurean]

Yes, thanks. That's a good idea. I ordered some from Aliexpress (I'm overseas without access to Home Depot.) It sounds like it sticks to itself. But 400 seems to be common over here and I'm fearful 400 to 400 would be too strong to casually putll apart.

[thinwater]

^^ There is nothing "casual" about pulling rigid or stiff surfaces apart bonded with Dual Lock. It requires a screwdriver.

[Matt Johnson]

Insanely strong stuff, but I'd be sure to protect the glue side of the strip from UV with a frit on the acrylic. I'm also not sure how you're going to make this seam water resistant unless you just want the windows as deflectors.

We made the mistake of hanging picture frames with this stuff at work. When pulled off the wall, it typically took the drywall or plaster with the frame and still hadn't released its dual lock velcro grip. This was two 2x1" strips on the top and bottom of 12x16" picture frames.

Matt

[jimbunyard]

I have some in front of me, but the only identification is '3M Dual Lock 5741'.

It 's quite different than velcro, it doesn't 'stick' on contact; it must be pressed firmly together.

It doesn't seem to hold as well in flexible situations as velcro; the combination of rigid and flexible substrates might cause a problem.

(oops, I see you have a rigid dodger, so never mind)

Both velcro and dual lock are very strong in sheer, tensile is very poor, at least in the stuff I have, so back or cross wind gusts could conceivably be a problem. Perhaps the '400' grade is stronger in this respect.

Velcro has a reputation for relatively short 'tenaciousness lifespan', the dual lock seems to have the edge there, though I didn't find it useful for my application and can hence only give an opinion on that based on me playing with it sitting at a desk.

Will be interesting to see what your experience with the stronger grade is.

[Halien]

Dual Lock is not easy to pry apart. I've used it on my pedalboards for years (professional musician). Changing out a pedal takes some prying and persuading. It doesn't seem like the right product for your application. Musicians use it because you can dance on your pedalboard all night, every night, and the stuff doesn't budge. It's semi permanent.

[Matt Johnson]

I forgot to add.... once the frames had been up for awhile, and we pulled the dual lock apart again, a lot- around 20%- of the barbs fell off. I know you're suppose to get a dozen of so reapplications with these, but that wasn't what we experienced using them in an air conditioned and heated office, so the amount of times you can pull the windows off maybe low in real life outdoors.


Matt

[Epicurean]

Matt, That's discouraging. I thought it was good for up to 1000 times. Maybe it's like those reuseable batteries that are supposed to be good for 1000 recharges but I'm lucky to get to 100. Well, I'm waiting for my experimental stuff. And I realize that it needs to be forced together. But I'd still like to know which number is the best guess for this application.

[Matt Johnson]

Originally Posted by Epicurean

Matt, That's discouraging. I thought it was good for up to 1000 times. Maybe it's like those reuseable batteries that are supposed to be good for 1000 recharges but I'm lucky to get to 100. Well, I'm waiting for my experimental stuff. And I realize that it needs to be forced together. But I'd still like to know which number is the best guess for this application.

The remaining roll of unused dual lock remained pliable, but the sections in use all had hardened plastic in the barbs. This was almost a decade ago, so they may have improved the formula since then.

Awesome boat by the way!

Matt