Hi,
I am preparing for installing the bellows (first time, I am a newbie) and I have a concern about adhesive.
I got a tube of OEM Bellows Adhesive (Quicksilver) and tried to experiment with it on a piece of rubber (similar to the bellows rubber). I found that it dries fast, and, I am not particularly impressed with its adhesiveness to the surface.
My first fear is that with these properties, when I will attempt to slide the bellows onto the metal fitting, the adhesive will simply prevent the sliding process (which, according to the many posts I have read, is not a simple thing to do). My second fear is that in the process of tight sliding this compound will simply roll into balls, out of the surfaces where it is supposed to stay (again, due to the properties I observed experimenting with it).
Is this really the most convenient compound for the job? Not from the price perspective, but from the point of view of a newbie, who will need more time and can make mistakes during the installation?? And the quality of the bond, of course?
For example, I used 3M Marine Adhesive Sealant 5200 (white, permanent) on several other projects (for the boat, but also repairing the snorkeling mask etc.). This staff needs one week to completely set, giving enough time for an experimenter like me to finish the job (waiting for a week is not a problem, there is still some ice floating in Lake Michigan, well, almost?). At the end it adheres pretty well. Did anyone use this, or other similar adhesives, more friendly that the OEM compound? Does anyone have experience or opinion about this?
My second observation, that supports my fear, is from inspecting the old bellows I removed. They had almost no adhesive on the bonding surfaces, and all of adhesive outside, accumulated near the edge of the bellows (basically useless). Looks like it rolled out of the needed surface, just as I described above. When you remove old bellows, do you see the old adhesive where it is expected to be??
My another suspicion is this: Can it be that the Quicksilver compound is simply a traditionally used one, not really the optimal one? Mercury just continues selling it, but newer compounds (like the 3M staff I mentioned) would do the job even better?
Or, I am paranoid and should simply glue it, push hard, and take my boat to the lake? Thanks for your feedback!
I am preparing for installing the bellows (first time, I am a newbie) and I have a concern about adhesive.
I got a tube of OEM Bellows Adhesive (Quicksilver) and tried to experiment with it on a piece of rubber (similar to the bellows rubber). I found that it dries fast, and, I am not particularly impressed with its adhesiveness to the surface.
My first fear is that with these properties, when I will attempt to slide the bellows onto the metal fitting, the adhesive will simply prevent the sliding process (which, according to the many posts I have read, is not a simple thing to do). My second fear is that in the process of tight sliding this compound will simply roll into balls, out of the surfaces where it is supposed to stay (again, due to the properties I observed experimenting with it).
Is this really the most convenient compound for the job? Not from the price perspective, but from the point of view of a newbie, who will need more time and can make mistakes during the installation?? And the quality of the bond, of course?
For example, I used 3M Marine Adhesive Sealant 5200 (white, permanent) on several other projects (for the boat, but also repairing the snorkeling mask etc.). This staff needs one week to completely set, giving enough time for an experimenter like me to finish the job (waiting for a week is not a problem, there is still some ice floating in Lake Michigan, well, almost?). At the end it adheres pretty well. Did anyone use this, or other similar adhesives, more friendly that the OEM compound? Does anyone have experience or opinion about this?
My second observation, that supports my fear, is from inspecting the old bellows I removed. They had almost no adhesive on the bonding surfaces, and all of adhesive outside, accumulated near the edge of the bellows (basically useless). Looks like it rolled out of the needed surface, just as I described above. When you remove old bellows, do you see the old adhesive where it is expected to be??
My another suspicion is this: Can it be that the Quicksilver compound is simply a traditionally used one, not really the optimal one? Mercury just continues selling it, but newer compounds (like the 3M staff I mentioned) would do the job even better?
Or, I am paranoid and should simply glue it, push hard, and take my boat to the lake? Thanks for your feedback!
