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That might have been me.
I took the viewports out during a rebuild of the sub, and installed them using a
"permanent" white marine sealant of a brand I can't recall. I had it
in there some time when I went diving at the 2006 PSUBS convention. At 50 feet,
I felt something wet on my shoulder. It wasn't water, it was the sealant that
had turned into a milk-like liquid and was raining into the sub. The
sealant had appeared cured, but I guess that was just on the surface.
Anyway -- I'm using Sikaflex now and will NOT use that white stuff again. I must
say though I agree with Vance that taking out a goop-sealed window is one
of the nastiest jobs there is, and I don't think there's any difference between
RTV and Sika when it comes to removal. I did it by working
a razor back and forth between acrylic and seat, and applying brute
force. I recall Greg saying he'd had to cut up a viewport with a chainsaw
and taken it out in pizza slices. My new sub designed to use O-ring
seals on the viewports, not goop.
Alec The contents of this e-mail are intended for the named addressee only. It contains information that may be confidential. Unless you are the named addressee or an authorized designee, you may not copy or use it, or disclose it to anyone else. If you received it in error please notify us immediately and then destroy it.
From: owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org
[mailto:owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org] On Behalf Of
ShellyDalg@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 11:26 PM To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] sikaflex suggestion Hi Dean. Greg Cottrell put the number for Sikaflex up a while back. I'll
look in my file and see if I can find it. He has made a few psub windows and has
a sub of his own, so if you're going with "GOOP" then that's the stuff. ( I'm
using it too when the time comes)
I don't think it's too easy to get the windows out later, regardless of
what kind of goop you use. I did read about a psub guy who removed a window and
the RTV wasn't fully cured, after a couple of years!!!
It seems to me he had bought his sub from someone else and was
re-fitting and repairing it. Sorry, early on-set Alzheimers I guess, but I can't
remember who that was. Anyway, let me search through the paperwork and find the
one with the Sika number recommended by Greg.
Frank D.
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