Incomplete adhesion when attaching handle

[Mattster]

I am in the process of adding a couple of extra handles to the front of my new Elling, as it is a little light in that area. These are quite substantial PVC handles that have to fit to a slightly awkward curve, so I made the attempt at the first handle with the boat inflated. Very awkward to clamp/strap/get a weight on, and as a result one corner has lifted slightly (maybe along an inch), although the rest of the bond looks decent (NB after initially applying inflated, I then deflated so I could get better pressure top/bottom of the handle flange, and have put a couple of clamps on it now).

What are my options with the lifted corner? I only did this about 2 hours ago (2 good coats adhesive on each side after MEK prime), so would it be worth trying to get a bit of MEK in there to reactivate the glue? Or better just to wait until cured and then try to get a bit of glue under than corner and clamp up again?
I obviously would very much like to avoid removing the whole handle, as I think that would be a bit of a mess, and I also think/hope the rest of it is well attached.

thanks!

[Mattster]

Update: Googled a little more, and I have given the corner a blast with the hairdryer and a re-clamp. Hard to say, but it might be better than it was.

[Ribstore]

You've done the exact right thing - heat the area and re roll. Whilst handles are hard to roll, you should be able to roll around the outside flange of the handle and I strongly recommend this.

Hope the hairdryer has worked.

[Mattster]

Thanks Ribstore - these handles and the glue etc are from you, actually - just delivered a few days ago (excellence service as always!).

Here is the current state of play - so hard to get consistent pressure on whilst inflated, so resorted to deflating and clamping. Won't really know if it has worked until I reinflate (tomorrow?), but what are the options if that corner is still lifting? work some more glue in or try to reactivate what is already there somehow?

[Ribstore]

To be honest, I would recommend having the tube inflated, but slightly softer than working pressure so you can push the handle into the tube to ensure good adhesive. Did you roll the handle at all?

If the corner doesn't stick after being warmed up, it's worth trying to get some glue under it - but not too much!

It's hard to tell from the photo, but is the fabric around the handle flat - you don't want creases around the handle stressing it. I'd probably leave it as it (unless you can definitely see a stress point) and see what it's like tomorrow.

[Mattster]

When I initially applied it the tube was inflated - I think this was the only way to get the handle to conform to the curves of the tube (both along and across). I rolled as best I could then, but when the (bottom left in pic) corner started to lift, I realised I was in a losing battle trying to keep any pressure on it (knee and both hands, but that wasn't going to work for more than 5 minutes). That's when I deflated and clamped it. I'll see how it looks when I inflate it tomorrow, and if the corner needs doing again I'll try and work a bit more glue underneath, and maybe hair dryer it again to soften the handle a bit?
Thanks for your help!

[Ribstore]

Sounds like the tube may have been inflated a bit much initially. PVC handles are quite stiff too, so worth warming if they're rather cold and stiff. Sounds like you've got a good plan sorted though

And no problem re the help.

[Mattster]

Thanks for the tip on slightly deflated - I've got the other handle to do tomorrow on the oppsite side, so I will give that a try, and also get the hairdryer on the handle before final attachment. Just tested that now on the other handle and it does get a lot softer - should make life a bit easier.

[Ribstore]

Perfect! Good luck for tomorrow

[foxinsox8]

Originally Posted by Ribstore

Perfect! Good luck for tomorrow

I do a lot of inflatable repairs so here is my advice. You can try masking it off and just getting some more glue into that corner. Make sure you use some sort of wedge (wooden pencil?) to keep clearance between the surfaces to allow the glue to dry properly before heating and joining. Always use heat after the second coat has been applied (with PVC glue but NOT with Hypalon glue).. These bonds are entirely mechanical pressure so I generally do stiff handles at full inflation because clamping uninflated often distorts the bond pattern and it pulls itself apart once inflated. One reason that bonds in corners and edges often don't take is because when removing the masking tape some of the surface glue gets pulled away with it... so leave the masking on until you know you have a good bond. If this doesn't work and you have to remove the handle and start again I would suggest doing the adhesion at full pressure and using your full body weight and then strapping (if necessary around the whole boat) to keep pressure on for some hours rather than clamping. If you do want to clamp you need to get a piece of wood or something else flat under the whole surface of the handle so that the clamping is spread more evenly. With patch repairs I always clamp the repair between two pieces of wood. Good luck, Tim

[Mattster]

Thanks foxinsox. Chatswood eh? I worked there for a year, and afterwards in Crows Nest for 5 years - I still miss some of the restaurants there!

This is how it looks this morning. A slight gap (maybe almost 1mm at worst) for about an inch and a half towards a bottom corner, but otherwise it seems well adhered. No wrinkles, either!

It certainly wouldn't be easy getting any more glue in there - I am of half a mind to just leave it, as it is not safety critical, and if it comes off in the future to just redo it. What do people think?

[Oldman2]

That would get under my skin a bit, even if its secure enough not to fall off. With all winter to get it done why not warm up the handle make and fit 2 wood wedges to hold it apart enough for more adhesive and with masking tape to keep the edge clean try to get it all sealed. Use something to roll it down when trying to bond it. Good luck.

[Mattster]

Yes, I know what you mean Oldman - I still have a couple of misaligned tiles in a window reveal behind a permanently closed blind in the utility room that come to mind every now and then!

It seemed almost churlish not to attempt to fix it whilst I already had glue mixed for the other handle, so I have given it a go. Seems much better so far, and I could only get the end of a toothpick about 2mm underneath so not much of a gap, and far too narrow to use a match as a chock.

Got the second handle on, applied at full pressure after softening the handle with a hair dryer - this made a huge difference, and allowed me to bend the handle enough to roll the near edge before applying the rest of the handle. Dropped a bit of pressure after 30 mins of holding, to stop the tubes trying to pull away so much as the handle stiffened - this seems to have worked so far. Fingers crossed, this one looks near perfect all round so far:

[909]

Use heat, a toothpick and deflate the boat and rub it from the opposite end of the tube so you're applying pressure against 2 layers of material to get to the back of the handle.

[foxinsox8]

Originally Posted by 909

Use heat, a toothpick and deflate the boat and rub it from the opposite end of the tube so you're applying pressure against 2 layers of material to get to the back of the handle.

Exactly. A toothpick, match or small flat head screwdriver. Get some glue on both sides and leave the toothpick (or whatever) in while it dries just enough to keep the surfaces separated. Heat and press. Otherwise the water that spot holds will break down the glue further underneath over time. Don't be tempted to clean with MEK first as that will degrade the bond where the glue is already holding. cheers Tim

PS even better restaurants here now OP!