SonexBuilders.net

I purchase the Sonex upholstery package. Yesterday I tried to glue the glare shield fabric on the glare shield. I followed the Sonex upholstery instruction sheet and used the suggested 3M Super 77 adhesive. It looked like it was working fine. But when I got to my hangar this morning the fabric was bubbled up and puckered up all over. It looked terrible. When I removed the fabric it looked like the adhesive did not adhere to much of the fabric. It looks like the adhesive did adhere to the metal very well.
Has anyone else had this problem? What did you do?
Anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks
John Stewart
Sonex 1462

I posted a similar question last year but didn't get any responses. I have noticed that a lot of the fabric on other Sonex glareshields sags so suspect we're not the only people having trouble with this :-)

I tried gluing black felt with Super 77, Super 80, and Weldwood Contact cement and none of them worked for more than a few days.

I ended up using Permatex 27828. It squirts somewhat of a sting of adhesive (resembles silly-string) and instantly seemed far superior to everything else I tried. Be careful to not allow the fabric to fold on itself during application (2 people is almost essential) or it will be almost impossible to fix without destroying the fabric (I learned this lesson too). Follow the directions on the can. I think it requires about 10 minutes after spraying to get "tacky". I think I did 2-3 layers since I was getting desperate at that point. You might want to try on some scrap first to convince yourself before you do the whole glareshield.

"Goof off" works well to remove old adhesive from the glareshield.

Mine has held up since August 2014, but I'm still curious to see how it holds up during an Alabama summer.

I also used the Permatex adhesive to glue down the velcro strips that came with the upholstery kit. I have one strip that has come loose (it was problematic the day I installed it), but the rest have held very well.

I used 3M General Trim Adhesive (P/N 09-01444 at AC Spruce). I've been through a summer and a winter and not a bubble, sag or edge-roll anywhere so far.

Mike and Chris, Thanks for your comments and suggestions.
I will post what the results of whatever I decide to do next.
Thanks again
John

I used the foam board that you buy for your kids science fair project. Sprayed it with 3m adhesive from Walmart and stuck fake leather from the fabric store to it. The paper on the foam board is nice and flat and seems to work well with the adhesive. The foam covers the rivets for the gas tank stops in the glare shield. This way the glare shield cover is nice and flat but is easily removed if needed. The whole assembly is held down with Velcro and the edging at the edge of the panel.

John, you may have been a bit too quick to rip out what you had done. I, too, have the Sonex kit, and I used the 3M stuff to glue it down.

It seems that the sonex material is very susceptible to humidity. I can go to the hangar and see my glare shield all bubbled up. All I have to do is push the plane out into the sun and it magically becomes tight as a drum.

mike.smith wrote:I used 3M General Trim Adhesive (P/N 09-01444 at AC Spruce). I've been through a summer and a winter and not a bubble, sag or edge-roll anywhere so far.

I should add that I did not use Sonex's material. I bought a fake black leather (vinyl) with a thin fabric backing, at a local sewing shop.

An update on my glare shield issue.
After trading a few emails with Sonex Tech Support I think my application of the Super 77 was the problem.
I was trying to find out why my application fail while theirs worked.
The last email said that they followed the directions on the can. Sprayed both surfaces and let set for awhile before putting them together.

Now here is my story (and I'm sticking to it)
I had purchased awhile back a can of Scotch 3M Super 77 from Jo Anns Fabrics to do the felt on the fuel tank straps.
I looked again at the directions on that can and it basically said to spray and put together. Nothing about both sides or letting sit before putting together.
So I went to Lowes and bought a larger 3M Supper 77 can. The directions on it were a lot more detailed. Like for a stronger bond spray both sides. Let sit and air for at least 30 seconds. Can wait up to 30 minutes. Put together when maximum tacky.
So I tried again. Sprayed both sides. Waited 2-3 minutes before putting the two together. I did it in three sections, top and the two sides to make it easier to work with.
After two days it seems to be working.

I will see how it works in the long run and update this post.

Thanks to everyone for their comments and suggestions.

I have the grey leather upholstery set from Sonex.

I notice that some builders have made an aluminium extension "lip" to the glare shield so they can lap the leather over it to give the panel a bit more of a "finished" look and provide a little shade for the instruments. I am concerned about what such a "lip" might do to pilot or passenger in the unfortunate event of a forced landing.

I am also slightly concerned that it won't be easy to keep the far end of the glare shield and the bottom part of the windshield clean because it gets tight up there near the firewall.

I have been wondering whether to mount / glue my grey leather glare shield covering onto a thin sheet of plastic or even card board, fastened down to the aluminium glare shield with Velcro. By making it a little bit longer than the glare shield itself, I can make a "lip" to fold the leather over, providing a little shade for the instruments, which would be relatively soft on impact in the event of a forced landing. It would also make the leather removable for the occasional cleaning.

Can anyone tell me why this might not be a good idea? Has anyone done something along these lines?

Tim Mobbs
Sonex #1555 Standard Gear
Aerovee #0672

I did something similar to what you are saying. I used some extra .032 about 2 inches wide and cut the length for each of the panel top edges. I bent a slight "Z" to raise the cockpit side above the plane of the glare shield. These were sandwiched between the glare shield and the inst. panel. I got some foam board (kind with paper on both sides of foam, used to make display boards etc.) and cut 3 panels the shape of the glare shield. I used spray adhesive to cover the foam board with black vinyl fake leather. With the stiffness of the board I used a single piece of Velcro near the front to keep it secure. At the panel I rolled the fake leather over the edge of the glare shield and secured it with a plastic panel edging from McMaster Carr. That is about 1/2 wide and provides a soft edge in case of impact.
I also have the gray leather interior but didn't use the included glare shield cover as I thought it would cause more reflection than black.