SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!
There are two decklights on a boat I recently bought set flush into the deck and held with sealant. The previous owner has attempted to seal them with what looks like an entire tube of silicon. The lights themselves appear to be of 3/8 to 1/2 inch plexiglass or lexan with about 1/8 inch of space around the perimeter for sealant and about a 1/2 inch lip under to support them. The question I have is this...How do I remove the silicon, and loosen the plexiglass so that I may re-seal properly, without destroying all and sunder?
Is there anything that will soften silicon? Could I use slow, increasing pressure from underneath till they pop? Heat?
Gratefull for any help.
Thanks niorn
I suspected there would be a product to soften silicon, do you know if it is safe on fiberglass os lexan?
The reason I am looking for an alternative to a razor blade is that the interface between plexiglass and fiberglass forms a right angle that would be very difficult to cut into.
Feetup, I would expect most of the solvents could hurt (eventual cracking and crazing) your deadlights, whether they are polycarbonate or (more likely) plain acrylic. If you can drill or pick or chew one small hole all the way past the edge, you can pass a piano wire or mono fishing line ("Spidersilk" or other aramid/kevlar material) through the hole, and working with two people, saw it back and forth around the deadlight to cut the sealant.
Depending on what it was bonded with and how well it was bonded, simply pulling or pressing just may not do anything. Using a heat gun and really heating it up as much as you dare, might help release it.
But you may just need to replace the deadlights, or find that's the easiest thign to do. If they are just 1/2" sheet plastic, any plastics shop should be able to made replacements for you at a reasonable cost.
WD40 is effectively kerosene, it will harm both lexan and plexi unless immediately and thoroughly washed off. Makers of both say simply "never" to get petrochemicals on them. (Long term crazing downline.)
Unless I Misunderstood Yourquerry You Said There Is 1/2 In. Sil Under Dead Lights If You Have That Much Room Take A Thin Blade Putty Knife And Keep Working It Around Perimeter Untill You Did Full Cicle Then Go On Deck And Do Same Should Pop Right Out
Regards Mike
I just posted this solution on another thread. DE-SOLVE-IT is a water based silicone removal spray. Available at ACE Hardware in two sizes of trigger bottles. It's made for silicone removal. I know it works since I just removed all the silicone Hunter used to bond the forward piece of cabin sole in my 1986, H34.
You can NOT remove residual silicone (what you can't see after you peel away the heavy stuff) with any petrochemical solvent e.g Aceteone, MEK, Alcohol or Mineral Spirits. I tried them all. This stuff is like Goo Gone and washes off with water. A big bottle is about $13. I scraped mine off and then soaked the area and used a ScothBrite pad and then a water wash. Then I washed the entire area with alcohol before installing new sole with silicone.
Bob
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
SailNet Community
1.7M posts
173.8K members
Since 1990
A forum community dedicated to Sailing, boating, cruising, racing & chartering. Come join the discussion about sailing, destinations, maintenance, repairs, navigation, electronics, classifieds and more