Re: Tracks coming off

[Bill Green <bill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Try this, though it may not be any less expensive. Go buy the West Etching kit. This is the stuff that allows you to epoxy metals. Follow the directions. Use some of your leftover ProSet to bond the pieces together. It might possibly help to saturate a piece of 2oz. glass matt and slide it in. 

My guess is that when the mast bends, the track is forced to bend in a slightly different arc. The original adhesive is neither strong enough to stay glued (as Plexus would be) or pliable enough to allow a little play (as ProSet should be).

I have not tried this on a mast, but I have used it to glue aluminum tubes to glass that needs a pliable bond (i.e. epoxy with hardware bonder just cracks off).

Bill
On Feb 24, 2005, at 7:41 AM, BDally6107@xxxxxxx wrote:

> Good to hear from you Bob.  Thanks for the tip and the info about the IC masts.
>  
> The Plexus is expensive and nasty smelling.  It's the same stuff that dentists use to glue on crowns.  49er masts use it to glue on their tracks and they avoid this problem.  The great thing about it is that it is self etching so no surface sanding is required  (the old stuff will have to be cleaned off).  We are requiring all of our future masts from Forte to use it.  
>  
> I'll take a piece of sail track, rough it up, and see how well epoxy sticks to it.  I'm a little suspicious because it look a lot like the reusable stirring sticks that we use (the cured epoxy pops right off by simply bending the stick).
>  
> We'll be at a couple of regattas at your club this spring and summer with six Swifts.  If you're interested, I'll bring one for you to sail in a regatta.  Let me know.
>  
> Best regards,
>  
> Bram