I need to glue checker plate rubber sheeting to the deck of a Duetscher R360 and I was wondering if anybody had had any experience with any glue that worked and would be able to stand the harsh conditions and getting wet
This is a great question for Tech Talk. What is the best glue for rubber to metal? It is clearly relevant to many ride-on restorations.
As you guessed, I have no idea. There seems to be no end of info. on the net. Too much! I feel a personal recommendation - that you seek - is a good approach.
Head down to your local ships chandlers, they are bound to have a weatherproof glue that will do the job. Otherwise, you could just use an exterior grade construction adhesive such as Everbuild liquid nails made by Sika of Sikaflex fame which is widely used in marine situations. Sikaflex that is, in marine use.
If it's ordinary rubber, good old contact adhesive. The quality of these can be a bit variable so a reputable and ultimately more expensive brand. Even some upholsterers use rubbish contact adhesive. Sometimes a bit hard to find but 3M 1300L is the go. lightly abrade the solid surface with scotchbrite, clean both surfaces with acetone. Thinly brush adhesive to both surfaces and allow to tack off and join the surfaces. You'll get one hit at this so positioning has to be spot on. (You can reposition if you have a trigger pack of toluene and you reset the adhesive) but for the sake of the discussion, it's one hit.
Plenty waterproof.
If it's a silicone rubber, use a silicone adhesive
Thanks Jack, Trev and prd, I'll check with the supplier to see what type of rubber it is,they may also have some idea but I always like to ask people from the coalface who have been there done that
If you go for Sikaflex make sure you buy the black one, the white one is more a sealant than an adhesive. The Sika Everbuild is multifunctional in that it can be used like a contact adhesive or as a straight adhesive if you can apply pressure to hold the rubber in place till it goes off.