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Post by vikx on Jul 12, 2013 22:38:21 GMT -8
Most RV shops sell RV putty tape and call it butyl. If it's got the crinkly paper, you're good to go...
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soup
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Post by soup on Jul 13, 2013 3:57:50 GMT -8
There is also black colored putty tape available. All these tapes are available at all RV stores. I prefer buying from RV centers as I need it. Sometimes when you buy online you don't know how old it is and the older stuff does not perform like fresh stuff. Also note, the black is not as sticky as the gray. It is usually used on modern fiberglass skinned units with black window frames. Will work on our aluminum skinned units too. The gray usually turns black with dirt and grime in a year or so anyway LOL
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tiajannet
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Post by tiajannet on Jul 14, 2013 16:38:33 GMT -8
Wish I knew about this difference before I used them both wondering why they were different. purchase them at two different places. I thought the butyl putty was bad or something. Handling it was like handling tacky biscuit dough. Stuck to the fingers. I formed it on the ups and downs of the siding like molding clay. Couldn't trim it until days later after it skinned over some and at sunrise before the sun warmed it. I'm in Flordia, sun and salt, no carport let alone a garage. Got get that cover and netting. Thanks for the photos NOW I KNOW and can go get some more putty.
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cowcharge
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Post by cowcharge on Jul 26, 2013 14:47:01 GMT -8
No matter how many threads about this that I read, it never seems to get any more clear in my head, lol. The stuff I got from the RV store that they call putty tape is gray and has the wrinkly paper, and only costs about 4 bucks a roll, IIRC. But it's not very sticky, it's like modeling clay, and you have to press it onto the camper inch by inch as you unroll it to keep long strips of it from falling off from its own weight. It feels only a little softer than the original stuff I removed from under the J-rail. It will stick to my fingers when it gets warm, but not to the point that any of it stays there on my skin, just enough to stick more to me than the camper if I press too hard. Looks just like the stuff in Soup's last post. It can be squished into any shape you want, rolled into round bars to go around water fills etc.
I had the impression that old-style putty tape was made from something called "mastic", and was the same as "plumber's putty", and came on wrinkly paper.
I was also under the impression that the black, painfully-sticky-and-absurdly-frustrating-to-use-black-stuff that they put behind car windshields (and that some... PO... put under MY front roof vent) was "butyl".
I've read that there's "newer" putty tape, made of a blend of butyl and mastic, but I don't know how to tell the difference.
How far off am I?
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Post by vikx on Jul 26, 2013 23:35:36 GMT -8
You're spot on, Cowcharge.
The RV shops are selling "butyl" tape (lighter, almost white in color) which seems to be a mix, but the old standard mastic is still available. (Grey and I like it for summer work) Putty should be applied to the flange or attachment rather than the trailer; makes it easier to get a good seal. Standard mastic tape is very easy to trim and makes for a clean professional look. Have to add here that helping hands make for easier installation..
Regardless of color, true butyl (sticky with slick paper) is particularly nasty to work with, especially in the heat. It sticks to itself too quickly and can ooze forever in Georgia. (ask my friend 247Stream how I know that) Tacky Tape (very thin 1/16 x 1/2) is handy for door flanges and cargo doors with backframe gaskets.
It was hard to wrap my mind around all the different choices of putty tape. Most of the time, RV shops will have what you need and know what they like to work with.
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