3LikesLexan RC Body Protection for Bashers (Long Article, Many Photos)
01-30-2015, 12:20 AM
#1
Lexan RC Body Protection for Bashers (Long Article, Many Photos)
Test and Comparison of Reinforcement Methods for Lexan RC Bodies
This is a report on my test and comparison of 15 different methods for RC body reinforcement using various combinations of Shoe Goo, Drywall Tape, Duct Tape, Gorilla Glue and 3M Rubberized Undercoating. However, before I get into that, I want to explain a bit about me and why I did this test.
I’m a relatively new RC enthusiast who got into the hobby about a year ago to spend some quality time with my 10-year old grandson whom my wife and I are raising. My grandson is much tougher on RC’s than I am. He drives quite well and loves to push the envelope with every RC he drives. Although he is a capable driver of crawlers and knows how to pick a good line, there is no doubt that, given the choice, he prefers bashing. To keep him from bashing my rigs more than he already has, I bought him a Traxxas Stampede 4X4 and said, “Feel free to drive it as hard as you want, but you must learn to fix everything that breaks. I will help you do that.”
The agreement has worked out very well and he has learned a lot. Each time something breaks, we replace it with something better. Several hundred dollars later (gulp), his Stampede is very strong and rarely breaks. However, the body of my grandson’s Stampede 4X4 has taken a real beating, especially at the rear body posts where the clips like to pull through the Lexan. It doesn’t help that Stampede bodies are paper thin out of the box. I decided to use this as an opportunity to teach my grandson how to reinforce a Lexan RC body.
PICTURES OF GRANDSON'S ORIGINAL DAMAGED STAMPEDE BODY
I love to do research and perform tests. I learned from various RC Forums that Shoe Goo and Drywall Tape is the proven “go-to” method of RC body reinforcement for most RC enthusiasts. However, there are plenty of people who argue strongly in favor of alternate methods such as Duct Tape, Gorilla Glue, Rubber Undercoating, spray-on bedliner, etc. Just for a fun project, I decided to do my own comparison tests and document the results.
I want to give credit for this test method to Vladsly, a great young RC Enthusiast who posted a video on Youtube of how he compared a couple of protection methods. A tip of the hat also goes to Squirrel, JANG, DJMedic, Shawnroy, Thedknuckles and many, many others who regularly share their knowledge with all of us online. However, after watching hours of video on Lexan body reinforcement methods, none of them covered, in one video, each of the various combinations that I was curious about. That’s why I decided to perform my own comparison test.
The observations noted in this write-up are my opinion only and should not be taken as any sort of scientific proof. Although I made a judgment call to pick my favorite and least favorite methods, I tried to document each method well enough for others to make their own decisions. It won’t hurt my feelings if your opinion is different from mine.
Here are the 15 different combinations that I decided to compare:
1. Drywall mesh tape first, then Shoe Goo
2. Shoe Goo first, then drywall mesh embedded wet, then more Shoe Goo as needed
3. Shoe Goo covered with duct tape while the goo is still wet
4. Shoe Goo allowed to dry, then covered with duct tape
5. Duct tape applied directly to the painted Lexan interior
6. Gorilla Glue first, then drywall mesh embedded wet
7. Gorilla Glue covered with duct tape while the goo is still wet
8. Drywall mesh first, then Shoe Goo. Allow to dry. Spray with 3M rubberized undercoating
9. 3M rubberized undercoating sprayed directly onto the painted Lexan interior
10. Drywall mesh tape first, then spray with 3M rubberized undercoating
11. Rubberized undercoating first, then drywall mesh embedded wet
12. Rubberized undercoating first, then apply duct tape while rubber is still wet
13. Rubberized undercoating first. Allow to dry. Apply drywall mesh, then spray more rubberized undercoating
14. Rubberized undercoating first. Allow to dry. Cover with duct tape
15. Rubberized undercoating first. Allow to dry. Apply drywall mesh and cover with Shoe Goo
For consistency, I felt that it was important to use identical cleaning and painting methods to prepare each sample for testing. Since Parma and Tamiya hobby paint is so expensive, I also used this opportunity to test the adhesion of Dupli-Color Vinyl and Fabric spray which I purchased from Autozone in the US. Dupli-Color is far more cost effective than hobby paints. The downside is that it only comes in 20 colors. For an avid painter, that’s not enough. For me, 20 colors is fine.
The exact products I used for my tests are found in US stores under the following names:
Simple Green all-purpose cleaner
Dupli-Color Vinyl and Fabric spray paint
Rust-Oleum Acrylic Enamel clear coat spray paint
Gorilla brand duct tape
Gorilla brand Glue (moisture-activated expanding glue)
3M Rubberized Undercoating spay
Generic drywall mesh tape in white with slight adhesive on one side
Shoe Goo brand adhesive
I did not have any Lexan scraps to work with, so I used various plastic containers made from PET (Polyethylene terephthalate). PET is the type of plastic that water bottles are made from. It does not have the exact surface properties of Lexan, but similar enough for my purpose.
I prepared all 15 “test coupons” at the same time, in the same environment, using the same products. Here are the preparation steps I used:
* Surfaces were cleaned with Simple Green, then rinsed and wiped dry.
* Surfaces were lightly abraded with 600-grit sandpaper.
* Surfaces were cleaned again with simple green, wiped with paper towel and set aside to dry overnight.
* Three coats of dark blue Dupli-Color Vinyl and Fabric paint were applied using the most common method for spraying a Lexan body interior, as follows: The first coat was a light mist. The second coat was a bit heavier. Third coat was a final fill-in. Each coat was dried completely before spraying the next. I helped each coat dry using a blow drier.
* I covered the blue paint with a “backer” coat of white Dupli-Color Vinyl and Fabric paint. That was first heated with a blow drier, then allowed to dry for 24-hours.
* The final prep coat was a light mist of Rust-Oleum Acrylic Enamel clear coat spray paint. It was just enough to seal the previous coats of color paint and provide the best bonding surface for the upcoming surface protection tests. The 15 test coupons were all heated with a hair drier and allowed to cure for 12 hours.
* What I did NOT do, and I regret not having done it, was to weigh each test sample before and after the tests were complete. For bashing, a few extra ounces (grams) of body weight doesn’t matter. I doubt it matters much for crawling, either. For racing, however, every ounce (gram) matters, so I apologize to you guys for missing this critical test.
NOTE: I’ve read that some people are having issues with the Shoe Goo and mesh application becoming visible through their paint job. From what I’ve read, that only seems to be the case when people used water-based paint applied by airbrush. I was not able to test that, myself.
I learned a great tip from Squirrel about using a light final coat of acrylic enamel sealer. It bonds well to the hobby paint and seals it. The protective coatings bond very well to the acrylic enamel. Although acrylic enamel is not a flexible surface, it is only one lightly misted coat, so flexibility is not an issue. In my tests, the clear coat sealer worked extremely well, so I have reason to believe it will do the same for water-based paints. Your mileage may vary.
WAS THERE A CLEAR WINNER?
For me, yes! “Test Number 8: Drywall mesh first, then Shoe Goo. Allow to dry, then spray with 3M rubberized undercoating.” It is relatively easy to apply and provides a tremendous amount of body reinforcement. However, there were several close contenders. Each of the contenders would work for most people. The type of rig you drive and how you drive it may affect the method of surface protection that you choose. Your decision may also be affected by how much time and money you are willing to spend on the materials and application. More about that later.
PICTURES FROM TEST NUMBER 8
This is what the surface looked like before being "stressed". It provides extremely even and consistent coverage:
This is what the sample looked like after being bent a full 180-degrees in both directions. There is almost no fiber breakage or disbonding along the bend:
This is my "scratch and gouge" test. The undercoating filled and coated the fibers and protected them from snagging during scratches and gouges:
And this was my toughest test, the "peel and disbond" test. The bond was so tenacious that I had to slip a knife blade up under the edge, then use a pair of needle nose pliers to pull it back this far. It was the best bond of any I tested:
WAS THERE A CLEAR LOSER?
DEFINITELY! Although more than one test sample failed to provide adequate protection, one clearly stood out as the hands-down ultimate worst combination: “Test Number 7: Gorilla Glue covered with duct tape while the goo is still wet.” That test was a complete failure. I thought that the duct tape adhesive and Gorilla Glue adhesive would bond together nicely and dry to a tight bond. Nope! Duct tape adhesive doesn’t like wet things, even if the wet thing is another adhesive. The duct tape actually seemed to be repelled by the Gorilla Glue. It floated on the glue, slipped all over the place and refused to conform to contoured areas. After curing, the duct tape peeled right off with almost no effort. This was a completely useless method for Lexan body reinforcement.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 7
The tape is just sitting on the surface and not conforming to any tight contours:
The bond was so poor that I was almost able to turn it over and just shake it out:
The testing that I performed was unscientific and rather subjective.
Here is the criteria that I used for making my decisions.
* How did the surface look: This is obviously very subjective. What looks good to me may look like crap to you. I looked for something that was fairly smooth, not too thick or lumpy and pleasing to my eye. But who really cares? It's on the inside!
* What kind of driving is being done: Crawling, bashing, racing? Wet, dry? Asphalt, dirt, gravel? How will those types of driving stress the body? In my case, I’m currently looking for protection from bashing, mostly dry, occasionally wet. I need to protect the body from road rash and impact damage.
* Time vs fun factor: In a case where two methods are fairly similar in their result, the one that is easiest and least messy to apply will be the tie-breaker.
* Value: To me, value isn’t necessarily the cheapest. Rather, it is based on what is the best method of protection for the least amount of money. If two results are fairly similar, but one is cheaper, then that is the one I’d choose as the best value.
* Bendability Test: This test was pretty drastic. I tried to simulate the worst bashing wrecks. Each test sample was bent a full 180-degrees inward towards the internal finish until the two halves touched, then I stepped on the bent sample to create a heavy crease. Immediately after that, I bent each sample exactly the opposite direction until the halves touched, then stepped on it again. This test often caused protective coatings to disbond at the location of the bends.
* Fingernail Test: What happens to the protective finish if I dig my stubby fingernail into it? This test was meant to simulate an internal body rub from a tire or a component of the chassis or suspension.
* Deep Scratch Test: I used the tip of some rather sharp scissors and made two or three deep gouges into the protective finish. This test was meant to simulate internal body damage caused by sharp parts of the chassis or suspension slamming into the body from hard bashing accidents.
* Peel and Disbond Test: How well did each protective surface stick? I tried to lift a corner of it with my fingernail and pull on it by hand. If that did not work, I used the edge of a hobby knife to lift a corner, then pull on it by hand. I intentionally did NOT use pliers to pull on the material.
* Cutting/Trimming Test: This turned out to be a non-issue. All of the samples were easy to trim.
* Water Test: This turned out to be a non-issue. All of the samples were waterproof.
You already know that I chose Test #8 as the winner and Test #7 as the loser, but how did the other 13 samples compare?
I decided to place them in three categories: 1.) Really Bad, 2.) Really Good and 3.) Acceptable, but I would probably never use them.
THE REALLY BAD RESULTS
Test #3: Shoe Goo covered with duct tape while the goo is still wet. This failed almost as badly as Test #7. Duct tape adhesive doesn’t like wet things, even if the wet thing is another adhesive. After curing, the duct tape peels right off the Shoe Goo.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 3
Prepared sample before testing:
Dual 180-Degree bend test:
Scratch and gouge test:
Peel and disbond test. This easily lifted with just my fingertips:
Test #9: Spray rubberized undercoating directly to the painted Lexan interior. Since there is no mesh in the undercoating, it doesn’t offer any tear or flex resistance. It also scratches off much easier than I anticipated. It is simply not much better than no protection at all.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 9
Dual 180-degree bend test:
Scratch and peel tests:
Test #11: Rubberized undercoating first, then apply drywall mesh while rubber is still wet. This is a messy nuisance to install. It looks nice when complete, but doesn’t bond well at all. The bend test caused the mesh to separate from the Lexan at the bend. The scratch test allowed fibers to be snagged and the peel test offered little resistance.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 11
Prepared sample:
Prepare and trimmed sample:
Dual 180-degree bend test shows some disbonding at the bend:
Scratch and gouge test:
Peel and disbond test:
Test #12: Rubberized undercoating first, then apply duct tape while rubber is still wet. This had the same results as Test #3 and Test #7 which were complete failures. Duct tape just does not like to be applied over anything wet. It peels right off after curing.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 12
Prepared sample:
Prepared and trimmed sample:
Dual 180-degree bend test:
Scratch and gouge test:
Peel and disbond test - total failure - it pulled right up:
Test #14: Rubberized undercoating first. Allow to dry. Cover with duct tape. Even when dry, duct tape does not stick well to the rubberized undercoating. It peeled off very easily.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 14
Prepared sample:
Dual 180-degree bend test:
Scratch and gouge test:
Peel and disbond test. It sure didn't stick well!
Test #15: Rubberized undercoating first. Allow to dry. Apply drywall mesh and cover with Shoe Goo. This test had an unexpected result. The Shoe Goo had an adverse reaction to the rubberized undercoating that caused it to lift and bubble. It was very messy to apply and not worth the effort because the bond was very weak. It peeled off very easily after curing.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 15
Dry undercoating ready for drywall mesh and Shoe Goo:
Prepared sample with the Shoe Goo applied:
Scratch and gouge test caused the Shoe Goo to ball up and peel off:
Peel and disbond test offered little resistance:
THE REALLY GOOD RESULTS
Test #1: Drywall mesh tape first, then Shoe Goo. This is my SECOND favorite method of Lexan body reinforcement. It is relatively quick and easy to apply since the tape can be laid out first. It does have a couple of problems. The first is minor: By putting the mesh down first, the Shoe Goo does not make a 100-percent bond to the Lexan. It’s still pretty good, just not as good as putting down Shoe Goo first, then embedding the mesh tape into it. However, when considering the “Time vs Fun” factor, laying down the mesh tape first wins. The second problem is worse. However, if you are aware of it, you can work around it. I used this method to protect a complete body. In doing so, I overlapped two or three layers of mesh in some high-stress areas. That created such a tight mesh weave that the Shoe Goo was blocked and would not penetrate to the surface below, even with vigorous pressing. After curing, there were air-pockets between the mesh and Lexan. If I had to do it again, I’d just lay out a single layer of mesh and cover it with Shoe Goo. Then I could come back to weak areas with a second layer of reinforcement.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 1
Prepared sample before testing
Dual 180-degree bend test. Slightly brittle.
Scratch and gouge test - resisted scratching very well.
Peel and disbond test. It resisted disbonding better than it looks. I pulled very hard and it pulled up paint.
Test #2: Shoe Goo first, then drywall mesh embedded wet, then more Shoe Goo as needed. This is “go to” tried and true method for most RC enthusiasts and it works very well. In the tests that I performed, it was my THIRD favorite. It lost points by being messy and slow to apply which cut into the “Time vs Fun Factor”. In terms of protection, though, this is the top performer. It is darn near impossible to lift and peel after curing.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 2
Prepared samples before testing:
Dual 180-degree bend test
Scratch and gouge test
Peel and disbond test. This was tough. I had to get a knife blade under the edge and pull with needle nose pliers. Excellent adhesion!
Test #5: Duct tape applied directly to the painted Lexan interior. It’s hard to find fault with this technique. It is cheap, quick, non-messy and quite effective. The duct tape bonds extremely well to a sealed, painted surface and the mesh in the tape provides excellent tear and impact protection. As a bonus for racers, it adds less weight than the other tests I tried. If I were a racer, this very well might be my first choice. Since my grandson and I are bashers, we prefer a protective coating that provides more protection. However, always carry a mini-roll of “Gorilla Tape” in my field kit for quick repairs away from home. It’s an awesome quick fix.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 5
Prepared sample before testing
Dual 180-degree bend test
Scratch and gouge test
Peel and disbond test.
THE ACCEPTABLE RESULTS (But I’d Probably Never Use Them)
Test #4: Apply Shoe Goo and allow it to dry, then cover with duct tape. Not bad, but a waste of time and money. The duct tape doesn’t bond all that well to the cured surface of the Shoe Goo. It provides only slightly more protection than Shoe Goo by itself.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 4
Prepared sample before testing
Dual 180-degree bend test
Scratch and gouge test
Peel and disbond test
Test #6: Gorilla Glue first, then drywall mesh embedded wet. It was very easy to apply and provided a very thin, smooth surface. At first, I was surprised how well this worked. During the first few days, it was not as brittle as I thought it might be. But that changed. After a week, the surface became very brittle and would break rather than bend. When I tried to pull up a corner, the mesh would shatter and crumble. I think this method has merit if used on car bodies for speed runs because the body will be very stiff and hold it’s shape in high wind pressure. As a bonus, this method of protection is relatively light. But for bashing, a brittle body is not a good choice.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 6
Prepared sample before testing
Dual 180-degree bend test. It almost broke in half!
Peel and disbond tests. Very crunchy and brittle.
Test #10: Drywall mesh tape first, then rubberized undercoating. This was pretty easy to apply, but not worth the cost or effort. I was disappointed by the poor bond this created. It’s not the worst choice for body protection, by far, but it’s not in the same league as my favorites.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 10
Prepared sample before testing
Dual 180-degree bend test
Scratch and gouge test
Peel and disbond test
Test #13: Rubberized undercoating first. Allow to dry. Apply drywall mesh, then spray more rubberized undercoating. This method takes a lot of drying time, adds a lot of weight and still is not up to the level of protection as those in the “Good Results” category.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 13
Prepared sample before testing
Dual 180-degree bend test
Scratch and gouge test
Peel and disbond test
A NOTE REGARDING THE DUPLI-COLOR VINYL AND FABRIC PAINT: It turned out to be an excellent replacement for the more expensive Hobby Paint. Having used both types of rattle-can paint, I found no difference in their performance. The Dupli-Color Vinyl and Fabric paint sprayed evenly, dried quickly, stuck tenaciously, and looked good. Highly recommended!
FINAL RESULTS: I bought a brand new factory painted Traxxas Stampede 4x4 Truck body and applied my chosen method of protection to it: “Drywall mesh first, then Shoe Goo. Allow to dry. Spray with 3M rubberized undercoating” (Reference Test #8). I allowed my grandson to use this truck body for a full 5 months before releasing this post so I could provide an accurate report on the results, which are impressive! My grandson ran his truck to hell and back a couple of times. Along the way, there were plenty of jumps, flips, crashes, rolls and even skidding upside down on pavement a few times at high speed. There are no holes or cracks in this body yet. Body pins don’t pull through the Lexan any more, either. We are extremely pleased and will use this method of protection again!
PICTURES OF A NEWLY REINFORCED BODY USING MY CHOSEN METHOD
Bonus reinforcement for rear body posts: I used a piece of water-heater earthquake strap. It is very thin and flexible but very tough. I glued it in place, then covered it with the drywall mesh.
This is the exterior of my grandson's new Stampede body after 5-months of bashing using the new reinforcement. It has held up extremely well.
The interior is dusty, but in good shape as well.
I really enjoyed performing these tests and writing about them. I hope a few readers will find this topic useful.
This is a report on my test and comparison of 15 different methods for RC body reinforcement using various combinations of Shoe Goo, Drywall Tape, Duct Tape, Gorilla Glue and 3M Rubberized Undercoating. However, before I get into that, I want to explain a bit about me and why I did this test.
I’m a relatively new RC enthusiast who got into the hobby about a year ago to spend some quality time with my 10-year old grandson whom my wife and I are raising. My grandson is much tougher on RC’s than I am. He drives quite well and loves to push the envelope with every RC he drives. Although he is a capable driver of crawlers and knows how to pick a good line, there is no doubt that, given the choice, he prefers bashing. To keep him from bashing my rigs more than he already has, I bought him a Traxxas Stampede 4X4 and said, “Feel free to drive it as hard as you want, but you must learn to fix everything that breaks. I will help you do that.”
The agreement has worked out very well and he has learned a lot. Each time something breaks, we replace it with something better. Several hundred dollars later (gulp), his Stampede is very strong and rarely breaks. However, the body of my grandson’s Stampede 4X4 has taken a real beating, especially at the rear body posts where the clips like to pull through the Lexan. It doesn’t help that Stampede bodies are paper thin out of the box. I decided to use this as an opportunity to teach my grandson how to reinforce a Lexan RC body.
PICTURES OF GRANDSON'S ORIGINAL DAMAGED STAMPEDE BODY
I love to do research and perform tests. I learned from various RC Forums that Shoe Goo and Drywall Tape is the proven “go-to” method of RC body reinforcement for most RC enthusiasts. However, there are plenty of people who argue strongly in favor of alternate methods such as Duct Tape, Gorilla Glue, Rubber Undercoating, spray-on bedliner, etc. Just for a fun project, I decided to do my own comparison tests and document the results.
I want to give credit for this test method to Vladsly, a great young RC Enthusiast who posted a video on Youtube of how he compared a couple of protection methods. A tip of the hat also goes to Squirrel, JANG, DJMedic, Shawnroy, Thedknuckles and many, many others who regularly share their knowledge with all of us online. However, after watching hours of video on Lexan body reinforcement methods, none of them covered, in one video, each of the various combinations that I was curious about. That’s why I decided to perform my own comparison test.
The observations noted in this write-up are my opinion only and should not be taken as any sort of scientific proof. Although I made a judgment call to pick my favorite and least favorite methods, I tried to document each method well enough for others to make their own decisions. It won’t hurt my feelings if your opinion is different from mine.
Here are the 15 different combinations that I decided to compare:
1. Drywall mesh tape first, then Shoe Goo
2. Shoe Goo first, then drywall mesh embedded wet, then more Shoe Goo as needed
3. Shoe Goo covered with duct tape while the goo is still wet
4. Shoe Goo allowed to dry, then covered with duct tape
5. Duct tape applied directly to the painted Lexan interior
6. Gorilla Glue first, then drywall mesh embedded wet
7. Gorilla Glue covered with duct tape while the goo is still wet
8. Drywall mesh first, then Shoe Goo. Allow to dry. Spray with 3M rubberized undercoating
9. 3M rubberized undercoating sprayed directly onto the painted Lexan interior
10. Drywall mesh tape first, then spray with 3M rubberized undercoating
11. Rubberized undercoating first, then drywall mesh embedded wet
12. Rubberized undercoating first, then apply duct tape while rubber is still wet
13. Rubberized undercoating first. Allow to dry. Apply drywall mesh, then spray more rubberized undercoating
14. Rubberized undercoating first. Allow to dry. Cover with duct tape
15. Rubberized undercoating first. Allow to dry. Apply drywall mesh and cover with Shoe Goo
For consistency, I felt that it was important to use identical cleaning and painting methods to prepare each sample for testing. Since Parma and Tamiya hobby paint is so expensive, I also used this opportunity to test the adhesion of Dupli-Color Vinyl and Fabric spray which I purchased from Autozone in the US. Dupli-Color is far more cost effective than hobby paints. The downside is that it only comes in 20 colors. For an avid painter, that’s not enough. For me, 20 colors is fine.
The exact products I used for my tests are found in US stores under the following names:
Simple Green all-purpose cleaner
Dupli-Color Vinyl and Fabric spray paint
Rust-Oleum Acrylic Enamel clear coat spray paint
Gorilla brand duct tape
Gorilla brand Glue (moisture-activated expanding glue)
3M Rubberized Undercoating spay
Generic drywall mesh tape in white with slight adhesive on one side
Shoe Goo brand adhesive
I did not have any Lexan scraps to work with, so I used various plastic containers made from PET (Polyethylene terephthalate). PET is the type of plastic that water bottles are made from. It does not have the exact surface properties of Lexan, but similar enough for my purpose.
I prepared all 15 “test coupons” at the same time, in the same environment, using the same products. Here are the preparation steps I used:
* Surfaces were cleaned with Simple Green, then rinsed and wiped dry.
* Surfaces were lightly abraded with 600-grit sandpaper.
* Surfaces were cleaned again with simple green, wiped with paper towel and set aside to dry overnight.
* Three coats of dark blue Dupli-Color Vinyl and Fabric paint were applied using the most common method for spraying a Lexan body interior, as follows: The first coat was a light mist. The second coat was a bit heavier. Third coat was a final fill-in. Each coat was dried completely before spraying the next. I helped each coat dry using a blow drier.
* I covered the blue paint with a “backer” coat of white Dupli-Color Vinyl and Fabric paint. That was first heated with a blow drier, then allowed to dry for 24-hours.
* The final prep coat was a light mist of Rust-Oleum Acrylic Enamel clear coat spray paint. It was just enough to seal the previous coats of color paint and provide the best bonding surface for the upcoming surface protection tests. The 15 test coupons were all heated with a hair drier and allowed to cure for 12 hours.
* What I did NOT do, and I regret not having done it, was to weigh each test sample before and after the tests were complete. For bashing, a few extra ounces (grams) of body weight doesn’t matter. I doubt it matters much for crawling, either. For racing, however, every ounce (gram) matters, so I apologize to you guys for missing this critical test.
NOTE: I’ve read that some people are having issues with the Shoe Goo and mesh application becoming visible through their paint job. From what I’ve read, that only seems to be the case when people used water-based paint applied by airbrush. I was not able to test that, myself.
I learned a great tip from Squirrel about using a light final coat of acrylic enamel sealer. It bonds well to the hobby paint and seals it. The protective coatings bond very well to the acrylic enamel. Although acrylic enamel is not a flexible surface, it is only one lightly misted coat, so flexibility is not an issue. In my tests, the clear coat sealer worked extremely well, so I have reason to believe it will do the same for water-based paints. Your mileage may vary.
WAS THERE A CLEAR WINNER?
For me, yes! “Test Number 8: Drywall mesh first, then Shoe Goo. Allow to dry, then spray with 3M rubberized undercoating.” It is relatively easy to apply and provides a tremendous amount of body reinforcement. However, there were several close contenders. Each of the contenders would work for most people. The type of rig you drive and how you drive it may affect the method of surface protection that you choose. Your decision may also be affected by how much time and money you are willing to spend on the materials and application. More about that later.
PICTURES FROM TEST NUMBER 8
This is what the surface looked like before being "stressed". It provides extremely even and consistent coverage:
This is what the sample looked like after being bent a full 180-degrees in both directions. There is almost no fiber breakage or disbonding along the bend:
This is my "scratch and gouge" test. The undercoating filled and coated the fibers and protected them from snagging during scratches and gouges:
And this was my toughest test, the "peel and disbond" test. The bond was so tenacious that I had to slip a knife blade up under the edge, then use a pair of needle nose pliers to pull it back this far. It was the best bond of any I tested:
WAS THERE A CLEAR LOSER?
DEFINITELY! Although more than one test sample failed to provide adequate protection, one clearly stood out as the hands-down ultimate worst combination: “Test Number 7: Gorilla Glue covered with duct tape while the goo is still wet.” That test was a complete failure. I thought that the duct tape adhesive and Gorilla Glue adhesive would bond together nicely and dry to a tight bond. Nope! Duct tape adhesive doesn’t like wet things, even if the wet thing is another adhesive. The duct tape actually seemed to be repelled by the Gorilla Glue. It floated on the glue, slipped all over the place and refused to conform to contoured areas. After curing, the duct tape peeled right off with almost no effort. This was a completely useless method for Lexan body reinforcement.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 7
The tape is just sitting on the surface and not conforming to any tight contours:
The bond was so poor that I was almost able to turn it over and just shake it out:
The testing that I performed was unscientific and rather subjective.
Here is the criteria that I used for making my decisions.
* How did the surface look: This is obviously very subjective. What looks good to me may look like crap to you. I looked for something that was fairly smooth, not too thick or lumpy and pleasing to my eye. But who really cares? It's on the inside!
* What kind of driving is being done: Crawling, bashing, racing? Wet, dry? Asphalt, dirt, gravel? How will those types of driving stress the body? In my case, I’m currently looking for protection from bashing, mostly dry, occasionally wet. I need to protect the body from road rash and impact damage.
* Time vs fun factor: In a case where two methods are fairly similar in their result, the one that is easiest and least messy to apply will be the tie-breaker.
* Value: To me, value isn’t necessarily the cheapest. Rather, it is based on what is the best method of protection for the least amount of money. If two results are fairly similar, but one is cheaper, then that is the one I’d choose as the best value.
* Bendability Test: This test was pretty drastic. I tried to simulate the worst bashing wrecks. Each test sample was bent a full 180-degrees inward towards the internal finish until the two halves touched, then I stepped on the bent sample to create a heavy crease. Immediately after that, I bent each sample exactly the opposite direction until the halves touched, then stepped on it again. This test often caused protective coatings to disbond at the location of the bends.
* Fingernail Test: What happens to the protective finish if I dig my stubby fingernail into it? This test was meant to simulate an internal body rub from a tire or a component of the chassis or suspension.
* Deep Scratch Test: I used the tip of some rather sharp scissors and made two or three deep gouges into the protective finish. This test was meant to simulate internal body damage caused by sharp parts of the chassis or suspension slamming into the body from hard bashing accidents.
* Peel and Disbond Test: How well did each protective surface stick? I tried to lift a corner of it with my fingernail and pull on it by hand. If that did not work, I used the edge of a hobby knife to lift a corner, then pull on it by hand. I intentionally did NOT use pliers to pull on the material.
* Cutting/Trimming Test: This turned out to be a non-issue. All of the samples were easy to trim.
* Water Test: This turned out to be a non-issue. All of the samples were waterproof.
You already know that I chose Test #8 as the winner and Test #7 as the loser, but how did the other 13 samples compare?
I decided to place them in three categories: 1.) Really Bad, 2.) Really Good and 3.) Acceptable, but I would probably never use them.
THE REALLY BAD RESULTS
Test #3: Shoe Goo covered with duct tape while the goo is still wet. This failed almost as badly as Test #7. Duct tape adhesive doesn’t like wet things, even if the wet thing is another adhesive. After curing, the duct tape peels right off the Shoe Goo.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 3
Prepared sample before testing:
Dual 180-Degree bend test:
Scratch and gouge test:
Peel and disbond test. This easily lifted with just my fingertips:
Test #9: Spray rubberized undercoating directly to the painted Lexan interior. Since there is no mesh in the undercoating, it doesn’t offer any tear or flex resistance. It also scratches off much easier than I anticipated. It is simply not much better than no protection at all.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 9
Dual 180-degree bend test:
Scratch and peel tests:
Test #11: Rubberized undercoating first, then apply drywall mesh while rubber is still wet. This is a messy nuisance to install. It looks nice when complete, but doesn’t bond well at all. The bend test caused the mesh to separate from the Lexan at the bend. The scratch test allowed fibers to be snagged and the peel test offered little resistance.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 11
Prepared sample:
Prepare and trimmed sample:
Dual 180-degree bend test shows some disbonding at the bend:
Scratch and gouge test:
Peel and disbond test:
Test #12: Rubberized undercoating first, then apply duct tape while rubber is still wet. This had the same results as Test #3 and Test #7 which were complete failures. Duct tape just does not like to be applied over anything wet. It peels right off after curing.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 12
Prepared sample:
Prepared and trimmed sample:
Dual 180-degree bend test:
Scratch and gouge test:
Peel and disbond test - total failure - it pulled right up:
Test #14: Rubberized undercoating first. Allow to dry. Cover with duct tape. Even when dry, duct tape does not stick well to the rubberized undercoating. It peeled off very easily.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 14
Prepared sample:
Dual 180-degree bend test:
Scratch and gouge test:
Peel and disbond test. It sure didn't stick well!
Test #15: Rubberized undercoating first. Allow to dry. Apply drywall mesh and cover with Shoe Goo. This test had an unexpected result. The Shoe Goo had an adverse reaction to the rubberized undercoating that caused it to lift and bubble. It was very messy to apply and not worth the effort because the bond was very weak. It peeled off very easily after curing.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 15
Dry undercoating ready for drywall mesh and Shoe Goo:
Prepared sample with the Shoe Goo applied:
Scratch and gouge test caused the Shoe Goo to ball up and peel off:
Peel and disbond test offered little resistance:
THE REALLY GOOD RESULTS
Test #1: Drywall mesh tape first, then Shoe Goo. This is my SECOND favorite method of Lexan body reinforcement. It is relatively quick and easy to apply since the tape can be laid out first. It does have a couple of problems. The first is minor: By putting the mesh down first, the Shoe Goo does not make a 100-percent bond to the Lexan. It’s still pretty good, just not as good as putting down Shoe Goo first, then embedding the mesh tape into it. However, when considering the “Time vs Fun” factor, laying down the mesh tape first wins. The second problem is worse. However, if you are aware of it, you can work around it. I used this method to protect a complete body. In doing so, I overlapped two or three layers of mesh in some high-stress areas. That created such a tight mesh weave that the Shoe Goo was blocked and would not penetrate to the surface below, even with vigorous pressing. After curing, there were air-pockets between the mesh and Lexan. If I had to do it again, I’d just lay out a single layer of mesh and cover it with Shoe Goo. Then I could come back to weak areas with a second layer of reinforcement.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 1
Prepared sample before testing
Dual 180-degree bend test. Slightly brittle.
Scratch and gouge test - resisted scratching very well.
Peel and disbond test. It resisted disbonding better than it looks. I pulled very hard and it pulled up paint.
Test #2: Shoe Goo first, then drywall mesh embedded wet, then more Shoe Goo as needed. This is “go to” tried and true method for most RC enthusiasts and it works very well. In the tests that I performed, it was my THIRD favorite. It lost points by being messy and slow to apply which cut into the “Time vs Fun Factor”. In terms of protection, though, this is the top performer. It is darn near impossible to lift and peel after curing.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 2
Prepared samples before testing:
Dual 180-degree bend test
Scratch and gouge test
Peel and disbond test. This was tough. I had to get a knife blade under the edge and pull with needle nose pliers. Excellent adhesion!
Test #5: Duct tape applied directly to the painted Lexan interior. It’s hard to find fault with this technique. It is cheap, quick, non-messy and quite effective. The duct tape bonds extremely well to a sealed, painted surface and the mesh in the tape provides excellent tear and impact protection. As a bonus for racers, it adds less weight than the other tests I tried. If I were a racer, this very well might be my first choice. Since my grandson and I are bashers, we prefer a protective coating that provides more protection. However, always carry a mini-roll of “Gorilla Tape” in my field kit for quick repairs away from home. It’s an awesome quick fix.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 5
Prepared sample before testing
Dual 180-degree bend test
Scratch and gouge test
Peel and disbond test.
THE ACCEPTABLE RESULTS (But I’d Probably Never Use Them)
Test #4: Apply Shoe Goo and allow it to dry, then cover with duct tape. Not bad, but a waste of time and money. The duct tape doesn’t bond all that well to the cured surface of the Shoe Goo. It provides only slightly more protection than Shoe Goo by itself.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 4
Prepared sample before testing
Dual 180-degree bend test
Scratch and gouge test
Peel and disbond test
Test #6: Gorilla Glue first, then drywall mesh embedded wet. It was very easy to apply and provided a very thin, smooth surface. At first, I was surprised how well this worked. During the first few days, it was not as brittle as I thought it might be. But that changed. After a week, the surface became very brittle and would break rather than bend. When I tried to pull up a corner, the mesh would shatter and crumble. I think this method has merit if used on car bodies for speed runs because the body will be very stiff and hold it’s shape in high wind pressure. As a bonus, this method of protection is relatively light. But for bashing, a brittle body is not a good choice.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 6
Prepared sample before testing
Dual 180-degree bend test. It almost broke in half!
Peel and disbond tests. Very crunchy and brittle.
Test #10: Drywall mesh tape first, then rubberized undercoating. This was pretty easy to apply, but not worth the cost or effort. I was disappointed by the poor bond this created. It’s not the worst choice for body protection, by far, but it’s not in the same league as my favorites.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 10
Prepared sample before testing
Dual 180-degree bend test
Scratch and gouge test
Peel and disbond test
Test #13: Rubberized undercoating first. Allow to dry. Apply drywall mesh, then spray more rubberized undercoating. This method takes a lot of drying time, adds a lot of weight and still is not up to the level of protection as those in the “Good Results” category.
PICTURES OF TEST NUMBER 13
Prepared sample before testing
Dual 180-degree bend test
Scratch and gouge test
Peel and disbond test
A NOTE REGARDING THE DUPLI-COLOR VINYL AND FABRIC PAINT: It turned out to be an excellent replacement for the more expensive Hobby Paint. Having used both types of rattle-can paint, I found no difference in their performance. The Dupli-Color Vinyl and Fabric paint sprayed evenly, dried quickly, stuck tenaciously, and looked good. Highly recommended!
FINAL RESULTS: I bought a brand new factory painted Traxxas Stampede 4x4 Truck body and applied my chosen method of protection to it: “Drywall mesh first, then Shoe Goo. Allow to dry. Spray with 3M rubberized undercoating” (Reference Test #8). I allowed my grandson to use this truck body for a full 5 months before releasing this post so I could provide an accurate report on the results, which are impressive! My grandson ran his truck to hell and back a couple of times. Along the way, there were plenty of jumps, flips, crashes, rolls and even skidding upside down on pavement a few times at high speed. There are no holes or cracks in this body yet. Body pins don’t pull through the Lexan any more, either. We are extremely pleased and will use this method of protection again!
PICTURES OF A NEWLY REINFORCED BODY USING MY CHOSEN METHOD
Bonus reinforcement for rear body posts: I used a piece of water-heater earthquake strap. It is very thin and flexible but very tough. I glued it in place, then covered it with the drywall mesh.
This is the exterior of my grandson's new Stampede body after 5-months of bashing using the new reinforcement. It has held up extremely well.
The interior is dusty, but in good shape as well.
I really enjoyed performing these tests and writing about them. I hope a few readers will find this topic useful.
02-03-2015, 08:34 PM
#3
Tech Rookie
props to you for taking the time to document and share!
06-22-2015, 01:10 PM
#4
which 3M rubberized undercoating?
I see there are two kinds of 3M rubberized undercoating, #3584 and #8883. Which one did you use/prefer? Awesome write up by the way. I have an ET48 with the Tekno shell which is known to not be very durable so I very much appreciate your input. Amazing how long your grandson's shell lasted.
06-22-2015, 06:52 PM
#5
I see there are two kinds of 3M rubberized undercoating, #3584 and #8883. Which one did you use/prefer? Awesome write up by the way. I have an ET48 with the Tekno shell which is known to not be very durable so I very much appreciate your input. Amazing how long your grandson's shell lasted.
In reviewing the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for each product, I found that #03584 and #08883 are nearly identical with just minor variances. I used the 08883. I'm sure the 03584 would have performed equally, but I did not actually try it. I was never able to verify this, but I get the distinct impression that #03584 was made specifically for the "over-the-counter" automotive store chains such as Autozone & Advanced Auto Parts. The "PROFESSIONAL GRADE" labeling is nothing more than fancy marketing.
Here are some quick summaries that I found:
#03584: 16 oz, Rubber based (paintability is unknown)
#08881: 16 oz, Calcium Carbonate and asphalt based
#08882: 17 oz, Rubber based, paintable
#08883: 19.7 oz, Synthetic Polymer based
Just about every well-known automotive chemical company makes a similar product. These are just a few: Rust-Oleum, CRC, Permatex, Eastwood and Dupli-Color. I watched an amateur review of the Dupli-color product on YouTube and it was EXACTLY like the 3M Undercoating. My advice, buy whatever is cheapest at the time in your area. With minor variations, it's all the same stuff!
I forgot to mention in my write-up that this stuff is REALLY STICKY and tends to get on your fingers no matter how careful you are at spraying. Gloves are recommended.
On a final note: I had also considered testing Spray-on Bedliner when I did the original testing. However, I chose not to because I read that single-part spray on bedliners aren't any tougher than the undercoating spray, but they cost more. To get a bedliner material as tough as "Rhino Liner", it takes a two-part epoxy system which you cannot get in a small aerosol can. Professionals spray it on with commercial equipment.
Someday, just for fun, I may buy a self-applied two part "brush-on" system and test it on the inside of an RC body. In fact, I also have not yet tried "Plasti-dip" on the interior of an RC body (some guys are putting it on the OUTSIDE!). I think it would be fun to write up a comparison of bedliner vs plasti-dip. Hmmmm... one of these days.
02-08-2017, 06:16 AM
#6
Awesome test. Thanks for sharing man.
02-08-2017, 09:40 AM
#7
Tech Apprentice
Great info! Thanks for sharing
02-12-2017, 03:55 PM
#9
Fantastic experiment and very useful results. The paint applied with similar adhesion strength to that plastic as lexan?
Back in the day I used to paint professionally and race at my local hobby shop that I also worked with. My problem was always paint adhesion. I wasnt bashing but I found the paint would flake and separate from the surface. I used water based Parma fascolor and Auto Air paints exclusively, backed with parma fascote sealer. Basically it was like spraying diluted white glue. It would protect the paint from nitro fuel and cleaners really well, and would add some regidity as well.
Now back into painting a bit, i have found that the laquer based paints such as Pactra, Tamiya and Duratrax make adhere much better and the white can be used as a great backer to water based if applied in light coats. I have thought about reinforcing the bodies further, this will prove very useful! Thanks for the detailed write up!
Back in the day I used to paint professionally and race at my local hobby shop that I also worked with. My problem was always paint adhesion. I wasnt bashing but I found the paint would flake and separate from the surface. I used water based Parma fascolor and Auto Air paints exclusively, backed with parma fascote sealer. Basically it was like spraying diluted white glue. It would protect the paint from nitro fuel and cleaners really well, and would add some regidity as well.
Now back into painting a bit, i have found that the laquer based paints such as Pactra, Tamiya and Duratrax make adhere much better and the white can be used as a great backer to water based if applied in light coats. I have thought about reinforcing the bodies further, this will prove very useful! Thanks for the detailed write up!
07-23-2018, 05:33 AM
#10
Tech Rookie
Body Protection for the Basher YUP!!
This has to be the best I have seen so far!! I have a MT410 and I am a newbie and yes I am already on my 2nd body. I did notice that after I strengthened up my body, I kept on wrecking the Pins for holding it on ... I guess its better than losing the body!!
07-23-2018, 09:52 PM
#11
Well thank you! I enjoyed doing the experiment. Can you believe it's already been 3-years since I wrote that? I was working away from home for months at a time, so I had a lot of spare time in my hotel room each evening. Can you believe that I actually did the painting after laying all the parts out across a hotel bed? I covered and masked the bed thoroughly, so no paint evidence was left behind. I was, however, a bit worried about the strong chemical smell of paint. Fortunately, nobody said anything!
07-24-2018, 08:41 AM
#12
Epic post! I use fiberglass drywall tape first then coat with E6000 which works extremely well for me so far. Now that I've read this, I may have to give the undercoating a try!
10-09-2018, 04:21 AM
#13
Tech Rookie
Thanks for this thread, its by far the best comparison of reinforcement methods that I've found. I used this thread for inspiration and took some things a step further such as even stronger metal at the mounting points, putting the metal at the front and rear mounting points, using external reinforcements to protect the lexan, and using modified pro-line mounts to ensure the body never comes off. I also used plasti-dip instead of 3M rubberized undercoating but only because its 1/3 of the price and available locally, it has held up exceptionally well but I don't know how it compares to the 3M stuff since I've never tried it. Check out my tutorial at the URL below (it won't let me post URLs since I have not posted enough, someone please reply posting the URL below as a link):
arrmaforum.com/threads/sevins-outcast-jeep-indestructible-body-tutorial.8138/
arrmaforum.com/threads/sevins-outcast-jeep-indestructible-body-tutorial.8138/
10-09-2018, 08:30 PM
#14
Thanks for this thread, its by far the best comparison of reinforcement methods that I've found. I used this thread for inspiration and took some things a step further such as even stronger metal at the mounting points, putting the metal at the front and rear mounting points, using external reinforcements to protect the lexan, and using modified pro-line mounts to ensure the body never comes off. I also used plasti-dip instead of 3M rubberized undercoating but only because its 1/3 of the price and available locally, it has held up exceptionally well but I don't know how it compares to the 3M stuff since I've never tried it. Check out my tutorial at the URL below (it won't let me post URLs since I have not posted enough, someone please reply posting the URL below as a link):
arrmaforum.com/threads/sevins-outcast-jeep-indestructible-body-tutorial.8138/
arrmaforum.com/threads/sevins-outcast-jeep-indestructible-body-tutorial.8138/
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
