rubber to wire

[macca81]

im making some mud guards for a buggy, with a wire mesh frame, and rubber sheet over the top.

what methods are there for joining the 2 together? i did think about epoxy or resin, but i dont want it to be brittle else it will just need constant repair when it gets knocked about. a glue of some sort would be preferable, but it needs to be abit flexible... any ideas?


cheers
Macca

[ozy1]

i think the best bet would be cable tie the rubber to the mesh, flexible, and would work well i think,

especially if im understandfing your description right

[macca81]

yep that thought had crossed our minds... just reaching out for other options. at this rate i think thats the road ill be heading down with it

[ozy1]

its about the only flexible option i can thinkabout, and if the cableties break in an acco you can always replace them.,

[bigcam]

sikaflex? sticks like shit to a blanket, is black and is flexable..

[macca81]

yeah sikaflex definatly does have that first property, but is it going to peel off?



just to clear things up, this is what the mesh looks like:


and its wanting to have a sheet of 3mm rubber over it like this:

[want33s]

Sikaflex 241 Marine caulking compound WILL NOT peel off.

If you don't like Sika, you could Vulcanise the rubber to the wire frame with Sulphur. It can be messy and fumes are definately toxic but it works well...... Holds engine mounts together.

[HotFourOk]

What a mad bug!! Takes the word Buggy to a new level, doesn't it Or else the gbox is the wrong way around

Those tyres look like paddles

Yeah, Sika or some types of silicone will give some bend if needed.. just try it and see i guess. Can always resort to cable ties if needed, wonderful things

[macca81]

those tires are paddles! if they keep turning she doesnt get bogged! and yes, its a bug in every way.

[ofr57]

i would sew it around the edge ... would look HEAPS neater than cable ties could use cord or rope

or
make the rubber alittle longer fold in under it an staple it

does tassy scout come up to banana bash or do you's have your own ?

[DamTriton]

Contact adhesive to a seperate sheet of thinner rubber underneath the wire mesh, sandwich style. Clark Rubber would have some edging you could stick around the perimeter to stop it delaminating. Metal rivets with washers in the spaces of the mesh near the perimeter would look cool in addition to the above...

[MART]

Don't shoot me , what about you straighten the mesh back flat , get a piece of rubber and fold it over so you have rubber on both sides , then glue it together and place it between two boards to keep it flat and thin , then refold it and you have a smooth rubber edge on the outside , also easier to clean , Cheers Paul.

[macca81]

does tassy scout come up to banana bash or do you's have your own ?

mudbash in victoria.

we cant go to banana bash as only qld crews can enter. if we wanted to do that we would need to get another crew in qld to register our buggy as theirs.(and then we would feel obliged to let them drive )

[macca81]

Don't shoot me , what about you straighten the mesh back flat , get a piece of rubber and fold it over so you have rubber on both sides , then glue it together and place it between two boards to keep it flat and thin , then refold it and you have a smooth rubber edge on the outside , also easier to clean , Cheers Paul.

its a nice idea, but with the shape ov the VW guards, it took forever to get the shape right as it was... mite give it a go in the bent form tho...

[bazzle]

Ive used Loctite superglue to glue steel to rubber VERY sucessfully.

Bazzle

[AdrianGQ]

loctite 401 is a contact adhesive that would do the job but it would be a pain to do
and if you do use it do not stick your fingers together cos they wont come appart

[its aford not a nissan]

heat the wire up red hot and melt it to the rubber

[macca81]

loctite 401 is a contact adhesive that would do the job but it would be a pain to do
and if you do use it do not stick your fingers together cos they wont come appart

yea iv used loctite 401 heaps! (my step father gets it free from work) and its a PITA to get off ya hands (but a whole heap of fun when ya lend it to someone who has never used it before!!!) i hadnt thought about using this, tho it could work, even if only for 'tack welding' it while i sikaflex or however i end up doing it...

[sloshy]

SIKAFLEX!

[Gwagensteve]

Cable ties.

I think adhesive won't take the abuse- the surface area of the mesh isn't sufficient.

Steve.

[80's_delirious]

Go the SIKAFLEX

do some testing with a couple of scraps of mesh and rubber.
Most glues wont work coz of the small surface area of the mesh. Sikaflex will ooze around the mesh, get your fingers into it and smoooth it to the rubber and around the mesh.

cleans off fingers well while its fresh with 'Poly Wipes' paint removal wipes

Wont look pretty underneath!

[want33s]

Go the SIKAFLEX
get your fingers into it and smoooth it to the rubber and around the mesh.

cleans off fingers well while its fresh with 'Poly Wipes' paint removal wipes

Better not to get it on your fingers as it can have unhealthy side effects in some people.
Surgical rubber gloves are recommended and only a few dollars for a box full.

[zagan]

At first I thought this might not be something so wide, but that mesh is about 15cm wide, be quite easy to bend or simply rip it off the side.

Wouldn't a sheet of 2mm steel bent to 30 deg on the front and back then fold the outer edge down be better for the longer term?

you could pot rivit that into the body panels, by folding the inner edge up.

[macca81]

At first I thought this might not be something so wide, but that mesh is about 15cm wide, be quite easy to bend or simply rip it off the side.

Wouldn't a sheet of 2mm steel bent to 30 deg on the front and back then fold the outer edge down be better for the longer term?

you could pot rivit that into the body panels, by folding the inner edge up.

put simply, no.


these guards bolt on in the standard bolt holes in the VW, and they are only on long enuf to compete in one even a year, just need to pass CAMS, the rest of the year its driven with no guards as they get in the way on the trails. also, 2mm steel will start doing damage to the body panels when it hits things, the mesh will have give(hence why i want a flexible adhesive solution). and it definatly wont be ripped of the side! we had 4 of us pulling on it rather hard just to check



so im thinking sikaflex, with maybe DAMKIA's idea with the pop rivets along the edge would be the way to go. (there will be another strip of rubber on the underside lust along the edges to keep it looking neat, about 25mm wide, so the look of the sika underneath isnt to much ov a worry. and as said before, its not a permanent thing, so its not crucial that it looks awsome.