Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
On Day 4, we used a wonderfully difficult substance called PRC. PRC is a two-part epoxy used for sealing pressurized planes wherever there might be a leak. Once mixed, you have approximately 20-30 minutes of working time before it begins to set up and become too difficult to work with.
Once the antennas were mounted in the holes, they needed to be thoroughly sealed inside and out with PRC.
Since PRC sticks to anything it comes into contact with (except soapy water, but more on that in a second), the working area needs to be masked off before application.
Once all the prep work has been done, the PRC is mixed and the race against time begins. Since the masking tape is preventing the sealant from going places it's not supposed to, a fairly liberal application can be made. Once the material is laid down and in place, the masking tape is removed, and a solution of soapy water is used to make a smooth bead around the base of the antenna and other areas. Because PRC sticks to anything not covered in a generous coating of PRC, gloves are used when doing the initial application. However, when doing the final smothing, working without gloves is a little easier.
Following the outside sealing (which is mostly as a water sealant), the inside is sealed as well (which is mostly as an air sealant). Since the interior will cover the messyness of the sealant, no masking is necessary. However, since it has the consistency of cold molasses and can drip in stringy glops, a protection of paper or plastic is laid down over anything important inside (such as rugs and leather which PRC sticks to even better than aircraft aluminum).
You can see what the inside looks like here, during and after application:
After giving the mixture a couple hours to set up, the antenna connection is put back on and is ready to be covered back up with the interior pieces. We'll see that in Day 5...
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12