stretching wing seals

[azruss]

Pulled the wings to replace the glass and seal. the seals i have are in decent shape but have shrunk. the first one I soaked in solvent and it swelled and curled like no tomorrow. I put it in the frame and taped all the rubber to the glass. So far so good. The 2nd one, i washed thoroughly with lacquer thinner, caulked the channels with silicon, inserted the glass and clamped to the frame and then shimmed between the glass and the frame to force the rubber to the frame. I will lets this dry for days before i remove the shims.

[RRoller123]

Is it expected that the solvent expansion is permanent? Or semi-permanent anyway? This is a clever solution if it works, looking forward to seeing the results!

Pete

[azruss]

I have had o-rings i placed in solvent and they never returned to their old size. The mirafiori people expect that the solvent soaked rubber will not allow the silicone to stick to it, so the fix will not be permanent. That's why i tried lacquer thinner on the 2nd one. In both cases, the rubber spent the day under a sheet in the hot arizona sun, so they were nice and warm when i worked with them. Time will tell.