whichwaysup Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 So, when I got my boat, I noticed that I was taking on some water through my flush mounted shark eye docking lights. They are plastic, and had some cracks developing around the screw holes, and the gaskets were pretty worn out. Foolishly, I thought that 5200 would be the ticket, and it was . . . no more leaks. However, Thanks to Inshore Marine Specialties, I've put my hands on some SS replacement lights, so now I'm going to have to remove the plastic ones. I've heard stories about 5200 being impossible to remove, how bad is it going to be? Will a hair dryer make the job any easier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin-addict Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 it is not going to be a fun job at all. yes it is almost impossible to remove. just take your time so as not to damage the gel coat. 5200 is being used way too much where it should not be used. (not being directed to you, just in general) 4200 is the way to go at most or regular silicone. good luck. if everything is plastic, I would start by breaking as much of it away as possible and then use a dremel type grinder to get the rest off followed by sandpaper if needed. work very slow and a little at a time. may want to look up 5200 and see if it tells how to remove it. do not think a hair dryer is the answer. just looked up on the net on this subject. product called DEBOND made to remove 5200. may check into this or do a net search on the subject. there are many with this problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linesider 159 Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Razor blades is about the only thing I can think of. Obviously be careful around gelcoat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurricane Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 I have heard braid fishing line will cut it. Get two sticks and string some between, then put the braid in the space between light and hull and saw it. Don't know if it really works, but worth a try. Would use 20 to 50 lb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
16bayfisher Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 I've heard of a releasing agent that can be sprayed to help loosen the sealant. Not sure if that was just internet talk or not. I would call 3m and see what they suggest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 I have used the above methods. Braid does do a good job of cutting 5200 to get the item off and the Debond does soften it up some. I found that once you get the item off, spray it with Debond,let it sit, and then scrap the rest off. I would not want to do it all day but it is not that bad. Just a word of caution. DO NOT just try to pry the lights off. You may take some of you hull with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipTide Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 I have used the above methods. Braid does do a good job of cutting 5200 to get the item off and the Debond does soften it up some. I found that once you get the item off, spray it with Debond,let it sit, and then scrap the rest off. I would not want to do it all day but it is not that bad.Just a word of caution. DO NOT just try to pry the lights off. You may take some of you hull with them. x2, what he said. Use a hard plastic scraper style putty knife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted December 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Well, good news. Seems that the 5200 I bought a year and a half ago was poorly mixed, because when I got the screws out, the 5200 was a gooey mess. I'm not sure what consistency it should be after a year and a half, but I don't think it is supposed to be gooey. Lights came off, and aside from a lot of cleaning, the new lights got installed with minimal problems. I think I'll consider myself incredibly lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin-addict Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 good news, should have been rock hard. you are one lucky fella Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipTide Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 yes he is indeed. Count your blessings. The reason it was gooey is because you ended up with an "out of date" tube of adhesive. Same thing happened to me when I installed my OB after the rebuild but it was a tube of Life Seal. Called the manufacturer with the batch number and found out it was 3 years out of date. :confused: Had to drop the motor, clean everything and reseal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FINCHASER Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Well, good news. Seems that the 5200 I bought a year and a half ago was poorly mixed, because when I got the screws out, the 5200 was a gooey mess. I'm not sure what consistency it should be after a year and a half, but I don't think it is supposed to be gooey. Lights came off, and aside from a lot of cleaning, the new lights got installed with minimal problems.I think I'll consider myself incredibly lucky. you should buy a lotto ticket! I honestly cant fathom the propensity for people to use 5200 on stuff.... its highly overused now a days. 99.9% of the time the max adhesive / sealant you will need is 4200 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted December 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Thanks all, I do consider myself lucky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipTide Posted January 1, 2016 Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 Did you follow FC's advise and go buy a lotto ticket? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
16bayfisher Posted January 1, 2016 Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 Yep! 5200 and 4200 are the same thing, 4200 is removable 5200 is permanent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted January 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 You know the old thing about the lottery, right? Every time you play, you have a .0000000000% chance of winning $10000000, and a 99.99999999999999999999% of losing a dollar. I figure any slight chance I had to win that lotto was eaten up in my luck with the 5200, so I saved my dollar to go buy 4200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Troy Posted January 1, 2016 Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 There is a big difference between an adhesive and a sealant. As mentioned the 50lb braid used like a rope saw works well. You got lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Ditto the braided line saw ! I found that PB Blaster and some patience will help removal of what's left. Didn't seem to bother the finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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