What do you folks use for landing gear door tape? I need something that holds up to heat & hinge flexing and doesn't require me to buy 50 yards at a silly price when I only need 30".
ROY

I haven't had to buy it in a long time, but sail repair tape fills the bill. It looks like Amazon sells it in economic quantities.

On Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at 3:16:57 PM UTC-4, Roy B. wrote:
> What do you folks use for landing gear door tape? I need something that holds up to heat & hinge flexing and doesn't require me to buy 50 yards at a silly price when I only need 30".
> ROY
I sometimes use cloth athletic tape. Pharmacies usually have sever size rolls.

On Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at 3:16:57 PM UTC-4, Roy B. wrote:
> What do you folks use for landing gear door tape? I need something that holds up to heat & hinge flexing and doesn't require me to buy 50 yards at a silly price when I only need 30".
> ROY
The cloth tape works very well. OBTP

On Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at 6:01:13 PM UTC-4, youngbl...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at 3:16:57 PM UTC-4, Roy B. wrote:
> > What do you folks use for landing gear door tape? I need something that holds up to heat & hinge flexing and doesn't require me to buy 50 yards at a silly price when I only need 30".
> > ROY
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gaffer tape is like duct tape without the shine, and it has
adhesive that pulls up with the tape without leaving a
sticky mess behind. It is called Gaffer tape because
the entertainment industry Gaffers (people that set up
the stage equipment) use it to tape down wires on stages
so that performers won't trip on them. After the shows,
they just pull it up without having left a sticky mess behind
on that nice hardwood floored stage. You can find it at
music stores or with a quick online search.

Mike Opitz
RO

On Thursday, 7 September 2023 at 01:43:17 UTC+1, mrop...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at 6:01:13 PM UTC-4, youngbl...@gmail.com wrote:
> > On Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at 3:16:57 PM UTC-4, Roy B. wrote:
> > > What do you folks use for landing gear door tape? I need something that holds up to heat & hinge flexing and doesn't require me to buy 50 yards at a silly price when I only need 30".
> > > ROY
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Gaffer tape is like duct tape without the shine, and it has
> adhesive that pulls up with the tape without leaving a
> sticky mess behind. It is called Gaffer tape because
> the entertainment industry Gaffers (people that set up
> the stage equipment) use it to tape down wires on stages
> so that performers won't trip on them. After the shows,
> they just pull it up without having left a sticky mess behind
> on that nice hardwood floored stage. You can find it at
> music stores or with a quick online search.
>
> Mike Opitz
> RO

I have always used Tesa cloth tape for gear doors and it is also used for older glider control hinges. I don't know about US sellers.

https://www.navboys.com/CLOTHTAPE.html

Wings and Wheels has it.

Ask around your local club to see if anybody can spare a few feet, or pool with other owners to buy a roll.

Why do we tape gear door hinges? The front, rear and center are all unsealed. The cloth tape we use on the hinge side is rough and isn't keeping anything laminar or attached.
For what it's worth I use the Tesa tape mentioned above... bought a giant roll and offered to share with club mates.
Doug
W24

On Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 12:13:40 PM UTC-5, George Haeh wrote:
> Wings and Wheels has it.
>
> Ask around your local club to see if anybody can spare a few feet, or pool with other owners to buy a roll.

On Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 2:00:45 PM UTC-4, Dgtarmichael wrote:
> Why do we tape gear door hinges? The front, rear and center are all unsealed. The cloth tape we use on the hinge side is rough and isn't keeping anything laminar or attached.
> For what it's worth I use the Tesa tape mentioned above... bought a giant roll and offered to share with club mates.
> Doug
> W24
> On Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 12:13:40 PM UTC-5, George Haeh wrote:
> > Wings and Wheels has it.
> >
> > Ask around your local club to see if anybody can spare a few feet, or pool with other owners to buy a roll.

Air coming out of anywhere makes drag. It is like a spoiler. My doors have fabric tape on hinge lines and mylar on front and rear edges. Seal on center line is tricky and does not hold up very well so I don't do it anymore. Overlapped doors did not turn out to be worth the trouble.
UH

I understand... so if the front, rear, and center are all unsealed what is the point of putting tape along the sides? I declare shenanigans!

Doug
W24

On Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 6:26:32 PM UTC-5, Hank Nixon wrote:
> On Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 2:00:45 PM UTC-4, Dgtarmichael wrote:
> > Why do we tape gear door hinges? The front, rear and center are all unsealed. The cloth tape we use on the hinge side is rough and isn't keeping anything laminar or attached.
> > For what it's worth I use the Tesa tape mentioned above... bought a giant roll and offered to share with club mates.
> > Doug
> > W24
> > On Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 12:13:40 PM UTC-5, George Haeh wrote:
> > > Wings and Wheels has it.
> > >
> > > Ask around your local club to see if anybody can spare a few feet, or pool with other owners to buy a roll.
> Air coming out of anywhere makes drag. It is like a spoiler. My doors have fabric tape on hinge lines and mylar on front and rear edges. Seal on center line is tricky and does not hold up very well so I don't do it anymore. Overlapped doors did not turn out to be worth the trouble.
> UH

> I understand... so if the front, rear, and center are all unsealed what is the point of putting tape along the sides? I declare shenanigans!

Maybe it keeps the tall grass from getting stuck in the side seam ahead of the hinge . . . But I do it because the factory did it.
ROY

On Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 10:04:36 PM UTC-4, Dgtarmichael wrote:
> I understand... so if the front, rear, and center are all unsealed what is the point of putting tape along the sides? I declare shenanigans!
>
> Doug
> W24
> On Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 6:26:32 PM UTC-5, Hank Nixon wrote:
> > On Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 2:00:45 PM UTC-4, Dgtarmichael wrote:
> > > Why do we tape gear door hinges? The front, rear and center are all unsealed. The cloth tape we use on the hinge side is rough and isn't keeping anything laminar or attached.
> > > For what it's worth I use the Tesa tape mentioned above... bought a giant roll and offered to share with club mates.
> > > Doug
> > > W24
> > > On Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 12:13:40 PM UTC-5, George Haeh wrote:
> > > > Wings and Wheels has it.
> > > >
> > > > Ask around your local club to see if anybody can spare a few feet, or pool with other owners to buy a roll.
> > Air coming out of anywhere makes drag. It is like a spoiler. My doors have fabric tape on hinge lines and mylar on front and rear edges. Seal on center line is tricky and does not hold up very well so I don't do it anymore. Overlapped doors did not turn out to be worth the trouble.
> > UH

Side is the biggest leak.
UH

> Side is the biggest leak.
> UH

How did you determine this?

On Friday, September 8, 2023 at 9:01:35 AM UTC-4, Mark628CA wrote:
> > Side is the biggest leak.
> > UH
> How did you determine this?

Observe flow with tufts.
UH

> Observe flow with tufts.
> UH

Did you use a camera?

On Friday, September 8, 2023 at 10:50:00 AM UTC-4, Mark628CA wrote:
> > Observe flow with tufts.
> > UH
> Did you use a camera?

Yes- on ASW-24. Photos long gone. This was 20 years ago when I was much more anal about performance.
UH

I switched to gaffer's tape when my daughter was involved in Broadway productions because I kept seeing it used everywhere to tape down electrical cords and equipment firmly with no loose edges and without leaving residue or damaging the surface.

Good stuff. Lasts a long time. Not of general interest, but good for putting contest #s in the back of your tow vehicle window and patching bullet holes in trailers. Not the cheapest but works way better than duct tape, plastic tape, etc. Fair warning, it will eventually give up and the adhesive turn to dust. But it's a lot easier to remove/replace than most.

I've seen cheaper (and more expensive) but here's what I bought 4 years ago.. Still have a lot left. Seems to last a year or two when exposed to sun/wx.. And I haven't had any new bullet holes recently. :)

In checking, I see a few recent complaints that the formulation changed and the newer stuff can leave a residue. Brand names mentioned adoringly as alternatives are Pro Gaff and AllStar. Black tape much easier to find but white and some other colors are available online.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K1N8FHZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Chip Bearden
"JB"

Seems like a better plan (regarding this thread, not any one response) would be to more effectively seal the gear well against air entering from the fuselage...

On Friday, September 8, 2023 at 2:01:32 PM UTC-4, Mark Zivley wrote:
> Seems like a better plan (regarding this thread, not any one response) would be to more effectively seal the gear well against air entering from the fuselage...
Tough to do with tight spaces and linkage movements on most ships. You would need to find suitable bellows for sealing.
Tape on the hinge side and thin foam of font and rear of the doors do a lot as well as getting doors flush with the belly.

On Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 12:29:28 AM UTC-4, Charlie M. (UH, Pi & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
> On Friday, September 8, 2023 at 2:01:32 PM UTC-4, Mark Zivley wrote:
> > Seems like a better plan (regarding this thread, not any one response) would be to more effectively seal the gear well against air entering from the fuselage...
> Tough to do with tight spaces and linkage movements on most ships. You would need to find suitable bellows for sealing.
> Tape on the hinge side and thin foam of font and rear of the doors do a lot as well as getting doors flush with the belly.

Most modern ship have Fairly well sealed gear boxes., Older ships, not so much.
For performance canopies, spoilers, and controls are where the biggest opportunities lie. If the air goes out the right place, it is less likely to come out the wrong place. That said, sealing the gear doors can't hurt.
UH