Dec 17, 2020     Rudder Skin Priming       Category: Paint / Decals

12/17/2020 – 2.6 hours
After taking a day off due to cold wind and rain, I prepared my rig for priming. I masked off the structure or our tailgate canopy to make an outdoor paint booth. It was still too windy to spray effectively, but it worked out since it took awhile to get the masking tape and paper in place. Everything is set up for the nicer weather forecast for tomorrow!

12/18/2020 – 2.4 hours
Today was sunny and calm as forecast. A little cold for painting at 45 degrees, but I brought the paint in the house to warm it up and let the parts warm up in the sun. I started by running a maroon scotch brite wheel down each line of dimpled holes in the skins. I then taped off the area where the trailing edge wedge will be adhered to the skins with the VHB tape. There is a note in the plans to avoid priming that area in order to make a solid bond with the adhesive. I also masked off the edges on the outside of the skins to avoid overspray on the outside. From there, my process is to scrub/scuff (scruff} the parts with water, Bon Ami, and a grey scotch brite pad until water sheets off the parts; thoroughly rinse and dry the parts, and hang the parts in the sun to air dry and warm up. After a couple of hours in the sun, I primed the parts with a rattle-can self-etching primer. I ended up with a couple of heavy areas due to a nozzle on the paint can that stuck open, but otherwise I think the priming went OK. I definitely will not win any paint awards – at least not without a lot more practice!
[Grey Scotch Brite Pad, Bon Ami Cleanser, Dupli-Color Self-Etching Automotive Primer (Green – Rattle Can)]

  Dec 11, 2020     Rudder Part Priming       Category: Paint / Decals

12/11/2020 – 2.6 hours
It was a beautiful December day in Alabama – low 60s with a thin overcast and a very light breeze –a nice day to take things outside for priming. I started by scuffing all of the pieces I intended to prime. I used the technique of my local building guild, which involves scrubbing each part with a wet grey Scotch Brite pad and Bon Ami abrasive cleanser. The grey pad is not as abrasive as the maroon pads used for finish-deburring edges and corners, and the Bon Ami is a metal-free abrasive. The idea is to remove the Alodine layer until the water sheets off that part rather than beading. I wore surgical gloves while scrubbing the parts to prevent the transfer of oils from my skin, which would keep the primer from adhering properly the part. When the water / Bon Ami mix turns grey, the part is scuffed/scrubbed (scruffed) enough. Then a clear water rinse from the hose and a towel dry finishes the process. I like to set the parts in the sun for about an hour to ensure they are dry, and then I used a rattle-can self etching automotive primer to prime the parts.
[Grey Scotch Brite Pad, Bon Ami Cleanser, Dupli-Color Self-Etching Automotive Primer (Green – Rattle Can)]

  Nov 21, 2020     Vertical Stabilizer Part Priming - (2.1 hours)       Category: Paint / Decals

It was a beautiful November day with sunny skies, temperatures in the upper 60s / lower 70s, and no wind – perfect for taking parts outside for priming! I adopted my priming process from a fellow builder down the street. I started by scrubbing each part with Bon Ami and a gray scotch brite pad. This both scuffs the piece for better primer adhesion, and cleans contaminants from the part. I wore rubber gloves through this process to keep oils from my skin off the parts during the cleaning process. Following the scrubbing, I rinsed the parts with clear water and dried them with a microfiber cloth. If the water sheets off the part evenly with no droplets / water spots, it is done. I then let the parts air dry in the sun prior to priming.

Since this was a fairly small priming job (7 parts), I went with a Dupli-Color rattle-can self-etching primer from the auto-parts store. The primer is intended for bare metal including aluminum, and it received good reviews on-line including an aircraft builder. I plan to go with something like P60G2 for larger jobs later in the build.

I was happy with the results – especially for my first time doing anything like this. The parts were essentially dry to the touch within 10 – 15 minutes, so I could flip them and prime the other side. I let the parts cure overnight in the garage before working with them.