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Temporary Corrosion Prevention

AirplaneDriver

Registered User
I just bought a PA18A fuselage that has been blasted in the last few weeks. I need to do some repairs to it so I will be grinding and welding it, but I won't get to it for at least a few months. Can anyone recommend a good way to prevent rust until I get to it?

It's hanging from my hangar ceiling, but I live in the PNW, and I can already see some surface rust. I've thought about just priming it and then cleaning off the areas I need to weld later. Should I just stop fussing and deal with the surface rust when I get around to painting it?
 
Cover it with tarp, shoot or mist it with acf50, let whole thing soak, take tarp off. Excess will drip off. Wash fuselage with diesel or gas to get rid of acf50 down the road. Before primer it must still be cleaned with final klean or equivalent.
 
I wouldn’t acf-50 anything I wanted to paint any time soon- I’d say it would be way less labor to lightly re-blast prior to coating than the clean-up acf-50 would require…
 
I shoot clear lacquer on tubes that I have welded as I move through the process. it will clean off easy enough before tou prime and paint. As i built my fuselage I used Deft on every cluster and tube that had been sanded. By time I sandblasted the mill off the tubes, there wasn't any rust on any tubes I had sanded prior to welding. I use Deft clear wood finish. There isn't any issue if there is any remaining on tubes when I prime using Stewart Systems; solvent based primers might be different.
Marty57
 
That's a really good idea.

I have always heard that it is best to prime and paint immediately after blasting. Even a thin film of corrosion will have to come off before you prime. And you really do not want multiple trips through the blast booth.
 
PickleX. I’ve used it a bunch. Supposed to keep it rust free for 10 years indoors. You can paint over it and weld.
 
Does the Stits epoxy primer work well with it?

I haven’t tried that. Instructions say you can paint over it. I’ve powder coated over it and sprayed Stewart’s over it and haven’t had any issues. You can’t tell it’s even on the metal. Put it on, wait a few minutes and wipe it off.
 
It's hanging from my hangar ceiling, but I live in the PNW, and I can already see some surface rust. I've thought about just priming it and then cleaning off the areas I need to weld later. Should I just stop fussing and deal with the surface rust when I get around to painting it?

That's what I'd do - unless it's going to be a long time before you get to it. If you do surface prep now to clean off the rust and prime - you'll still have to do surface prep again later when it comes time to paint. Maybe not as much for sure, but even primed surfaces require prep if they've been sitting. Don't waste your time - do it once when it matters.
 
Hello any one has use wash primer for painting the fuselage and then a top coat of polyurethane??
I have access to get PPG wash ptimer.

Thanks!!
 
PPG wash primer is a good product, it's an etching primer made for steel. Maybe not as robust as epoxy but if top coated with poly it should work very well. I can't say I've used it on an fuselage but have on many other steel parts.
 
Hello any one has use wash primer for painting the fuselage and then a top coat of polyurethane??
I have access to get PPG wash ptimer.

Thanks!!
The specification and purpose are important, more so than the manufacturer IMO. For bare steel (tubular frames) as well as bare aluminum (stripped floats), I use Mil-C-8514C Metal Pretreatment Wash Primer followed by Akzo Nobel 10P4-2NF fluid resistant epoxy primer. Mil-C-8514C wash primer is intended as a very light (mist) coat to be followed by an epoxy primer (my process after conferring with tech support). I cannot speak to the PPG wash primer without the spec, I would suggest contacting their tech support. Note that Mil-C-8514C is a specification, several manufacturers make a product to that spec. My last buildup using these products was on a set of floats and an engine mount, the wash primer was manufactured by Henkel. It is important to ensure compatibility of chemistry between products. I stick with what works...having both researched the aforementioned with the manufacturers and employed the process on several sets of floats and tubular frames this is what I continue to use. Proper protective gear is a must when applying these products, full face mask with fresh air supply, suit, and gloves (as in no skin or eye exposure).

TR
 
When I started blasting i was counseled to paint at the end of every day. I would clean the tubes then use a high quality spray can primer. Once I got it all done I sprayed top coat automotive paint.

I marked the tubes that needed replacing and did not spray those just to save paint, but the rest of the plane got protected.

I don't mind having to scrape and repaint to weld, but again, weld then spray high quality primer.

Another thing the paint guys reminded me is that primer is porous allowing air/moisture to get through, which will allow corrosion to develop if you leave the primer without a top coat.

Get it painted, then take off what is needed to weld and touch it up would be my advice.
 
When I started blasting i was counseled to paint at the end of every day. I would clean the tubes then use a high quality spray can primer. Once I got it all done I sprayed top coat automotive paint.

Another thing the paint guys reminded me is that primer is porous allowing air/moisture to get through, which will allow corrosion to develop if you leave the primer without a top coat.
I would suggest finding different "paint guys" for advice and utilizing a different primer.

AkzoNobel 10P4-2NF is a NON-POROUS 2-part epoxy primer designed for the aerospace industry to SEAL and protect. It prevents air, moisture and chemical from reaching the substrate thus preventing corrosion. If an electrolyte cannot contact the substrate, no corrosion...pretty simple. And no, it does not require a topcoat. However, it does accept a wide variety of paint chemistry's nicely when a topcoat is desired or required, including good old fashioned Randolph Float Lacquer. It is always best to confer with the manufacturer to ensure the product chemistry matches your desired objective. Lastly, it is important to document in the logs what product/s you are using. At some point in the future another mechanic/operator will be dealing with these coatings.

TR
 
I would suggest finding different "paint guys" for advice and utilizing a different primer.
I wanted something that I could quickly paint my progress at the end of each day, and a spray can was the easiest. It was a 3M product that works well- but I was advised to cover with a 2 part epoxy anyway.

Yes, there are some incredible paints out there, but unless you are young and have lots of media, and someone loading for you, it takes a long time to blast a plane. Around here we get corrosion in a day.

We also are limited to 10+days freight, so in a pinch you get what is on the shelf!

As far as documentation, agreed; but I am currently moving stuff between garage, shop and hangar so not always where my information and documents are. Soon they will all be together with the plane!
 
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