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AKZO Prep
For those of you using AKZO:
I'm keeping away from alodine with my build and am considering using AKZO. For AKZO, do I have to acid etch, or can I just scuff parts with scotchbright, clean, and spray the AKZO? If I do have to acid etch, what are the options? Can I use something like Stewart EkoEtch, or must I stick with Alumiprep? Any other good options? Thanks! |
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I can't answer how the other products may or may not work. |
I started out doing the whole prep. Alumiprep etch and scuff, then alodine, then primer. After a while I skipped the alodine step and I didn't see any difference in the finished product.
I would definitely etch with something to make the primer stick better. My process at the end of the build was clean the surfaces with acetone (takes off the markings on the aluminum and any grease/skin oils), maroon scotchbrite scuff with 50/50 alumiprep/water solution, rinse, dry, then one more acetone wipe down before shooting on the Akzo epoxy primer. |
I used Akzo for everything. You do need to etch the surface, but it doesn't have to be a chemical etch.
I just used maroon scotchbrite pads for a mechanical etch. Then a wipe down with acetone to make sure all dirt and oil is removed, then spray on the Akzo. No alumiprep or alodine. No problem with adhesion. I can scrub this stuff with acetone and a rag after it's cured, and it holds just fine. |
Same experience as Ed. I used Prekote for all the internal parts, but for the skins, I too just scrubbed w/ scotchbrite and cleaned w/ acetone. I see no difference in adhesion - tough as nails once cured.
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I do the etching with the maroon scotchbrite to roughen up the surface. Its a very simple process and I'm not sure why you wouldn't do it that way. The etch is just helping you with the roughening process. The acid is doing the work versus you sanding.
I mix up the acid is a HD spray bottle and sprary it on. I use the scotchbrite and rub the surface simple. I usually work on a few parts at once letting them sit for a little while as I'm doing another part. Then you just rinse off the parts with water. I'm doing alodining too, but as others have said it may not be strictly needed. I submerge the parts in the alodining solution for 90 seconds. Rinse and you are done. Again I think this is very quick and easy once you get a couple of small tanks setup, one for alodine and one for rinse water. |
Ditto
Ditto what Ed and Jon said. Depending on the part I may or may not use alodine. I too have moved away from chemical etch in favor of the maroon scotch brite pads. I clean everything with Prepsol (use your degreaser/cleaner of choice) after scuffing and shoot the AKZO. Like Jon said, it's tough as nails and I have yet to have any of it scratch off even after some rough handling (like on my roll bar where there is a lot of contact from adjacent parts). I have also had good luck shooting my interior color coat over the finished product, but that's a different topic.
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Plus 1 more for.....
Scotch Brite pad and acetone - no alodine or chemical etch. I also clean with Dawn dish soap (orginal formula) in between the pad and the acetone. Primed my entire rear wing spars with it and it turned out fine. A little elbow grease and temporarily sore muscles and hands is much better than chemical prep IMHO. :D
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I learned a neat trick this weekend. Instead of manually using scotchbrite pads, I met someone using an angle die grinder with 3M roloc wheels. He suggested using the very fine blue discs instead of the maroon, as the high speed may be too aggressive with the maroon.
So those discs, acetone, and AKZO spray seems like a much better/quicker process for protection rather than some of the other things I've seen. |
Prep
The maroon pads stick perfect on my random orbital. It's actually not aggressive. They work great and fast.
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