Rust on Gear Leg
 

Hi All,
Hoping to get some good advice for solving my latest issue. My installed main gear legs have developed "rust freckles". Both have been installed for about 4 years (really slow build) and both have the original powder coating as received from Vans. I suspect with some of the wild temp and humidity swings has caused condensation to settle on the gear thereby making the rust freckles. So, given they are installed, can I sand down the powder coating, clean, prime and paint. Or should I consider removing them and having them stripped and re-powder coated?

A little oil and steel wool should take care of it. Then degrease it and prime/paint it.

Let the paint dry, then coat it with ACF 50.

I'm not a mechanic but that's what I would do.

A quick sand (no need to go to bare metal) followed by an ospho soaking (phosphoric acid - converts the the rust to an inert iron compound) then paint

Where the gear fairings installed?
Powder coating is usually pretty tough and it surprises me to see this.
Must be a bad environment or something not right with the powder coating.

The powder coat on my main gear legs was pretty much junk. I was able to wipe it right off with some acetone on a rag. The nose gear leg did not have the same issue, acetone won't hurt it at all. Maybe a bad batch, or the supplier switched to something else.

I decided to repaint the gear legs. I stripped the factory power coat (using just a rag and acetone), epoxy primed and top coated with the same urethane I used on the exterior.

I would consider the existing coating to be suspect, so I'd pull 'em, strip 'em, work the surface, and repaint.

They are highly stressed springs, and as such, should not be allowed to develop rust pitting. Given they get buried inside fairings and not inspected very much, they need to be sealed.

One of my legs had this
 

Dry storage. Not yet installed. I sanded it down to metal with 400 grit and hit it with rattle can primer and epoxy appliance enamel. Note the "rash" on the upper outer portion of the leg, through the powder coat. I have a better pic I'm hunting for...

Same thing was noted on my flying 6A after a few years when the glass-wrapped wooden stiffeners were removed. Same treatment - sanded out, repainted, stiffeners NOT reinstalled...

Dan - I would consider calling Vans with your serial number and date you received the gear. They should be able to track the batch, assuming their vendor produces them as such.
There may be more gear legs out there with compromised powder coating, flying and yet to be discovered, or still sitting in kits.

As mentioned, these get buried under fairings with minimal inspection. Removal of the gear leg fairings and inspection of the part of the leg hidden is on my 500 hour inspection interval. If folks wait that long, they could be corroded beyond repair. Mine passed inspection and remain as a 500 hour item. I am hangared. If I wasn?t, that interval would be shortened.

[quote=Bill Boyd;1317450]Same thing was noted on my flying 6A after a few years when the glass-wrapped wooden stiffeners were removed. Same treatment - sanded out, repainted, stiffeners NOT reinstalled...

[quote]

any regrets not reinstalling the stiffeners? I am hearing that they are not really required if your wheels are well balanced.

Since I operate 99% from turf, no. Don't notice their absence.