Thought it might be a crack in the landing gear strut

[Saville]

So I was cleaning out the screen on the left fuel tank ram air vent when I noticed what looked like a crack on the landing gear strut (see red ellipse):



But I thought it just might be a crack in whatever was coating the strut, so I scraped it away. It looks like it was just the coating:



Ok so now I want to replace whatever coating was on there. The top coat was fuselage paint for sure, but it was pretty thick. So my questions are:

1) What was there - what was the strut coated with?

2) What should I apply to replace it?

Thanks!

[Carlos151]

I sprayed the top and bottom of my Grove gear with Randolph (now Stits) epoxy primer. Stuff is bulletproof once it dries. Easy to apply, non toxic. $86 for the quart kit at Spruce. You can get it in white or green. Here's a picture of mine.

[Saville]

Originally Posted by Carlos151

I sprayed the top and bottom of my Grove gear with Randolph (now Stits) epoxy primer. Stuff is bulletproof once it dries. Easy to apply, non toxic. $86 for the quart kit at Spruce. You can get it in white or green. Here's a picture of mine.

Thanks.

I'm wondering if there's a simpler and just-as-effective solution to cover over a square inch of landing gear strut, than buying an $86 quart of epoxy. primer.

Perhaps there isn't, in which case the epoxy primer will be the way I go.

[BillL]

Many primers available at the auto body shops that work well on steel. 2024 aluminum is very particular.

To ensure there is no crack ( and you are probably right) a dye penetrant would be best to know, or a magna flux ( but that would require disassembly).

[Saville]

Originally Posted by BillL

Many primers available at the auto body shops that work well on steel. 2024 aluminum is very particular.

To ensure there is no crack ( and you are probably right) a dye penetrant would be best to know, or a magna flux ( but that would require disassembly).

Good ideas Bill. Thanks!

[Richard@Langair]

Is that a grove gear or the stock steel gear? The pic looks like a stock steel gear.

If that was truly a crack, it would likely have broke by now as that is in the worse possible place for a crack to start.

The steel legs are powder coated, the aluminum legs are 7075 alloy and are typically just painted or polished as most powder coating has to be applied with a high enough temperature to ruin the tempering of the aluminum.

Any paint that will stick to the legs will be enough to protect them from the elements really. I would probably just go to the local automotive store and get a can of touch up epoxy paint to cover it if it was mine. It is not cosmetic at that point, just a protective coating.

The steel will readily rust, so some sort of protective coating is a good idea.

If it is the stock steel gear, and you want to get it magnaflux checked, you can send it back to us a Langaire and we can take a look at it if you like. If you want to go that route, you can contact me via PM to work out the details.

Thanks,
Richard

[az_gila]

Originally Posted by Carlos151

I sprayed the top and bottom of my Grove gear with Randolph (now Stits) epoxy primer. Stuff is bulletproof once it dries. Easy to apply, non toxic. $86 for the quart kit at Spruce. You can get it in white or green. Here's a picture of mine.

It may be good stuff, but I wouldn't describe it as "non-toxic"

http://site.skygeek.com/MSDS/randolp...-1-2qt-kit.pdf

Take the usual precautions.

[Carlos151]

My bad Gil. I should have said "not as" toxic as some other choices. As always, anytime you deal with ANY chemicals, you should wear all the proper protective gear: breathing, eye and skin protection.

[Saville]

Originally Posted by Richard@Langair

Is that a grove gear or the stock steel gear? The pic looks like a stock steel gear.

If that was truly a crack, it would likely have broke by now as that is in the worse possible place for a crack to start.

Thanks,
Richard

Stock Steel

[Neal@F14]

Originally Posted by Richard@Langair

Any paint that will stick to the legs will be enough to protect them from the elements really. I would probably just go to the local automotive store and get a can of touch up epoxy paint to cover it if it was mine. It is not cosmetic at that point, just a protective coating.

The steel will readily rust, so some sort of protective coating is a good idea.

Seriously, this. That spot is hidden behind a fairing that gets removed at least annually for insection anyway. Just get a $4 can of Rustoleum.