Primer Dilemma

[Magnumaviation]

OK, So I just ordered a 14 emp kit. Excited to start and join the rv club. My first problem....to prime or not to prime, that is the question?? If the answer is yes, what are the best options as far as products. Also, the "best" (considering clean up, application, ect...) systems for applying. Was thinking of trying to get primer into spray cans for easy use and cleanup. Any thoughts.... Thanks Alot

[JokerF22]

Congrats on getting started. You’re going to have a lot of fun. Take the time to look over the Primer section’s history in the forums; every conceivable question has been asked and answered there. It’s a really personal and contentious topic, so I’ll just sit here with my popcorn and watch the show. Good luck.

[MS19087]

I had excellent results with this product. Easy to mix and easy to spray even with a cheap Earlex HVLP spray system. I used PPE, exhausted ventilation and it had almost no smell. I mixed gray with white to get the color I wanted. Only down size is that the pot life (after activation) is short compared to other products - however it was plenty long for each spraying session. It just means you cant spray the same batch the next day. Another advantage for me is that these guys are 30 minutes away, so i can get materials as needed and no shipping.

Paint link:

https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-gr...er-gallon.html

Sprayer link:

https://www.earlex.com/products/earlex-hv5500/

Just what I did - YMMV

[BOHICA]

I just order my emp as well. I am planning to prime as I am planning to fly to some beaches near me (KARS). Don't want to risk the salt corrosion.

[N520TX]

Originally Posted by Magnumaviation

Also, the "best" (considering clean up, application, ect...) systems for applying.

I just finished painting my RV10 using the 3M PPS system - https://www.amazon.com/3M-Spray-Syst...s%2C204&sr=8-3

Super easy to mix the paint, and clean-up is a breeze. Just toss the empty liner !

[wirejock]

I sprayed P60G2 and would probably do it again. Light and easy to apply.
Outside I've been using Kirker products. They are also sold under Eastwood and Summit. Same paints. EnduroPrime is a 2K Epoxy. UltraGlo is a Urethane Single Stage.
EnduroPrime is a really nice primer. If I do another, I'll shoot it as a single coat interior paint on parts that show. Comes in white, gray and black.
Whatever you decide, invest in PPE. Hobby Air for spray work and a 3M Mask with #60926 filters for static mixing and cleaning.

[1001001]

This is obviously a complicated subject, considering the significant amount of discussion here about it. Definitely read up.

Quickly: I chose to prime, as my RV-10 will spend a lot of time visiting the beach.

1. Priming will add time, expense, complexity, required tooling, and space to your project. Until you get comfortable and quick with your paint rig, you will add quite a bit of time and eat up days to prep and prime parts. If you don't have a dedicated paint booth or space, you will spend a lot of time setting up and tearing down. I made the choice that it's worth it for me, but consider what you think you'll really need.

2. You will find yourself jumping around in the plans a bit in order to get enough parts to make a painting session worthwhile, while not gathering so many that you have to make multiple batches of paint. The surface prep that needs to be done to get a good paint-metal bond takes a lot of time right before the paint session, so consider that in your planning as well.

3. I am using the Sherwin Williams strontium chromate primer (CM0724400) in the bright yellow color. I chose it for its corrosion protection properties, and the color is bright enough that it should make inspections easier. The downside is that it is pretty toxic and needs to be handled with respect. That means I use a half face respirator with P100 filters and VOC cartridges under a supplied air hood (Breathecool II) when painting. I use the half face/VOC cartridges alone when mixing the paint and handling cleanup. My paint booth is well ventilated to the outside and I still get enough VOC in the other parts of the building that I generally paint as the last item of the day so I can leave it all to air out overnight.

4. For priming I am using a decent HVLP gun from Harbor Freight (the mid-to-upper grade one they sell) and it works well enough for internal part priming. I use the DeVilbiss DeKups system and it really helps with prep and cleanup of the gun. The disposable cups and filters make it really easy to mix paint and clean the gun up. For spot work I use the little Preval sprayers. I have a laboratory magnetic stir bar hot plate that I use for mixing the paint (heat turned off)--the stir bar gets filtered out in the DeKups system and I just retrieve it at the end of the paint cup.

5. Use a coalescing filter on the air supply, and dedicate separate hoses for painting only (you don't want oil or water in them). I also have an auto-blowdown on my compressor to keep the moisture down, and the coalescing filter removes water droplets as well as oil. I use dessicator filters available cheap from Harbor Freight as a final drying step right at the regulator before the hose to my gun. One has lasted me quite a while (all of my painting sessions so far--nearly 2 gallons of primer/adduct mix) and still has no color change in the indicating beads.

6. If you are painting at home and don't have a detached garage or shop, think carefully about how you are going to keep the fumes and paint dust out of the rest of the house.


Just some thoughts. There are very good reasons to prime, but be aware it will probably add a lot of complexity to your building process.

[stigaro]

I started my -14A empennage a couple months ago and faced the same question initially. I decided to go ahead with priming and went with the Stuart Systems EkoPrime. It's easy to apply, quick to dry and easy to clean up, which means it's not a big deal to paint just a few parts as you go. Considerably easier than 2k epoxies.

You do need to carefully prep parts before painting and that does add considerable time. Only thing I'd do differently is to go with a darker color. I went Smoke Grey and while it looks very good when done, it is difficult to tell when you have adequate coverage as it blends in easily with the aluminum.

[Magnumaviation]

Originally Posted by 1001001

This is obviously a complicated subject, considering the significant amount of discussion here about it. Definitely read up.

Quickly: I chose to prime, as my RV-10 will spend a lot of time visiting the beach.

1. Priming will add time, expense, complexity, required tooling, and space to your project. Until you get comfortable and quick with your paint rig, you will add quite a bit of time and eat up days to prep and prime parts. If you don't have a dedicated paint booth or space, you will spend a lot of time setting up and tearing down. I made the choice that it's worth it for me, but consider what you think you'll really need.

2. You will find yourself jumping around in the plans a bit in order to get enough parts to make a painting session worthwhile, while not gathering so many that you have to make multiple batches of paint. The surface prep that needs to be done to get a good paint-metal bond takes a lot of time right before the paint session, so consider that in your planning as well.

3. I am using the Sherwin Williams strontium chromate primer (CM0724400) in the bright yellow color. I chose it for its corrosion protection properties, and the color is bright enough that it should make inspections easier. The downside is that it is pretty toxic and needs to be handled with respect. That means I use a half face respirator with P100 filters and VOC cartridges under a supplied air hood (Breathecool II) when painting. I use the half face/VOC cartridges alone when mixing the paint and handling cleanup. My paint booth is well ventilated to the outside and I still get enough VOC in the other parts of the building that I generally paint as the last item of the day so I can leave it all to air out overnight.

4. For priming I am using a decent HVLP gun from Harbor Freight (the mid-to-upper grade one they sell) and it works well enough for internal part priming. I use the DeVilbiss DeKups system and it really helps with prep and cleanup of the gun. The disposable cups and filters make it really easy to mix paint and clean the gun up. For spot work I use the little Preval sprayers. I have a laboratory magnetic stir bar hot plate that I use for mixing the paint (heat turned off)--the stir bar gets filtered out in the DeKups system and I just retrieve it at the end of the paint cup.

5. Use a coalescing filter on the air supply, and dedicate separate hoses for painting only (you don't want oil or water in them). I also have an auto-blowdown on my compressor to keep the moisture down, and the coalescing filter removes water droplets as well as oil. I use dessicator filters available cheap from Harbor Freight as a final drying step right at the regulator before the hose to my gun. One has lasted me quite a while (all of my painting sessions so far--nearly 2 gallons of primer/adduct mix) and still has no color change in the indicating beads.

6. If you are painting at home and don't have a detached garage or shop, think carefully about how you are going to keep the fumes and paint dust out of the rest of the house.


Just some thoughts. There are very good reasons to prime, but be aware it will probably add a lot of complexity to your building process.

Thanks for the great info and response. Trust me, those thoughts have been bouncing around in my head!

[iamtheari]

My advice about priming is this: Make the decision for yourself. Don’t let anyone else talk you into priming. It adds a lot of tedious work to the build. If you prime, there will be times when you curse whoever talked you into it. You will end up happy at the end, but you could lose some friends along the way.

For what it’s worth, I chose to prime with Stewart Systems EkoPrime and I am very happy with the results. Even if I sometimes say bad things about the friend who talked me into priming.