What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Corrosion lControl

DonFromTX

Well Known Member
Corrosion Control

15xqv7n.jpg
[/IMG]I have had my wings stored far too long in my hangar. I brought them back home yesterday, and in cleaning the dirt off them discovered some corrosion starting in a few spots. This photo shows one of the worst areas, the portion to the right has had a light rub with scotchbrite. What should I do about it and what should I treat it with to stop it?
 
Last edited:
First get the corrosion off.
Then try.

Boeing uses a product called Boeshield T-9. It comes in a spray can and blocks out all moisture. I have used it a lot in saltwater and rainy environments and it works extremely well. I guess that's why Boeing uses it. A lot or aircraft owners use it.
It can be sprayed on any aluminum or steel metal parts to put a moisture barrier in place. It is a clear spray and dries to an almost dry feeling to the touch. I know some of the guys in the NW and SE US use it on their engines and prop flanges and gear legs. Many boats, Seadoos and The Dive industry also uses it.

I have used it for almost 15 years with great success.

Look under Amazon.com for Boeshield T9. Comes in a 4 and 12 oz. spray can.
 
Last edited:
Thanks, got a 12oz can on the way. I wonder how this will work out when it is time to paint the surface, remove it or paint over it?
 
It can be wiped off with something like laquer thinner or anything like you would use to prep the metal for painting.
 
Please educate me. I thought our planes were alclad so that there was pure aluminum over the alloy meant to oxidize and then stabilize unlike steel which continues to oxidize through and through. So I would expect the outer layer to oxidize. So are we saying that the alclad coating was somehow damaged and that the corrosion penetrated into the alloy? I am not trying to be argumentative and I am trying to better understand.

Jeff
 
Aclad materiel is more corrosion resistant than what un-clad 2024 would be, but it is not corrosion proof.

If parts without clad material were stored beside Don's other parts, they likely would have had much worse corrosion.

Corrosion is based on the amount of exposure (time) and how bad the conditions are.

It is entirely possible that if Don had been washing (removing the salts and other contaminants) the surfaces of the parts every couple months, they would still look like new.
 
OK Got it. Since I built my wings first and since I am the world's slowest builder, I was worried that my wings stored in the hangar would be trashed by the time I got around to painting the airplane :).
 
First get the corrosion off.
Then try.

Boeing uses a product called Boeshield T-9. It comes in a spray can and blocks out all moisture. I have used it a lot in saltwater and rainy environments and it works extremely well. I guess that's why Boeing uses it. A lot or aircraft owners use it.
It can be sprayed on any aluminum or steel metal parts to put a moisture barrier in place. It is a clear spray and dries to an almost dry feeling to the touch. I know some of the guys in the NW and SE US use it on their engines and prop flanges and gear legs. Many boats, Seadoos and The Dive industry also uses it.

I have used it for almost 15 years with great success.

Look under Amazon.com for Boeshield T9. Comes in a 4 and 12 oz. spray can.

I wonder if Boeshield T-9 could be used in lieu of priming inside surfaces with the other common primers?

Jim
 
I quite agree. Dirt from blowing dust had coated the surfaces, and then corrosive materials used the dirt to hang on. I had covered them to attempt to keep them clean, but that just trapped the dirt it seems. Had I suspected such things were going on, I would have washed them every couple of months and I feel it would have not happened. Even though T65 is quite a distance from the ocean, we stil do get some corrosion from the salt air.
Aclad materiel is more corrosion resistant than what un-clad 2024 would be, but it is not corrosion proof.

If parts without clad material were stored beside Don's other parts, they likely would have had much worse corrosion.

Corrosion is based on the amount of exposure (time) and how bad the conditions are.

It is entirely possible that if Don had been washing (removing the salts and other contaminants) the surfaces of the parts every couple months, they would still look like new.
 
Slowest?

OK Got it. Since I built my wings first and since I am the world's slowest builder, I was worried that my wings stored in the hangar would be trashed by the time I got around to painting the airplane :).

I dunno Gandalf...What is your kit number? Mine is 121.
 
OK Got it. Since I built my wings first and since I am the world's slowest builder, I was worried that my wings stored in the hangar would be trashed by the time I got around to painting the airplane :).

You've got a lot of years to go to qualify as the worlds slowest builder.
I know of a few early RV-4 kits still being worked on.
 
FWIW, I had the exact same kind of corrosion worms form on both leading edges of my wings while it was parked in a hangar, ready to fly, and I was gone for about 6 months, (Seattle area). I hit them lightly with scotch bright and sprayed them with Corrosion X at the time. This was nearly 6 years ago and they never gotten any worse during that time. It is finally in the paint shop now... The point being that they will probably not get any worse if you just give them a little treatment.

Randall in Sedona
 
Back
Top