What to Paint

[JEG]

Will be starting a 12 soon. Would like input on painting and priming. Why not just etch and chromate the ribs and formers as has been done on aircraft for years. Is there any real reason to paint other than looks? Seems to me paint would add weight. Comments appreciated and Happy New Year. John 337JG

[jarvis]

Uh-oh....here we go

[JEG]

Originally Posted by jarvis

Uh-oh....here we go

You come thru loud and clear Jarvis , did ya ever stop to think that maybe everyone doesn't have the knowledge you seem to. Have a good One

[RickWoodall]

Hey Jeg, I am sure Jarvis didnt mean anything by his post. Its a long running hot topic. You can use the search function and read all sorts on this. You will get 1 0000000000 opinions. People get all fired up that their way is the only way and if you dont do it their way, your plane will fall from the sky.

There are dozens of old threads here with hundreds of replies on this exact topic. That is all Jeg was alluding to.

Cheers, and happy 2010

[L.Adamson]

Originally Posted by JEG

You come thru loud and clear Jarvis , did ya ever stop to think that maybe everyone doesn't have the knowledge you seem to. Have a good One

But he did have a "smiley"...

Other than that, I say paint, unless you're willing to maintain the upkeep on polished surfaces, and I hear that's a fair amount of work. Personally, I'd rather have the tough flexible paint that I have, that cleans & stays glossy in just a few minutes.

Painting is quite a bit of work if doing it yourself, or fairly expensive if others do it. IMO -----------these planes are never finished if left un-painted or not highly polished. They also look like crud to everyone but the owner who visualizes some super paint scheme in their head, while all we see is oxidizing surfaces, and rough fiberglass work.

Either way, a good looking plane is going to take a lot of prep for paint, or a lot of maintenance to keep that shine. Weight isn't that big of deal in the overall scheme.

L.Adamson --- RV6A

[JEG]

Originally Posted by RickWoodall

Hey Jeg, I am sure Jarvis didnt mean anything by his post. Its a long running hot topic. You can use the search function and read all sorts on this. You will get 1 0000000000 opinions. People get all fired up that their way is the only way and if you dont do it their way, your plane will fall from the sky.

There are dozens of old threads here with hundreds of replies on this exact topic. That is all Jeg was alluding to.

Cheers, and happy 2010

I understand Rick and thanks. I will do that . Thanks

[jarvis]

I meant no offense, but was as others have pointed out, was simply referring to the endless primer/paint debate.

[David Paule]

I have a Cessna 180 that's mostly bare aluminum. At 55 years old it still looks pretty good, although the paint needs redoing again. The interior of the plane, which was not primed, is mostly not corroded. It's a dry climate airplane, though, which certainly helps.

I've polished it a few times. If I do it by hand, it takes about an hour to do a square foot if I want to do a good job. Using a Cyclo polisher lets me do about four square feet in an hour. With well over 600 square feet to polish, it's a job either way.

Waxing the freshly-polished aluminum with a good car wax adds considerably to the longevity of the polish, but it dulls the shine slightly.

I'd vote for paint, on a new airplane.

David Paule
(First post on this forum)

[chaskuss]

Originally Posted by JEG

Will be starting a 12 soon. Would like input on painting and priming. Why not just etch and chromate the ribs and formers as has been done on aircraft for years. Is there any real reason to paint other than looks? Seems to me paint would add weight. Comments appreciated and Happy New Year. John 337JG

A compromise would be to only prime the interior faying [contact] surfaces. The most common area for corrosion to occur is where two surfaces come in contact. Weight addition is minimal and protects the areas most likely to be affected. Just a thought and worth what you paid for it.
Charlie Kuss

[Kyle Boatright]

Originally Posted by chaskuss

A compromise would be to only prime the interior faying [contact] surfaces. The most common area for corrosion to occur is where two surfaces come in contact. Weight addition is minimal and protects the areas most likely to be affected. Just a thought and worth what you paid for it.
Charlie Kuss

I agree with Charlie and if I built another RV, that's what I do. My -6 is fully primed internally, and, in looking back, I think that's a waste of time, money, and weight for my airplane which is hangared and in a relatively benign environment.