cowl internal finishing

[lucaperazzolli]

I'm searching an idea to plan an internal cowl finishing then apply a cowl heat protector film.

How you did ? Have a suggestion for me ?

Thanks in advance.

[tinman]

Luke,
I shot some white Imron polyurethane paint on the inside of the cowl. It looks good. It makes it easy to clean any oil drips and reflects the heat a bit. I then stuck adhesive-backed aluminum foil over the hot spots near the outlet and exhaust pipes. You can purchase this foil from Vans.

[Rockyjs]

Luke,
I did something similar to Tinman. After thoroughly washing I skimmed a very thin coat of epoxy (West Systems) over the inside of the entire cowl to fill some flaws and seal the surface. I lightly sanded and used high temp white engine paint on the entire inside. I then added foil to the surface near the hot spots. It's worked fine for 150 hours of flight so far.

[pierre smith]

....to paint leftover resin after doing fiberglass work. You'll eventually get oil inside the cowl and a nice, slick resin-covered surface makes cleanup easy,

Best,

[flion]

I didn't (and won't) bother to paint the inside of the cowl (of course, mine isn't pink ... ). I simply applied a coat of thinned west systems epoxy to seal the inner surface and then applied the shielding material directly to the cowling where desired. I went back and painted the edges of the shielding with epoxy so that oil/fuel/etc. would not seep under and cause it to lift. The epoxy surface is very easy to wipe clean.

[aerhed]

I did like Tin. Finished inside to pit/void free and shot with leftover Vestal white Imoron. Once oil leaks into glass voids its there forever.

[Danny7]

If you wanted a heavy duty finish in a nice gray the fuel tank sealant is resistant to most solvents/ fuels/ oils.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...s/tankseal.php

edit- this is commonly used in lancairs retractable gear openings/ enclosures- it gets exposed to the elements but with the coating nothing sticks.

[jthocker]

Luca,
I've finished my RV8's with high temp engine enamel, and didn't bother with the foil. I've had no issues with heat from the exhaust pipes, heck until I flared the stainless exhaust hangers from Vetterman, the pipes would occasionally slip down and ride on the lower cowl outlet. This was after the paint job. I had no scorch marks inside and no bubbling of the paint outside.
Good luck,

[SHIPCHIEF]

I did similar to Rocky. I brushed in West Systems epoxy, then brushed on a coat of DP-50 black epoxy primer. It sealed well. I like the white idea for heat reflection tho-....so I'll probably top coat with white.
If you check my link you can see a pic of it, although it's not yet done.

[N941WR]

Originally Posted by flion

I didn't (and won't) bother to paint the inside of the cowl (of course, mine isn't pink ... ). I simply applied a coat of thinned west systems epoxy to seal the inner surface and then applied the shielding material directly to the cowling where desired. I went back and painted the edges of the shielding with epoxy so that oil/fuel/etc. would not seep under and cause it to lift. The epoxy surface is very easy to wipe clean.

Same here. I thinned the epoxy 50/50 with acetone and then used a long nap 3" roller to push it into the pin holes. Three coats did the trick.

The epoxy I used was the West System quick hardening type. It is a little brown in color and when I was finished with the cowling you could see where it ran into the foam sandwiched in the cowl. It made it look a bit like cardboard. Sure makes me happy to know it is not oil collecting in there, adding weight and waiting to ooze out on my future paint job.

BTW, I did the same on my first cowl and it worked great.