Prime the Grove gear for storage?

tkatc · #1 11-15-2012, 10:59 AM

Got these bad boys in the mail yesterday. They are beautiful and much heavier than I thought. If these save weight then the standard gear must be as heavy as a tank.

Now, I have been advised by a friend of mine that I should prime these immediately to avoid corrosion. Obviously I wont be fitting or painting these anytime soon. So I should just hit them with the NAPA 7220 for the time being?

DanH · #2 11-15-2012, 01:07 PM

A lot depends on local climate and conditions in the storage space. I'd only say a protective coating need not be paint.

Mine are bare and polished, and they must be kept polished or they will corrode. My local environment includes a paper mill abut 10 miles from the airport, which may be a factor.

At Petit Jean I noticed the Grove legs on Jay's Shooter were painted. Smart fellow, that Jay, not too flashy

tkatc · #3 11-15-2012, 02:46 PM

So a heavy coat of wax should do the trick? That would be easier and more attractive although they will be painted in the end anyway.

Av8torTom · #4 11-15-2012, 02:49 PM

Tony,

If you intend to paint I wouldn't wax them. If you store them in a spare bedroom warm and dry they will NOT corrode...

T.

TShort · #5 11-16-2012, 08:28 AM

My experience...
I received mine ~6 years ago, and they are sitting out in the shop now. I have been away from the project (marriage, moving, etc), and they have been in two different shops, through unairconditioned summers in Indiana. I have not painted, primed, or waxed them.

They look just like the day I got them (except for dust!). No corrosion.

T.

scard · #6 11-16-2012, 10:19 AM

Mine have been sitting neckid' in the airplane parts room in the house for the last couple of years with no corrosion indicated at all. Leave them inside and forgeddaboudit!

EdH · #7 11-16-2012, 10:32 AM

Epoxy primed after delivery, now back in the box pending fitting. They'll be painted on the finished aeroplane, but figured I wouldn't take any chances in the meantime.

humptybump · #8 11-16-2012, 10:41 AM

Tony, if you're not to worried about the color of the primer, you can drop them off at my paint shop and I can shoot them with white epoxy primer ....

On second thought, you might not want to drop them off. I might just shoot the white, then silver metallic, then clear-coat, buff, polish, and install on my RV-8

skylor · #9 11-16-2012, 11:53 AM

A couple of options for protecting them that are easier than applying primer:

1. Apply Alodyne which will provide corrosion protection

Or

2. If you know welders, then bag and seal them in an argon atmosphere.

Skylor

F1Boss · #10 11-16-2012, 01:21 PM

I suspect those will be painted, as they are not polished now. Use a good grade of epoxy primer which will be scuffed and re-primed before the final coat (when that time comes). If this is too much trouble, ACF50 will help 'em stay as shipped, and wipes off easily. Might put 'em in a garbage bag to protect stuff around 'em from getting a dose of ACF50...

Carry on!
Mark