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Ansarie

Member
I finally jumped in head first putting together the Giant Puzzle :D . Got the RV-7 empennage and I started working; few questions for the experienced out ?there.

1. Is there any harm from breathing the Aluminum dust? The scotchbrite wheel is great, but creates fine dust covering everything. Also, aside from covering the coffee cup with plastic, what measures can be taken to reduce the dust?

2. Does dimpling enlarge holes? On a practice piece, the rivet seems to swim in the hole after dimpling ? got the tools form Aircraft Spruce.

3. Are all self etching primers the same? Has anyone used Duplicolor products? It is widely available and inexpensive in my area. Duplicolor is an automotive subsidiary of Sherwin-Williams. I realize this is a hot topic, so please limit it to self etching primers. www.duplicolor.com ? just in case.

I am immensely thankful for the many who take the time to explain, reply, illustrate, and publish experiences and know-how.

Ansarie,
Los Angeles area.
 
//Is there any harm from breathing the Aluminum dust? The scotchbrite wheel is great, but creates fine dust covering everything. Also, aside from covering the coffee cup with plastic, what measures can be taken to reduce the dust?

Anything that gets into your lungs is potentially harmful. The Scotchbrite wheel is going to create dust because it's removing material. A small 3M respirator (the kind you might use if you were sanding drywall) should suffice here

/Does dimpling enlarge holes? On a practice piece, the rivet seems to swim in the hole after dimpling ? got the tools form Aircraft Spruce.

Yes, dimpling will enlarge a hole slightly.

//Are all self etching primers the same? Has anyone used Duplicolor products?

I'll pass on primer talk.
 
It's probably more scothbrite thatn aluminum that you're breathing. You should probably wear a dust mask.

I used #41 drill instead of #40 on the entire plane to get a better fit for my rivets.

Steve Zicree
 
I have used the Duplicolor Self-Etching Primer and the Duplicolor Primer Sealer on the training kit. Seems to work just fine, probably is overkill to do both but seems to be good as long as you follow the prep steps on the can.
 
Ansarie said:
1. Is there any harm from breathing the Aluminum dust? The scotchbrite wheel is great, but creates fine dust covering everything. Also, aside from covering the coffee cup with plastic, what measures can be taken to reduce the dust?
Click to expand...
I recently started wearing my respirator (mask) when I use the scotch-brite wheels, and I have been amazed to see just how much gray dust is caught by the particulate filters. Judging by the color of the filters, and the fine layer of dust I seem to wipe off every surface in the shop every week or so, me thinks the scotch-brite wheels put a lot more dust in the air than I first thought. Personally, I would choose a good respirator over a paper mask as it will seal much better on your face. You can and should also wear it when spraying the primer, so it would be a good investment.

To help reduce the dust, you could mount your grinder on some sort of downdraft table, but it would need to be a fairly strong table.
 
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szicree said:
I used #41 drill instead of #40 on the entire plane to get a better fit for my rivets.
Steve Zicree
Click to expand...

Steve, I've wondered whether this would help myself. It would definitely work if you were not dimpling. However, wouldn't the dimple die open up the hole just as large anyway? Or do you find a #41 hole does not get as big when dimpled with a #40 die? Without having tested it myself, it seems like it's the die that determines the final size of the hole and, if so, using a #41 drill would force the die to stretch the hole even more than it would a #40 hole which can't be a good thing.

Asked in genuine curiousity...
 
Many thanks....

1. Respirator it is. I have a nice one, but was not religious in wearing it.

2. So the dimpling enlarges the holes, Build On.

3. I have called many Sherwin-Williams dealers but they did not have the GBP 988 (self-etch primer), or did not know what I was talking about. I finally called Sherwin-Williams and informed them of the problem. They delivered six can to my office the same day! They took my order about 10 AM and delivered about 2 PM, no delivery charge! Great Company! :)



Got the answers I needed, RV people never disappoint!

Many Thanks,
Ansarie.
 
Yes dimpling enlarges the holes. The dimpled parts will nest against each other limiting radial movement. The rivet expandes when it is squeezed filling the gap.
My plane has a combination of primers: Dupont Variprime, Sherwin-Williams 988 rattle can, and Nason 2-part.
Steve
 
re: Primers

I use AKZO for most of it, but for the little jobs and touch up I use Tempo Self-Etching Zinc Oxide. It's really tough to beat Zinc Chromate/Oxide for corrosion protection.

One thing about the Duplicolor product. As someone mentioned above, you need to coat it with the sealer. I have a can of duplicolor, but I stopped using it for just that reason. The Tempo is WAY more convenient.

What's the 988 product and where can you get it?
 
GBP-988 is available at any Sherwin-Williams automotive paint store. Luckily, there's one about 4 blocks from where I work.
 
Careful here....

Hi John,

You are a bit ahead of me (building) and you have a great website with many large photos and comments - I really appreciate it. I will be happy to give you a can to try out ? I fly out of Whitman.

The primer wars are still on and we must tread carefully here! Most of the builders, who use self-etching primers, use the Sherwin-Williams Brand and I wanted to build on the collective wisdom and do the same. Because Van's recommend priming, I am doing this and I wanted the easy way with rattle cans. On top of the primer, I will lightly fog the some-what exposed parts with a top coat, from a rattle can of course.

I got the Primer from Sherwin-Williams branch in Monrovia, CA. They have many locations listed on the website. Look for the ones that say Sherwin-Williams in the title. I got mine from the Monrovia office at (626)301-9945.

Ansarie.
 
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