T

Transporter

Well Known Member
Friend
I'm setting up shop now (tools, compressor, etc.) and need to order an appropriate quantity of shop supplies for an RV8 SB. I plan to prime, so no need to go into the primer vs no primer discussion!

Having said that, I'd like to order appropriate quantities of Alumiprep, alodine, MEK, epoxy primer (Akzo or ?), RTV, etc. for each phase of construction. I realize there's a savings in buying gallons vs quarts, but I also don't want excess chemicals expiring before I use them (or too much left over)!

How much did you use of each type of product and when? Recommended brands/suppliers? Colors (i.e. clear or black RTV)?

Thanks in advance,
Mike

P.S. Special thanks to Danny King, Chris Pratt, and all the other RV owners at Osh for the inspiration!
 
AKZO - I am about 1/2 done the fuse and just ran out of AKZO. Note that I am priming the inside of the skins (except empennage). I wasted a lot of primer in the beginning. If I had to do it all over again, I am sure I could do the whole project with 2 gallons (1G catalyst, 1G epoxy) priming the inside of all skins. I don't think you can get a smaller quantity of less than 2 G's.

Alumiprep - 1 gallon is plenty for the whole project. Remember it gets watered down. Mine is about 2 years old and it still seems to have the same kick it did the first day.

MEK - Don't bother paying HAZMAT fees to get this. Home Depot sells it in the paint isle, near where Acetone and Lacquer thinner are. I only used MEK on the fuel tanks, and went through about a gallon of it. I stay away from it as much as possible now.
 
Lacquer Thinner instead-

with the exception of th tanks- Lacquer thinner does a great job of cleaning the aluminum before priming. A lot less toxic as well.

MEK=cancer= bad stuff= yuk yuk.
 
Transporter said:
....need to order an appropriate quantity of shop supplies for an RV8 SB..... I'd like to order appropriate quantities of....(Akzo or ..
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If you do go with Akzo, you can really save A LOT of wasted primer by spraying it through that small air gun that uses 35mm film canisters. You can mix up a small amount...an ounce or two if you want...at a time. I was able to prime all the contact surfaces inside the wings and virtually all of the inside of the fuselage structure and its skins and still have about 1/8th a gallon left. The only downside is frequent refilling of the film canisters when spraying larger parts such as the skins. Still, cleanup after a session is about as no hassle as it gets.
 
You might want to be a little careful buying up large quantities of what you think you will need for the entire project. In addition to the space requirements, shelf life concerns, etc. there is also a risk of obseclence. I have changed priming methods a couple of times now and have left over chemicals and primers that I won't be using and need to properly dispose of.
 
Phase Quantities

Tony,
I'm also concerned about 'leftovers' hence my question about how much to buy for each phase of construction (emp kit, wing kit, etc.). Your point about changing methods is another good reason to buy smaller sizes.

With the exception of the Akzo (which I can only find listed in a 2 gal kit so far), it looks like I can just buy small quantites for each phase. Will be more expensive but hopefully less waste.

For Rick: where did you find the the 35mm cannister spray gun? I assume that the working time on the Akzo means that the 35mm cannisters are thrown away for cleanup?

I have a 'Critter' spray gun that uses mason jars (pint size) for the paint cup so think what you've described is similar (i.e. siphon tube sprayer using a common household container for the paint cup), but haven't seen one in a catalog yet.

Thanks to all,
Mike
 
Transporter said:
For Rick: where did you find the the 35mm cannister spray gun? I assume that the working time on the Akzo means that the 35mm cannisters are thrown away for cleanup?Mike
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As a matter of fact, I just finished Akzo priming two small parts with this gun. Clean up is little more than emptying the film canister, then refilling it with MEK to flush out the pickup tube attached to the gun, which is nothing more than aquarium hose. I use the same canister over and over.

Van's used to carry this gun but can be had elsewhere. Try Wick's or Spruce.

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Primer Pistol

Rick,
Thanks for the tip! Spruce has it (P/N 12-00686 for $19.85). One more tool for my collection :)
Mike
 
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