[macrafic]

How did everybody finish their steps? Did you prime/paint them? chrome them? powdercoat them?

Also, did that include the interior of the tubes as well (at least the interior areas that can be reached)?

 

[IowaRV9Dreamer]

powdercoated white

I had them powdercoated at a local shop ($60) - they used a zinc-bearing primer powder (or maybe it was the color coat) since they are steel and had sharp edges. They did a great job, even inside the tube.

dave

 

[dhusk]

Powder coat

I had mine powder coated. Actually, my brother had it done and it didn't cost me anything. That's tough to beat!

 

[Ron Lee]

My step cracked on the inner surface at the top. I had to remove it and reinforce both sides. I will try to find the pics. Your choice if you reinforce them now or do it later IF they crack.

Here is the crack:

Inner repair:

Outer reinforcement (just because):

 

[Chino Tom]

I primed the entire step. The outside portion was painted with the rest of the airplane. Went to the industrial hardware store and bought stick-on
slip check (wing walk material) and cut it to size for the step portion.

 

[roee]

Epoxy primer

Before I permanently installed my steps, I beveled and rounded all the edges, abraded and cleaned all the surfaces, and shot them with AKZO epoxy primer. This primer seems to adhere to steel as well as it does to aluminum, as long as the surface is properly prepped.

I also shot AKZO on the area of the fuselage skin that will be in contact with the step's flange. Priming both the flange and the skin is belt and suspenders. I think good primer coverage in that area is critical, since an interface between aluminum and steel with potential for moisture getting in between is a recipe for corrosion.

Ultimately, the external steps will get painted along with the rest of the airplane. I think my fit is good enough that the paint will also seal the seam between the flange and the fuselage skin. If it wasn't, I'd consider filling any gaps with proseal before paint.

-Roee

 

[mikehoover]

I painted mine once I recieved them because it was going to be awhile before they were installed and they seemed to want to rust up just looking at them; I didn'nt want to do a major rust removal later on. I brushed and cleaned them with rust remover, then DuPont 5717S Metal Conditioner (the steel equivalent to aluminum prep), then primed with Variprime, painted with Nason Acrylic and then sprayed some can enamal on the surface that mates up to the fuse. I also made sure the same treatment got inside the open end of the tube. I also did pretty much the same with the area on the fuse where the step mates up (only diff was alumimun prep instead of the steel prep). Might have gone overboard, but what the heck.

 

[#N72CR]

Powercoated

 

[frazitl]

I chrome plated mine

and they look really great laying on the chair. Not installed yet. I also used Akzo on the interface between the step and the fuselage skin, and used zinc primer the inside of the steps. I'm going to try to use 5/32 flush rivets with 1/8 heads to attach. If I damage the chrome, I'll sand the attach flange and paint with the fuselage.

 

[Mel]

Chrome plating is NOT recommended.

Be sure to inspect chrome plated steps regularly. Chrome plating makes the steel brittle and will crack over time.
Also I wouldn't use larger rivets with "small" head. The rivets in the step plate are mostly in tension and the head of the rivet carries a large portion of the load.