brenegan

brenegan

Active Member
Did you alumiprep, alodine and paint, anodize, polish or something else??

I'm wondering about the anodizing process and possibly weaking the gear
strength.
 
Polish 'em

I *really* want to polish mine, when the time comes, but I want to also protect the finish once it is done. I thought about some sort of clear lacquer but I have my doubts as to whether it will actually stick to the polished surface, and they're way too expense to try it without being certain. Anyone got any advice here (not that I wish to hijack the thread, as such, but its kind of in the same area of the original question!).
 
Here's some information right from the source:
http://www.groveaircraft.com/landing_gear_finishes.html

You can see that anodizing is an approved finish. In fact, my 2001-vintage gear came with a gold anodized finish. I polished them about a year ago. The airfoil gear has many advantages, the ability to polish being one of them, and I think it's almost a shame not to take advantage of it.

Jeff, I don't know for sure either, but I too would wonder about a clear coat adhering to a polished finish. However, I don't think it's really necessary. We're not talking a whole lot of surface area here so it's not really a hassle to touch them up on a regular basis. You've got to clean the bugs off in the summer anyway, so it's not a problem to just use Nuvite's NuImage as the cleaning agent and that also serves to maintain the polish. Even when you do have to re-polish six weeks or so, it only takes a few minutes.

I'd say go for it.
 
Thanks Jack. I should have searched the Grove site a little more. I wonder why the person
who took my order didn't say THEY could do the work. Oh well, I guess a local shop will
get the business.

Jeff, You CAN anodize clear. What I'm actually thinking is having the gear polished and
then anodizing clear (I've got the airfoil gear as well).

Thanks.
 
Clear anodizing?

Reallly? Hmmm, I'll have to check into that. With respect to the polishing: the clear coat I was thinking of more froma corrosion protection perspective than keeping it looking good: I understand that the legs are made of a particular alloy that is more susceptible than other alloys. Thanks guys, I'm going to check out both options when the time comes (that is, just polished and polish *with* clear anodize)
 
Quick product report, re polishing Grove airfoil legs and clear-coating them for corrosion protection and low maintenance.

I purchased a quart of POR-15's "Glisten PC" as well as the companion AP-120 metal prep. I'm not real impressed, and I've tried twice.

The AP-120 will highlight even the slightest sign of surface scratching as a faint haze. I got around that the second time by spending time with serious polish work; an hour with a color buff wheel and 3 rounds of Mother's and micro-fiber rag. This may be an equal problem with any etch prep product. We'll see.

That aside, I found the Glisten PC to be hard to spray. First round didn't flow out very well following a wet first coat and a wet second coat. Second round was thinned 20% with xylene per the data sheet, then sprayed as a fog coat and two wet coats. Flowout was worse. My standard for clearcoat flowout and spray ease is PPG Deltron DCU2021; if the PPG is a 10 this stuff was a 4. It also takes a long time to cure dust free.

Glisten does wet sand (1500-2000) pretty well, although I waited two weeks. With enough coats for some cut I think you could get it looking good with the usual sand and buff methods, but two wasn't enough. When I sanded through an unobtrusive spot near the end of the leg, the thinned coating film peeled quickly.

Time to strip and re-polish. Your mileage may vary <g>

I have a request in for a PPG recomendation. Any other reports out there?
 
Alsa Corp

I'm considering these guys at the moment for my Grove legs, rather than polishing. A chrome-look paint, amongst other interesting finishes...

http://www.alsacorp.com/

They have a local distributor as well, which is important for me down here in NZ.
 
The word from PPG Technical Services:

Dear Sir:
Thank you for your interest in PPG Refinish products. PPG does not have a formal recommendation in place for polished aluminum. Whatever buffing compounds that are used to polish the metal can become imbedded in the microscopic pores of the surface, thus contaminating the surface. These contaminates are difficult to remove without discoloring and dulling the aluminum. You may want to try DX579 mixed 1 part DX579 to 10 parts water to clean the aluminum first. Try a small area first to be sure there is no incompatibility or discoloration. You would then clear using our DAU75. Please keep in mind that this is not an official PPG recommendation.

Still looking. In the meantime, I stripped the POR-15 clear as well as the PPG DPLF epoxy that was sprayed on the ends, in the areas later hidden inside the wheelpants and fuselage. The stripper was common Kleen-Strip aircraft stripper available at almost every auto parts store. It worked almost instantly on the POR clear; I just hosed it off 15 minutes later. The epoxy primer took three aplications and some scraping with a sharp wood scraper. Tells you a lot about both products.
 
Might have a winner here.

Got thinking about paint film, which led to film coverings, which led to tape....<g>

How about 3M Paint Protection Film? Perfectly clear, designed to go on over painted surfaces and not be seen, protects against rock chips and bugs. Sold in rolls and strips. Intended to be permanent, but can be removed.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Scotchgard-PPF/Home/

The car crazies seem to like Ventureshield:

http://www.ventureshield.com/
 
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Did some searching on the net for feedback on paint protection films. The highline car guys spoke highly of product called Ventureshield; better resistance to yellowing, and no slight orange peel effect as reported for 3M film. I called the manufacturer this AM to discuss the application.

No problem going on over polished aluminum; the Harley guys are already doing it. The factory fellow says it will not totally block the atmosphere and eliminate surface corrosion and tarnish, because it is more porous than a properly applied paint film. However, compared to bare polished aluminum, he says it will reduce the corrosion/re-polish requirement by 90% or so. The happy trade is resistance to foreign object damage, meaning bugs, scratches, and anything the prop may blow against the leg. The film may be removed at will if re-polishing is necessary or if the surface of the film is damaged.

I was referred to their distributor, who offered to send enough sample material to cover my gear legs; interested new market for him. I'll give it a try and report back here.

As a side note, this stuff would be a nice addition for standard Van's fiberglass gear leg fairings or painted Grove legs. It may stretch over the nose of a wheel pant too. Apparently there is a rapidly developing network of professional installers in major markets. Anybody for chip-proof legs and pants?
 
Dan,

Have you looked into clear powder coating? Full gloss powder coat clear is a common product as far as I know. I don't think the 400F cure is going to affect the temper or the polish, but I've been wrong before. ;)
 
I did talk to a powder coater and then checked the specs on his proposed coating. The 400 degree cure with tempered 7075 worried me a little; I'm not willing to do it without really reputable source information. Then there were the practical points....gotta polish, then pack and transport, and then hope he doesn't drop them and gouge an edge, etc.
 
Anodized Grove Gear

When I ordered my Grove gear they (Grove) didn't encourage having the legs anodized, doubting the final result. Grove send me the beautiful machined gear and I did some anodizing tests with pieces of machined 7075-T6aluminum. My goal wasn't to have a polished or chrome look but corrosion protection and ease of maintenance.
Following the very nice finish on the test pieces I had the gear legs clear anodized locally and they turned out perfect. They have a hint of a golden shine (sounds better then 'yellowish') and the machining traces are slighty visible. It looks like a metallic paint.
Adding a 3M or similar film can only add to the protection, so more flying and less scrubbing.
I hope this helps,

Johan.
RV8, Fuselage.
 
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