[McSteff]

Besides the obvious parts such as cowling, tailcone, rudder etc. that are painted while dismounted from the aircraft, I appreciate your view on the follwing parts: leave it on or take it off for painting?

- Avionics bay top skin: given that it has to be removed every annual, the screw removal would damage the paintjob, no matter how careful you are when removing the screws, i.e. cut around them first? Or best to paint separately?

- Gear legs: remove gear legs so whole leg can be painted for better corrosion protection? Then re-install legs so fuselage can be painted.

- Rear window: remove so window can be replaced in the future if necessary and no damage around screw heads.

I am planning a metallic grey painjob so am not too worried about the color of the screws.

Cheers for your opinion

 

[DHeal]

I just painted my RV-12 ELSA -- I have been flying it unpainted for 160 hours over the past year. I removed and painted the avionics cover -- it will likely be on/off a couple of times a year and the shiny SS screws look fine. I had previously primed the gear legs before their installation, so I just final painted the exposed surfaces (I suspect the gear leg's aluminum will corrode somewhat if left uncoated). I final-painted all of the rear window screws in place since I hopefully will not have to remove the rear window any time soon! I have found that removing/replacing "painted-over" screws (e.g., as used on inspection panels, etc.) is not a big deal. Frankly, I think that shiny/unpainted screw heads look fine.