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where do you prime your parts?

P

pietermk

Well Known Member
I am building my RV12 in my 3 car garage and I want to prime the hinges and other parts. Now my question is where do you paint, did you build a small paint booth???

I don't want to paint in the garage as the cars will smell of paint and my very supportive wife could get unhappy :eek:

thanks Peter
 
Prime the parts outside. Clean 'em up, then run 'em out in the back yard and give 'em a squirt.

You can set the larger parts on milk crates, empty cardboard boxes, etc. Make a wire mesh screen out of hardware cloth to set the smaller parts on for spraying.

Unless it is really, really cold outside, primer dries pretty fast.

The disadvantage of this approach is that you are at the mercy of the weather. If it rains, you don't get to prime.
 
Depending on the weather for priming is a big issue for me (northern England ...), so I'm currently building a small booth.
 
I prime in the garage

I prime in the garage with Stewart Systems water based EkoPoxy.

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You only need to put on a very thin coat (more of a fogging) to get protection. The mist is so thin (and sprayed at such a low pressure) that there is basically no overspray. In fact, I don't even bother to wear a respirator anymore since the overspray just hits the bench and there is literally nothing in the air.
 
In the paint booth of course. Very Easy to build and also very cheap. I have 2 fans pulling air out of the booth, both have Standard Air Conditioner filters on them to clean the air before it gets blown out, you still have the smell but at least the air is clean.

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-david
 
I agree with Kyle. Prime everything outside. It's easy and fast. I threw a plastic sheet down over an old outdoor table, then put my priming frame made of 2 x 4's and some chicken wire down on top to put the parts on. An elaborate paint booth is unnecessary for priming, and if you're like me, you don't have the luxury of enough room for one anyway.

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There's no more rainy place in the U.S. than here in the Northwest, but I still managed to find moments in between rain showers to duck outside and spray the primer. If you have a covered area, like a porch or patio, you can even get away with this right in the middle of a downpour. (Just don't leave stuff laying there for your wife to yell at you about) Even in the dead of winter, it dries to the touch so fast you can take it in to the shop in about 15 minutes and let it finish drying hard before riveting. Fumes have never been a problem this way. My garage is entered through the kitchen, so if there had been fumes I would have heard about it.
 
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Outdoors generally

I mostly prime outside using a rattle can `industrial' grade epoxy primer that seems to have a good reputation in this part of the world. The primer dries very quickly and although two-pack systems are probably better (and possibly cheaper overall), you can't beat spray cans for convenience - at least for the limited areas that I'm priming.

Usually I suspend the parts from wire hooks on a rope strung between two convenient trees just outside the workshop, or lay the larger items across a couple of sawhorses. I also have a large cardboard box on its side on a trestle table in the workshop that I use sometimes for small parts or touchups.
 
I was told that the mil-spec piano hinge Vans supplies already has some type of a clear primer like the wing spars.
 
Peterk said:
You will be dead before your plane suffers any corrosion. Save the time and weight.
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Only worry I have Peter is that the plane might sit outside, I hope to have a hanger at one time but you know that they are not plentiful.

I live in Maryland, not close to sea or anything but it rains still enough here. I just worry about it, I would love to save the weight of all that primer

Peter
 
Tough to prime outside in Minnesota this time of year. I will usually prime parts as the last task of the day, when the garage has been warmed up sufficiently. I don't have a paint booth, I just set up on the furthest side of the garage away from the project, cars, etc. Once the priming is done and dry to the touch I'll bring the parts inside and then open all of the garage doors to air it out.

It will be nice when spring arrives and I can do this outside!
 
Peter,

I do it in my garage with Stewart Systems EkoPrime. I just put a sheet of painters plastic on the floor and spray it there. I'm using a HF detail gun and it doesn't put out a lot of material. Not that I would leave my car in the garage at the same time I'm priming. That's if I could get my car in the garage.;) I use an organic vapor respirator like Stewart Systems reccomends. This stuff isn't too bad and its not toxic like some of the other primers. I'm not totally sold yet, still deciding. I've sprayed my HS structure so far and it seems reasonable.

Jason,

I see you are using the EkoPoxy. Did you try EkoPrime? Do you have any comparison comments? Just currious since I'm not totally sold yet. The EkoPrime is really easy to use though.
 
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rapid_ascent said:
Peter,
Peter,

I see you are using the EkoPoxy. Did you try EkoPrime? Do you have any comparison comments? Just curious since I'm not totally sold yet. The EkoPrime is really easy to use though.
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I have not primed yet and I think I will be putting the first parts together but no finalizing them until I make my final decision on priming. I keep going back and forth

thx Peter
 
Cardboard Box

I learned this from an A/P friend. For small parts, you can hang small parts from a wire inside a carboard box. I elaborated on this and used some old moving/wardrobe boxes to hang parts from the metal hanger rod and cut open one side of the wardrobe box. Cuts down on overspray. A wire on the bottom end of the part and held in your hand helps keep it from swinging too much.
 
Where do I Prime Parts

For alumiprep and alodine preparation I do it outside. Large parts like skins I paint outside, so that is seasonal and weather dependant work. I built a small indoor spray booth about 2-1/2' x 3' x 4' high out of wood, mounted furnace filters at the rear and used an old central heating furnace fan to draw air through the booth and filters then exit outside the house. This works pretty well using epoxy primer. I leave the fan running after I have finished painting until all the odour is gone.
 
rgmwa said:
I mostly prime outside using a rattle can `industrial' grade epoxy primer that seems to have a good reputation in this part of the world. The primer dries very quickly and although two-pack systems are probably better (and possibly cheaper overall), you can't beat spray cans for convenience - at least for the limited areas that I'm priming.

Usually I suspend the parts from wire hooks on a rope strung between two convenient trees just outside the workshop, or lay the larger items across a couple of sawhorses. I also have a large cardboard box on its side on a trestle table in the workshop that I use sometimes for small parts or touchups.
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And the primer brand is?

Erik
 
Primer

Ausmo said:
And the primer brand is?

Erik
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Wattyl Super-Etch, but not the spray cans you get from Bunnings. These are the 400ml `industrial' variety - about $13.50 each from a paint shop. The same primer also comes in one and four litre tins, which I'm using to wet-dip the LP4-3 rivets before installing.
 
rgmwa said:
Wattyl Super-Etch, but not the spray cans you get from Bunnings. These are the 400ml `industrial' variety - about $13.50 each from a paint shop. The same primer also comes in one and four litre tins, which I'm using to wet-dip the LP4-3 rivets before installing.
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Thanks, I'll chase that up.

Erik
 
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