Time to prime at long last! Today was the day that I was waiting for for over 2 weeks. In retrospect I am kind of glad it took this long because it enabled me to finish up all of the pieces for both the vertical stabilizer and the rudder. This way I was able to prime all of the parts for both sections. Lots of lessons learned today, so here we go.
First things first – this stuff is toxic. I know I have already mentioned it but seriously wear the appropriate personal protective equipment. My dad and I both wore protective equipment the entire time we were anywhere close to the Akzo primer. Mixing, stirring, loading the sprayer, spraying, handling… you name it. Even as it was drying it gave off a rather pungent odor that just smelled like I was going to die young if I spent more than a minute in there unprotected. Also, this picture above looks like a scene from Breaking Bad but I assure you that this is NOT the case. In all reality it is honestly probably even worse for you…
I used Pyrex measuring cups for dishing out the two parts of the epoxy primer. I think it worked well enough but I’m always on the lookout for a less wasteful way to do this. The cleanup was a bit excessive I feel and I’ve already alluded to the idea that I feel like I’m wasting an awful lot for something that is $90/gallon. I’m thinking I’ll switch to using 60mL syringes next time. Clean, disposable, accurate. Just a thought, let’s see where I end up. Overall, the setup and cleanup was pretty seamless, I’m impressed. My dad and I have a long history of home improvement and project work together that goes something like this: “Start the project, then double the budget and triple the number of trips you require to the hardware store for missing parts.” Incredibly we accomplished everything we set out to do all in one afternoon. No hiccups.
All of the parts scuffed and ready for an acetone wash. We cleaned them up nicely after the Scotch Brite pad scuffing and prepped them to receive the primer. I was once again really pleased with how well this worked out. I liked having the drop cloth spread out on the ground to protect the unfinished and finished pieces alike.
The actual spraying! It went on incredibly well – I was floored. I will say that we used a great deal more than what some builders claim to use on various forums, but the thickness was not excessive in the least and using a measurement tool checked in exactly where it needed to be. I think we just had a large loss due to overspray, wind, and other outdoor conditions. We will get better I’m sure of it. Overall, I would rather have excessive waste paired with the supremely high quality finished product any day. The parts were glossy smooth, evenly primed, and looked excellent upon completion. I cannot say enough about the expertise that my dad brings to this. He is a master woodworker and craftsman and can lay down a professional spray on any material ever created. Aircraft aluminum has proven to be no exception. Bravo!
Laying the parts out after priming. Primed the interiors of each of the skins as well and laid them out to dry.
Overall lessons learned are many, but I’m extremely excited about how well this first priming session went. It was only 3.5 hours from start to finish including the scuffing, acetone, priming, and cleanup. I will look for a better way to measure out the primer components for the next round, but was not unhappy with the results of the first one. I’m glad I bought the paint filters too as there was definitely some small chunks in the epoxy mix after I stirred it all up (don’t blame Akzo – blame my crappy paint stirrers probably). Nothing terrible, but still happy to keep large particles out of my sprayer nozzle.
Disposal: I’ll get a proper disposal can rather than an old paint can, although that is a perfectly good solution. An empty can that seals tight and only contains waste product will be nice to keep track of and send to my county recycling post for hazardous materials.
This went well. Quite well. I’ll admit to being nervous to keep working at this point so I don’t jinx myself with riveting together all of this beautifully primed masterpiece!
Total time today = 3.5 hours
Total time empennage = 24.5 hours
Total time aircraft = 24.5 hours