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[December 14, 2005]


I was dreading this part of building for a while. The whole priming process is definitely as involved as you want to make it. My stance on the topic is to use Alumiprep 33, Alodine and AKZO two part epoxy primer.

For the Alumiprep I premixed a 1:3 ratio into a spray bottle. This was the recommended ratio from the service bulletin. I did one part at a time by first spraying one or two sprays of alumiprep on the part, using a super fine scotchbrite pad, then washing it off. I didn't know if I was doing it right until I just washed off a rib that hadn't been treated. The way that the water cascades off of the rib is night and day. Next I used a foam brush and put on the Alodine. This was not fun. Well, not really, but washing it off wasn't much of a treat. But it got done.

While the parts were drying, I mixed the AKZO epoxy primer. I guessed about 8 oz of each (16 oz total) would be sufficient. I loaded it into the HVLP gun, test sprayed a piece of scrap aluminum, then did the real thing on the spars, ribs and bars. I did make some mistakes by not knowing how well a part needs to be covered, as far a thickness of a coat goes. From what I could tell when everything was done, there was a nice semi-transparent coat on everything. I am definitely still developing my technique, so this will improve with time. One one of the front spars I had some slight dripping from overspraying it. Also, my parts were WAY to close together to be spraying properly. Next time I will space them out a lot more to make it easier to get the flanges. When I left work, the parts were pretty dry, but a little tacky. I left them overnight to dry nicely.

When it was all over with, I filled my gun with acetone, sloshed it around, then sprayed it out. It seemed to do the trick nicely of getting all of the AKZO out.

Everything after the alodine. For the alodine, I put a little of it in a plastic cup and used a foam brush to apply it. It definitely didn't go on as smooth as I would of liked it to. Maybe it would work better if everything was completely dry after the alumiprep. I think next time I will fill a bucket full of diluted alodine and dip my parts.


This is the aftermath of my first prime attempt. When I first saw it, it looked like I missed a lot of the flanges. But as I looked closer, it was actually a semi-transparent layer. I think this illusion is what left me apply too much to some parts. This layer is just right for me. Everything is covered nicely and with the least amount really needed. I don't see why a coat 3 times this thickness would hold up any better than this over time when nothing will be chaffing it. If I did end up missing some spots, I will just use my spraycan primer.

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Last Modified: August 13, 2023