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Thread: Fuselage Tubing

  1. #11
    Twofieros's Avatar
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    Is it safe to do a quick zinc chromate or similar spray first over the tubes and then come back with super koropon? I can't figure how to blast the frame and spray with a gun all within the one hour limit for the bare metal tubes.

  2. #12
    Administrator Steve Pierce's Avatar
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    I blast in about 3 hours and them move it in the booth and prime. I have not seen any flash rust and I don't touch the steel with my bare hands.

  3. #13
    Throttle Pusher's Avatar
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    How about powder coating, and then putting on a coat of good two part urathane. Or is this abit of an over kill.

  4. #14
    Nathan Hiebert's Avatar
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    I glass bead blasted, then right away primed the tubing with Polyfibers two-part epoxy primer, then finished painted with Aerothane. The epoxy primer has excellent adhesion and the Aerothane makes it look gooooood.

    Nate

  5. #15
    Throttle Pusher's Avatar
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    What color would you think would be best on the frame.

  6. #16
    Nathan Hiebert's Avatar
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    I chose black, though when you think about it, you really won't see much of the fuselage tubing anyways once the entire interior is in. Just the tubes from the forward wing attach to the firewall...anything else???

  7. #17

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    Any color paint that is of good quality and seals the steel surface against the penetration of water molecules is beneficial. The last 30 years though, I have taken a page out of the Formula race car "book" and tried to stay with WHITE whenever practical. There is a compelling reason for this...and it has nothing to do with aesthetics.

    When your tubing is painted black (and by lessening degrees of any other of the "darker" colors) round tubing becomes increasingly difficult to see and identify cracks. Particularly at or near weld beads, where cracks often form at the "heat boundary" due to the welding process. When metal cracks, subsequent vibration actually causes the metal's "edges" to work ("rub") against each other, and you will note a phenomena called "smoking". A defined line of black discoloration forms along the crack (this is readily found not only with steel -which is often accompanied by orange RUST lines in steel, due to the "powdered" steel molecules that get deposited there- it is also VERY readily visible when the base metal is ALUMINUM) and it literally resembles "smoke" that has been leaking out of the crack. Painting tubing (and even the interior side of aluminum parts) white gives an easily spotted indicator that there are cracks present. Often WELL BEFORE the naked eye can spot a crack.

    This allows the inspector (whomever that may be, Pilot, Owner, IA or casual observer) to more quickly - AND more easily- spot defects that affect the structural integrity of the airframe. White gives the best indication of cracks, where black gives the least indication and requires a much more "intense" inspection to see the same crack. I believe in wanting to see such damage as early (and as easily) as is possible, and while I am not saying that any other color is "wrong", or that people should intentionally CHANGE any other color tubing to white...I'm saying that when faced with the opportunity to begin with, I prefer to go with the color that takes the magnifying glass OUT OF the initial inspection for cracks. Makes for less fitful sleep at night.

  8. #18
    Nathan Hiebert's Avatar
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    Thats a good point there John and after I painted my airframe I was somewhat wishing I had painted it white instead. This will work though...just have to look closer I guess.

  9. #19
    Administrator Steve Pierce's Avatar
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    I paint them white because,like John said, it is easier to inspect and brighter.

  10. #20
    Throttle Pusher's Avatar
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    Thanks guys. That gives me the answer I was looking for.

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