Priming and Painting Parts

Priming Parts

According to the RV-12 plans "all aluminum bar, angle and tube used in the RV-12 is not alclad and must be primed to assure corrosion resistance." Honestly, I can find very few parts in the wing kit that meet these criteria.

There are two approaches to priming these parts. In the beginning, I primed these few parts using  Sherwin Williams Wash Primer #P60G2/ Catalyst Reducer #R7K44. I used a charcoal "respirator" and a High Volume Low Pressure (HVLP) spray gun to reduce the over spray. I prepped the parts with ScotchBrite pads and lacquer thinner.

Later in the build, I primed the parts using a rattle can of "self etching primer" available at most auto parts stores. This greatly simplified prep and clean up.

Some authors recommend spraying outdoors to minimize the inhalation of over spray. Others recommend using positive flow respirators and a spray booth with air filters and explosion proof ventilation fans. I choose a path somewhere between these two approaches. I emptied out my outdoor shed and turned it into a very large spray box.

This is my over spray booth that catches over spray, but the painter stays outside of the booth. Remember, this is not a painting booth, it is a very big spray box. The painter should not go inside the booth to paint since the booth is not ventilated. Note the inline water trap mounted on the door and the inline yellow desiccator mounted to the spray gun. Parts to be sprayed can be placed in wire baskets and the baskets slid onto notches on the door for drying.

After painting, I sprayed lacquer thinner through the gun. You can remove the nose piece and place it inside the paint reservoir.

Painting Parts

With the optional upholstery kit, only a few interior parts will need to be painted. I opted to use Direct To Metal paint for the interior parts. An example of an acid based, alkyd dtm paint would be Rustoleum Appliance Paint. I opted to have my local Sherwin Williams paint store go ahead and tint a gallon Direct To Metal paint to match the VANS pedal color scheme. The dealer then put the paint into ready to go rattle cans. The minimum order was six cans.

I ended up priming with self-etching acid auto primer and then painting with the tinted direct to metal rattle can paint. Here is the "arm rest" in VANS off-white.