Finally did some more work on the plane after a too long break. The weather was just too cold to work in the garage. So I insulated the ceiling and bought a kerosene heater. With most of the insulation up, the heater keeps it pretty comfortable in the garage. However, the weather did warm up to the 40’s now.
Time to return to building. I passed the FAA knowledge test with a score of 98%. Not bad. But now I’m worried about the folks up in the air that passed with 29% (i.e. 71% pass rate) of the questions wrong. A few of the questions on the test seemed silly, but most of it should be required knowledge.
Picked up some Sherwin-Williams 988 G.B.P. Self Etching Primer in a rattle can for about $7. Jeff suggested hitting rivet lines inside the skins with some Napa 7220. After trying to hunt that down for a few days, I found out that SW 988 is the same thing. It’s only available at the stores that carry automotive finishes, but there’s one of those just a few blocks from where I work.
Also did some final clean up in the garage. One car fits in the garage (for now). That’s as good as it’s probably going to get.
In case you care about my beautiful garage, here’s the before and after pictures:
Progress has intentionally slowed down while I work on ground school stuff. I finished the text and computer learning program. Now I’m studying to take the test within the next week or two.
I’m also finishing up some other miscellaneous projects around the garage and house. I want to be able to concentrate on the plane project once the flying lessons start taking up less time.
No progress on building tonight. I had a great flying lesson, and just wanted to take a break from building.
Flew for the first time at night, landed for the first time at Paine Field, did a landing for the first time unassisted, and did a power-off landing for the first time. Huge, huge day. Nailing the landing felt so good after trying and trying dozens of times.
After reading way too much info and opinion on primers, I decided to go with Aircraft Finishing Systems’ one-part water-based primer/sealer. My primary concern is my 7-year-old daughter who lives in the house connected to my garage. I don’t want zinc chromate or other nasty metals/chemicals getting even close to her. Plus, I love the idea of water clean up. I do live in a wet climate (Seattle) and plan on flying out to the ocean where my parents live fairly often. However, I think this primer will hold up fine for the 10-20 years that I’ll own this plane. It doesn’t need to last until the end of time.
I called AFS to order the primer. I talked to a great person on the phone, who gave me lots of useful info. The aluminum first needs to be cleaned. You can either use their high strength cleaner, lacquer thinner, or Dawn. I decided to just use Dawn. She said to make sure all of the soap is washed off. Next step is the AFS cleaner/etch. She recommended spraying that on with a spray bottle and scrubbing with a Scotch-brite pad. Let that dry, but spray the primer within 2 hours. For the primer, make sure it is the right viscosity. She is sending me a viscosity cup. After stirring the primer (there will be solids on the bottom), stick the cup in the paint. Pull it out and see how long it takes for it start dripping out. It should be about 22 seconds. If it takes longer, thin with distilled water. She also recommended getting just a quart vs. a gallon. If the building process takes longer than I think, the primer can end up going bad on the shelf. It has a shelf-life of one year.