- Deburred all holes in VS ribs and spars. - Finished edges on VS spars and spar stiffner (this was a pain). The spar stiffner was cut at the factory with a blade of some sort and there were large sawing marks that had to be buffed out. - Countersunk holes in VS spar stiffner to allow for flush rivets (AN426AD4's) on the forward side of the rear spar. This is one of the empennage attach points to the fuselage. - Dimpled all the holes in the ribs and spars to receive the skin. - Dimpled the holes in the rear spar that line up with the countersunk spar stiffner to allow for flush rivets. - Scuffed all internal VS parts to remove a bit of the ALCLAD and allow for primer adhersion. - Cleaned / Degreased all ribs and spars. - Primed all ribs and spars. Ready for riveting!!! Two more building sessions and this will be done. I still have to debur and dimple the skin. - A note about the primer used. I had used the NAPA 7220 on the HS skins. This worked great but there is one problem. I had bought NAPA's last two cans and told them to order more. I went in a week later to buy more and they had not ordered more. They only stock limited quantities of this product anyway. I printed the MSDS for this product and a Sherwinn Williams product that was very similar. I went all over town (Small Town... and Small Selection) and found that most stores in town stocked the S.W. product at varying prices but 60% less than NAPA's 7220. The only difference was Titanium Dioxide. This sounded really important until I looked it up. This stuff is a paint pigment that is used in food coloring and toothpaste. I think from a structural standpoint I can do with out it. - On a good note the paint went on really well, it covered well and didn't run. It dried to the touch in about 15 minutes and was easy to see thin spots or missed coverage. It is Aviation Green instead of Gray like the 7220. I just like the green better but it is easier to see missed spots on bare metal (aluminum) with another color other than gray.
VS Parts Deburred, Dimpled, prepped and ready for primer.
Aviation Green my favorite.
Nothing like the smell of Primer in the morning...or evening...or what ever!
