Priming/Dimpling Horizontal Stabilizer

So first off I went to the EAA Sport Air Workshop all weekend and found it pretty helpful, although it was really aimed at someone who hadn't even started building yet. I was able to get a few key questions in which made it worth it. Also, meeting other people who share the same interests, and getting a few emails to bounce ideas off etc, will end up helping in the long run.





Best part of the weekend was that a local builder gave me a pre-built DRDT 2 Dimpler table. Its great, and fits perfect. Allowed me to dimple the rest of my skin in a matter of minutes. Check out the pics, a solid table like this is really the way to go. Thanks Rob ! !















Also, I tried my first attempt at "metal prep" and priming. Wow, this is tough. first Scotchbright, then Alumiprep, then Alodine. I found that using Scotchbright with Alumiprep at the same time is messy and gets it all over. This stuff is unhealthy so you want to keep it as clean as you can. So going forward this is what I am going to try:





1) Rough the part with Scotchbright, easy and quick process.


2) Dunk in bath of, or wipe down with Alumiprep in a rag to clean off oil/dust, and etch the metal. Use gloves and keep the Alumiprep mixed in a sealed container.


3) Wash after with Water.


4) Dunk the part in Alodine (mixed with water), or paint with straight Alodine if the part is too big to dunk. This will provide better adhesion of primer and additional corrosion protection. (The Alodine step is not absolutely necessary so might be skipping this one in the future.)


5)Wash with Water, Then Prime.


I use gloves and safety glasses through this whole process. Here are some pics at my first attempt at priming. Need more reducer, it went on kind of clumpy. (not too good)