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Rust-Oleum

Which primer option?

  • No primer

    Votes: 3 13.0%
  • Use Rust-Oleum

    Votes: 12 52.2%
  • Use aircraft primer

    Votes: 8 34.8%

  • Total voters
    23

hamblin10

Active Member
So why pay over $30 per can for Marhyde self etching primer when it appears that Rust-Oleum at $6 a can will do the same thing for interior parts? Both are self etching and for aluminum. Even Vans states that alclad aluminum does not need a primer. So my point is any primer is still better than no primer and no primer is still considered acceptable. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.
 
So why pay over $30 per can for Marhyde self etching primer when it appears that Rust-Oleum at $6 a can will do the same thing for interior parts? Both are self etching and for aluminum. Even Vans states that alclad aluminum does not need a primer. So my point is any primer is still better than no primer and no primer is still considered acceptable. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

I'm alodining our RV-7 and priming mating surfaces with Rustoleum professional aluminum primer. It's *not* self-etching (that's a different rustoleum product), but the alumiprep prior to alodine is giving me solid adhesion/scratch resistance. If I build another RV, I may just alodine, with no primer.
 
I use RustOleum for most interior priming duties except for inner cockpit areas. For those cockpit surfaces I use a good quality 2part polyurethane primer & paint system. Usual surface prep before priming.

If you plan to use RustOleum (or other) products in the cockpit area, do yourself a favour & torture test it on some scrap aluminum & see if you can scratch or scrape it off. Nothing worse than having a 100hr new RV with chipping interior paint that looks worse than a 50 year old Piper.
 
I'm alodining our RV-7 and priming mating surfaces with Rustoleum professional aluminum primer. It's *not* self-etching (that's a different rustoleum product), but the alumiprep prior to alodine is giving me solid adhesion/scratch resistance. If I build another RV, I may just alodine, with no primer.
I have had a very positive experience with Rustoleum professional aluminum primer but I can't get it anymore at HomeDepot or any other local stores.

I used it only for some small interior parts that is not part of structure but it seemed very durable. As how it will do for corrosion protection, I will know in a few years as I have a couple of samples hanging outside in open air.
 
Have not tried Rust oleum but did use SEM, Duplicolor and other auto-parts/auto paint supply store self-etch primer, with acceptable results. Note that most rattle can primers will wipe off with common solvents, like acetone, lacquer thinner, MEK. I accepted this.
 
U-Pol Acid 8 has proven itself at my workplace. We build aluminum railings and structures in the coast of Florida and it is our go to primer for touch up and field work. I believe it is 20$ for a large aerosol can, also available in quarts and gallons.
 
primer

Self etching primer from auto zone. It may be duplicolor, its not rustoleum. Holding up well after five plus years non RV.
 
SW Wash primer

SW wash primer, just like Vans uses.

For the small jobs I mix it up and blot it on with a paper towel. But always use a respirator. Chemist friend said the quad chromium is not as dangerous as the solvents.
 
I've got a mixed bag. Tail section is mating surfaces only with self-etching hardware. Wings are zinc chromate/oxide. Fuselage is 2-part epoxy.

Throughout, whenever something small needs a little touch-up, countersink or otherwise, a rattle-can hardware store primer gets used.

Bare alclad works, but it's easily "damaged". It's soft and easily scratched. Pretty much all primers are more durable than alclad and provide corrosion protection.

Another big thing is what we intend to do with our planes and how we intend to store them. Airliners do the full alodine, epoxy primer treatment, but they live outside in summer rain storms, then soaked in deice fluid all winter and fly through miserable wet weather daily. Basically a very harsh environment. Our planes fly on sunny nice days, kept in hangars, and might see the inside of a cloud on the odd IFR flight. A much more friendly environment. We can use less toxic primers and skip the alodine in favour of convenient rattle cans.

It's also experimental aviation. Part of the experiment can be aluminum surface treatment. :D
 
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