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Powder coating Grove Airfoil gear legs?

claycookiemonster

Well Known Member
Firstly, wise or not?
Secondly, if I do powder coat them, do I powder coat the entire length, or should I leave some areas virginal where fasteners will come in contact?
 
Don't know what the heat will do to the leg, but my experience might be worth recounting.

I have a C180 and back in '94 or '95, I had the main gear legs powder coated. I had them prime the legs first. In the years since then, both gear legs picked up a few chips in the paint. These are large enough to be plainly visible.

I decided that if I ever had the legs off again, I'd have the powder coating stripped off and something - don't know what - that's more durable applied. Since the legs are steel, I don't have the option of leaving them polished, like you do. If I could, I'd polish them up this weekend.

Dave
 
I suggest there are two camps:
- Polish them
- Paint them

I’m in the paint camp. While there is no reason not to powder coat them (other than the upper clamp area and lower wheel axis and brake area), I suggest that the powder coat will never match whatever paint you do for the rest of the plane. That and just painting with the rest of the plane is pretty easy. So, I would not powder coat.

I do suggest you use a good epoxy primer before mating to the airplane. You’ll need to prime again for final paint, but this way hard areas at the top and bottom get covered.

Carl
 
Gear legs

I’d go with a single stage polyurethane and maybe some “ Rocker Panel Chipguard “ on the leading edge . ( comes in a spray bomb )
 
I do suggest you use a good epoxy primer before mating to the airplane. You’ll need to prime again for final paint, but this way hard areas at the top and bottom get covered.

Carl

After reading a few stories of corrosion on stored Grove legs, basically the first thing I did after admiring my new set was to clean off the drool and shoot a coat of epoxy primer.
 
I have the SkyDesigns gear legs. I polished 'em.

I also have polished aluminum 1 piece main gear legs on the Sonerai. In the 4 years I've owned the Sonerai, I've touched up the finish with a little Flitz on 2 occasions. They look great.

Here's a photo of the SkyDesigns gear legs with one leg done.

51394874940_d040464a3f_c.jpg
 
I have the SkyDesigns gear legs. I polished 'em.

I also have polished aluminum 1 piece main gear legs on the Sonerai. In the 4 years I've owned the Sonerai, I've touched up the finish with a little Flitz on 2 occasions. They look great.

Here's a photo of the SkyDesigns gear legs with one leg done.

51394874940_d040464a3f_c.jpg
Wow that's impressive, I would not have thought it possible to do that at home.
What did you use as tools and product?? How much time to do 1 leg?

I have the Grove Airfoiled, bought in 2014, installed in 2017.
Not primed or painted, they don't show sign of corrosion.
 
That is STUNNING! I had no idea such a mirror finish was possible. Assuming some rotor blade tape or something similar, how durable is that finish? My overall look is vaguely military, so polished gear legs aren't really appropriate, but now you have me thinking...
 
That is STUNNING! I had no idea such a mirror finish was possible. Assuming some rotor blade tape or something similar, how durable is that finish? My overall look is vaguely military, so polished gear legs aren't really appropriate, but now you have me thinking...
Mine are polished - not as nice as these! I was planning to stay with the original gray shade but my painter polished them for me. I'm not sure what you mean by durable, but if you want them to stay looking like a mirror, you'll need to plan some time with them monthly at a minimum. I've done nothing to mine except cleaning the bugs off, and adding some ACF-50 to keep any corrosion at bay, and they look "shiny", but not like a mirror.
 
I have the streamlined Grove legs on my -8, and they were powder coated when they were installed by a previous owner. The coating has lots of cracks, all in the crosswise direction that would be caused by the flexing of the legs. It seems that the powder coating is not flexible enough for this application.

I've been told that powder coating is like a coating of plastic, and if there is an opening in the coating (like a rivet or screw hole) there is a way for moisture and dirt to get inside and corrode things. The corrosion can progress unseen under the powder coating, as it lifts it up from the metal. My IA prefers paint, and does not advocate powder coating any structural parts of airplanes.

I plan to remove the coating and epoxy prime and poly paint the gear legs as soon as I can get to it.
 
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