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Torque Tube Primering

77bonanza

Active Member
How do you sand the inside of torque tubes and rods to insure adhesion of the primer. I've seen posts on primering but nothing on sanding to insure proper adhesion.
 
Other methods?

I've been thinking about this lately too. I see from other's blogs that once you prime the ends can be hard/impossible to fit back in.

I'm wondering if alodine or even anodizing would be best on these parts. It wouldn't build up the material thickness and would get all the way inside the tube without dumping a pint of primer in.

The last Kitplanes had an article on home-brew anodizing, but I wonder what a local shop would charge for something like that.
 
I ran a Scotchbrite pad through repeatedly to scuff it, then ran a cloth soaked with lacquer thinner, then naptha through like cleaning a rifle barrel. Sloshed with Dupont Variprime primer and let dry. I waited 'til I had some other parts to prime so I was able to recover a lot of what ran out and use it. I haven't had any of them apart so I don't know if the primer hung in there or not. I had to remove the primer again to get the end fittings in but I painted primer on them and assembled them wet.
 
How do you sand the inside of torque tubes and rods to insure adhesion of the primer. I've seen posts on primering but nothing on sanding to insure proper adhesion.

With wire brushes and wick flat wood bit's extensions.

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There it's done !
 
I just flooded them with MEK and then used a long wooden dowl to push some clean cloth through as best as possible. Then just let it dry and then get spray can primer and just turn it while you spray inside so it can swirl down. I don't remember any issues fitting the ends in afterwards. It's not a perfect process but seemed to work well.
 
I just flooded them with MEK and then used a long wooden dowl to push some clean cloth through as best as possible. Then just let it dry and then get spray can primer and just turn it while you spray inside so it can swirl down. I don't remember any issues fitting the ends in afterwards. It's not a perfect process but seemed to work well.

Precisely the way I did it, except I pulled the cloth through with some nylon rope. You can eyeball the coating of primer inside the tubes pretty well with a back-light source.
 
Thanks for the many responses. I think I will try the idea of wire brushes with an extension rotated by a drill. That looked like a good idea.

77Bonanza
 
In England, we use ferrets for all sorts of agricultural pest control. They can help with rodents, rabbits etc etc. Very useful.

They are a small trainable rodent that will go down very small runs and in small access areas.

So what a few of us in the UK have done is to train our ferrets to run down the torque tubes, push rods and other small access areas in the build of an RV with primer liberally dosed on their coats.

They soon accept it with treats, they are unharmed and seem keen to do more.

I am hoping we can get the to run wires next.
 
In England, we use ferrets for all sorts of agricultural pest control. They can help with rodents, rabbits etc etc. Very useful.

They are a small trainable rodent that will go down very small runs and in small access areas.

So what a few of us in the UK have done is to train our ferrets to run down the torque tubes, push rods and other small access areas in the build of an RV with primer liberally dosed on their coats.

They soon accept it with treats, they are unharmed and seem keen to do more.

I am hoping we can get the to run wires next.

Shoving the rabbit 🐰 in first would be problematic I'd expect. 😉
 
Thanks for the many responses. I think I will try the idea of wire brushes with an extension rotated by a drill. That looked like a good idea.

77Bonanza
 
Where is that 'Best Answer' button.....

In England, we use ferrets for all sorts of agricultural pest control. They can help with rodents, rabbits etc etc. Very useful.

They are a small trainable rodent that will go down very small runs and in small access areas.

So what a few of us in the UK have done is to train our ferrets to run down the torque tubes, push rods and other small access areas in the build of an RV with primer liberally dosed on their coats.

They soon accept it with treats, they are unharmed and seem keen to do more.

I am hoping we can get the to run wires next.
 
In England, we use ferrets for all sorts of agricultural pest control. They can help with rodents, rabbits etc etc. Very useful.

They are a small trainable rodent that will go down very small runs and in small access areas.

So what a few of us in the UK have done is to train our ferrets to run down the torque tubes, push rods and other small access areas in the build of an RV with primer liberally dosed on their coats.

They soon accept it with treats, they are unharmed and seem keen to do more.

I am hoping we can get the to run wires next.

Brilliant! :D

Doug, this is why we need a post 'Like' button...
 
Thanks for the many responses. I think I will try the idea of wire brushes with an extension rotated by a drill. That looked like a good idea.

77Bonanza

I do not regret especially for rusty steel tubes. And for a better grip of the primer on aluminium too.
 
Armageddon......

You Google it, I'm not even going there Gents.

Many thanks for the likes, it shows that irony extends across the ocean :D
 
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