protective plastic blue covering

[dspender]

I've seen several builder logs where the builder elects to keep the blue plastic covering over the aluminum surface (except for the rivet lines) till later in the build. How do they remove the blue plastic along the rivet line without damaging the underlying aluminum? And, isn't the blue plastic difficult to remove if it remains on the surface for a year or longer?

 

[woxofswa]

The sooner the blue plastic is removed, the better. It's purpose is to protect the surfaces during shipping. The longer it is on, the harder it becomes to remove and more residue it leaves behind.
I've watched guys leave it on to keep the surface shiney and pristine, and the first thing that happens at the paint shop is vigorous scouring with scotch bright pads.
A wise old sage once said that the reason that newbies often leave it on is that it makes the first construction photos look more dynamic.

 

[dmattmul]

I've seen several builder logs where the builder elects to keep the blue plastic covering over the aluminum surface (except for the rivet lines) till later in the build. How do they remove the blue plastic along the rivet line without damaging the underlying aluminum? And, isn't the blue plastic difficult to remove if it remains on the surface for a year or longer.

Not a fan of leaving the blue plastic on unless MAYBE you are going with the polished aluminum look. Not sure there is a reason to leave it on, but many builders do except along the rivet lines. (And one I saw did not do that )

 

[CharlesC]

A lot of folks use a soldering iron or gun and a straight edge to run a line through the blue plastic on either side of a rivet line. This leaves a large part of the panel covered in the (protective?) blue plastic, but it usually does leave a slight scratch mark where the solder iron tip came in contact. I used this technique with the idea that I would polish the aircraft rather than painting it. That remains to be seen . I live in the desert southwest and even after several years, the blue film has not been a problem to remove. But, it does seem to leave more of a residue and in more humid climates, I am Sure, leaving the blue film on would invite corrosion.

 

[dspender]

I've seen several builder logs where the builder elects to keep the blue plastic covering over the aluminum surface (except for the rivet lines) till later in the build. How do they remove the blue plastic along the rivet line without damaging the underlying aluminum? And, isn't the blue plastic difficult to remove if it remains on the surface for a year or longer?

That was my take and experience when I built my first 10.

 

[riseric]

Not a fan of leaving the blue plastic on unless MAYBE you are going with the polished aluminum look. Not sure there is a reason to leave it on, but many builders do except along the rivet lines. (And one I saw did not do that )

FWIW, my 8 is polished.
When I started the build, I too left the blue plastic on the tail parts.
Soon, I noticed white corrosion between the plastic and the surface.
I scuffed it away with some Scotch Brite pad and covered the area with primer paint.
After that all blue plastic was removed ASAP.
On another boo-boo, I scuffed the outside of an under wing inspection panel by mistake.
When it was time to polish, both scuffed areas were given the regular orange then green Nu-Shine paste treatment.
None can see where the surfaces were scuffed.