Wing walk material

[Kirk S]

I am ready to install the wing walk material, should I wait until the wing is painted or before,,,, almost sounds like which came first, the chicken or the egg ! I think it would adhere better to the clean metal, but it might be a pain to paint around and I am definitively not a painter.
TIA, Kirk S ,
RV-7, N 368 KA

 

[D-Dubya]

If you're going to paint it before you fly it, then wait to apply the wing walk. But you want something on there before you fly it, especially with a tail dragger.

For reference, I used the stick-on variety from Aircraft Spruce (cut to size) for the first year or so while I flew the unpainted plane. The paint shop removed those and painted on some new wing walk material while it was in the paint shop. I think they used a little heat and a plastic scraper to get the old stick-on sheets off. They said it was "...nuthin' to get it off."

 

[Larry DeCamp]

PAINTED ON VS ADHESIVE APPLIED WINGWALK.
Spray paint flows and wicks from surface tension / capillary action. Winlgwalk with abrasive imbedded is hard to mask off well.
If the wing is painted first, then wing walk painted, the tape line is crisp. BUT, interlayer adhesion is a variable, plus wear is a concern per comments above.
Adhesive film from Flyboys sticks extremely well ,has good wet traction and wears well. The only issue with it is auto fuel can soften the adhesive..Good luck !

 

[Kirk S]

Thanks, I will plan on installing the wing walk on top of the paint. Kirk