Understanding the In's & Out's of Paint System Selection

[Bertha]

Good to know. I used glass bead on the the bulkhead (SkatMagic). I will actually have to hit that again before primer out of fear of flash rust. (I sandblasted it over a year ago originally). I could use that on the rest of the body parts, but it does leave a very slight pitting, so the only quick alternative would probably be walnut shells or something.

Maybe I'm kidding myself...but my current plan is to hit the fenders, tub, etc with sandblock, water, and muscle in the Spring. I have aircraft stripper, but I'm afraid it will get in the seams. Just not worth the risk to me.

You can't use skat blast on any aluminum parts-it will destroy them. As far as the bulkhead, high build primer will fill any sandblast pits(not rust pits). Walnuts shells are to light a media for the job. Wet sanding is only for sanding down primer before painting or nibbing a new paint finish. Aircraft stripper works best on aluminum. If you are worried about the seams, tape them off, before applying stripper. When I use stripper on aluminum parts , I wipe off as much excess as I can and then wash the stripped part with soap and water(if it is aluminum), dry it, prepsol it(degreaser used before painting) and etch prime or epoxy prime the part. You can also use a DA(dual action orbital sander) with 180 grit. This also works well(use a mask for the dust). I would stay away from any coarser of a grit, as it will leave marks in the aluminium/birmabright.

[thixon]

he doesnt need me to, but I'll x2 Bertha on the 180 grit, and blasting alum parts.

I know the temptation is there to use 60 or 80 grit pads on the DA, but you'll regret it. You can cover up the marks, but it takes ALOT of building primer and sanding to do so. Not worth it.

[JackIIA]

whew! thanks guys. what would I do without you?...oh i know, destroy the bodywork of my IIA!!

aircraft stripper it is then.