Reply-To: Sky2high@aol.com
Reply-To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
From: "Scott Krueger" <sky2high@hotmail.com>
To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
Subject: LNC2 glass priming/painting,  the results with age, Plans for the Legacy
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001 10:14:20 -0600
Message-ID: <F91f8dAQk0I31n1ZbCR0000d35e@hotmail.com>
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Personal replies to Sky2high@aol.com

My LNC2 glass was triple primed with WLS and wet sanded (100, 220, 320).  
This was not hard because good results require work.  It does take time if 
you are willing to use long boards and do it by hand (heavens!).

Some of the parts were primed in 1992, some in 1995.  The plane was flown in 
1996 and 1997 in the primer with numbers painted on with Krylon.  After 
cleaning with acetone, it was painted with PPG and BASF paints and clear 
coated.  Remember that Saf-T-Poxy II was used to construct this airplane.  
Comments follow:

1. This airplane looks sharp in the sun and has won several awards at 
Oshkosh and Sun-n-fun.

2. Krylon can be cleaned off with acetone, but there was an apparent bulge 
under the final finish for one year where the Krylon was used for the 
N-number.  It has all but disappeared.

3. In the hangar, under flourescent light, one can see the weave of the 
glass fabric.  Perhaps I should have had the painter put a final coat of an 
appropriate primer on before the paint.

4. Certain structures, such as the foam blocks used for the rudder hinge, 
can be seen as bulges from an acute angle.

5. The 3-M structural adhesive has shrunk and is most noticable at the joint 
between the wing and wing tip.

6. Pre-preg does shrink and move over time.

7. Those areas where micro was used to fill low spots are as smooth as glass 
(no pun intended).

8. The prop hole area on the spinner and an area above a cylinder on the 
cowl have exhibited surface cracks which may be a result of flex and/or 
heat.  The clear coat may have needed a little more flex agent.  Note:  the 
softness of the clear coat is perfect since it is shiny with no waxing 
required.  If the surface starts to look dowdy, just re-buff it.

9.  Where I have chipped the paint (around a few screw holes, at an edge, 
etc.) it just looks as though I didn't prep well enough.  I.e. the paint 
chipped off of the primer -- see # 3 above.

A strategy for the all carbon Legacy:

The carbon fiber is different than pre-preg or glass in that the weave is a 
lot looser.  I expect more pin holes.  The moldings are beautiful and less 
shaping and filling will be required.  The elevator and rudder are 
constructed in such a way as to make the surfaces concave.  These will be 
filled with SuperFil, a two part micro-like very-light sandable filler.  
This stuff requires muscles to mix, goes on like frosting, is easily tooled 
and sandable the next day.

Prior to priming, I will apply a slurry of very wet micro (Jeffco epoxy) and 
"final draft shape" the result.  This should fill most every pinhole and I 
hope to see results as in #7 above.  I have used this procedure on the 
Legacy horizontal stab and elevator.  We shall see.

This is not a unique idea -- A friend with a plans built Cozy applied 2 
coats of epoxy (West Systems?) before priming and there is no weave apparent 
in his finish.  While I have not seen any cracks in his finish, I believe 
that epoxy alone is too brittle for an under-surface.  I will then use WLS 
primer, maybe only two coats, or whatever the final paint person suggests.  
I also expect that carbon will not shrink or move as time goes on.

Any ideas from those all carbon IV's?

Scott Krueger
LNC2 - N92EX
Legacy #2

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