So I'm pondering what to do with my first welded airplane parts once I've got them done. Searching through the forum I find a lot of contradictory ideas that are mostly aimed at people making repairs rather than making a new part. At the moment, I'm talking about the compression tubes for a Charger wing (two sliding sections that get bolted together once length is determined), but I'll soon have to deal with built-up structures where I can't easily get inside all the parts, like the aileron pivot fittings (plan attached).
I see three issues to solve. The first is, how do you protect the outside of the part? My best guess right now is Stewart's EkoPoxy (I expect to be using Stewart finishes on the fabric). The second is, how to protect the otherwise unmolested interior (with mill scale and oil still intact). The third: how to protect the slide-fit interfacing metal between the bigger and smaller tube? I don't have any idea what to do about the second problem (boiled linseed oil is the one suggestion I've seen, though that advice is usually accompanied by "but you don't need to"). For the third, I'm inclined toward Lanocote rather than Mastinox, though I suspect Mastinox is the best thing. It's hard to justify the 10-20x price differential between the two, though.
How do you keep things like this from rusting out in the relatively moist environment of the Pacific Northwest?
I see three issues to solve. The first is, how do you protect the outside of the part? My best guess right now is Stewart's EkoPoxy (I expect to be using Stewart finishes on the fabric). The second is, how to protect the otherwise unmolested interior (with mill scale and oil still intact). The third: how to protect the slide-fit interfacing metal between the bigger and smaller tube? I don't have any idea what to do about the second problem (boiled linseed oil is the one suggestion I've seen, though that advice is usually accompanied by "but you don't need to"). For the third, I'm inclined toward Lanocote rather than Mastinox, though I suspect Mastinox is the best thing. It's hard to justify the 10-20x price differential between the two, though.
How do you keep things like this from rusting out in the relatively moist environment of the Pacific Northwest?
Attachments
Last edited:
