One of the first rabbit holes for most builders is to Prime or Not. There are some parts that Vans specifically calls out to prime, but for the most part structure and skins are left for the builder to decide. There is no shortage of options on this subject but personally I knew going into this project I was going to prime inside of the skins and structure pieces so it was just a matter of what I wanted to use this time.
For simplicity I knew I was going to rattle-can. Last build I did use a 2 part AKZO product, that is really my preferred product but the setup and spraying is time consuming, you can easily over or undermix the product and in the end touchups aren't that simple. Post Empennage on my 10 I had switched to Rustoleum rattle cans, found this rather inexpensive, easy to apply and less time consuming. The Quick build also came with a wash primer so didn't have to spray a ton.
When I got to working composites on the 10 I discovered SEM products and qualitatively felt those products were superior to Rustoleums line up. I used SEM high build primer, interior paints, and top coats. I found using these in conjunction with prepping with Prekote everything came out great. Today was the first day I started building, I went forward with the path I'm taking on this build.
1. Apply Prekote with a spray bottle, hatch scrub with a grey Scotch-Brite pad. Rinse off with water and wipe down with lint free shop cloths.
2. I just laid the parts out on some of the packing paper. You can also write part numbers on if needed. The only time I really do this is when there are identical parts, I'll do this process one at a time to ensure I don't get parts confused.
3. This is all the prep work I do, If I am doing large skin pieces I do tape the edges of the sides I don't want painted to avoid any spray getting on the outside skins. Apply a LIGHT coat, not stopping or starting over the piece. I’ve seen builders lay it on thick which really impacts the bonding, or when applying they go back and forth on the part which unintentionally can lay it on too thick. Thick coats have a high risk of peeling off later.
4. Wait 5 mins and repeat with 2-3 coats. I just look for a clear covering across the part. I then flip the part and do the other side. 5 mins after last coat I inspect parts for missed areas, touching up as needed. Then I move them off the paper and put somewhere to cure an hour or so.
You can stagger this all a bit if you have a mess of parts and limited space but you're looking at 20-30 mins before you can move the part off the paper to a final cure spot.
Here’s the results of my first primed parts on this build.
NOTE: Rattle can primer will scratch easily, the AKZO is much more durable. My main concern for corrosion is between the mating surfaces so once build those will be fine. The rest will scratch and rub off over time giving that cool WWII fighter vibe.
