Spinner, to paint or polish?

[kitfoxSwede]

Hi!

I am fitting a new aluminum spinner to my Kitfox MkII and I was planning to paint it. But then I thought that it might be better to polish it. The pros of polish as I see it is that there is no risk that the paint comes of in the future. On the other hand polishing aluminum and keeping it polished might take some work. I am not even sure if it possible to get a really polished finish on the spinner so painting might be a safer bet. On the other hand polished aluminum looks cool.

All thought would be appreciated!

Thank!

[Dave S]

KitfoxSwede,

Here are a couple random thoughts.....

Good reasons for either treatment; and, builders do either....love both paint and polished aluminum. The decisions we need to make as builders!

Sounds like your biggest concern with painting is potential de-lamination....Keeping the paint sticking is a matter of proper preparation and application......if done correctly...it'll stick. The surface has to be clean (solvent and detergent wash), prep means abrading the surface so the paint has enough "tooth" to stick (fine abrasive pads or aluminum compatible fine abrasive paper) clean it again....a little phosphoric acid treatment to etch the surface...clean before priming...I like to watersand the dry primer with fine (like 400 / 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper done with soapy water to get the grunt out) clean / dry it again before applying the final topcoat.......it'll stick

The reason paint flakes off aluminum is usually because the surface is not clean and or prepped properly before the topcoat goes on.

Love polished aluminum.....but if a person starts with that, nothing to keep a person from changing their mind later and painting it ....My philosophy is a healthy mind is like engine oil...it should be changed periodically so it doesn't get gunked up.

The only paint chip on the front of my airplane is where a little birdie decided to pick I fight with my Kitfox on climbout...beak first....didn't work out well for the birdie have to look close to find the chip.

Enjoy,

Dave S
KF 7 Trigear
912ULS Warp Drive
St Paul, MN

[Clark in AZ]

You can always clear coat the polished spinner. It will keep the polished look for a long time...

[HighWing]

About three months ago I finally finished a project started almost 40 years ago. It was in Sterling Silver and you can imagine the effort spent removing those many years of tarnish. Wanting never to have to do that part again. I searched online and found a product designed to protect many types of metals from polished silver, brass, copper and aluminum to patina coated bronze sculptures. It can be dipped, brushed or sprayed. Prep mostly consists of degreasing. It is also solvent removable so recovering, if necessary, won't involve strippers or abrasives. If interested do a search for Protectaclear. I used the dipping method and watched carefully and as drips appeared on edges, I captured them as instructed with a small artist brush. It dries fairly quickly, but slow enough for full flow out for a very smooth surface.