Finished up the seats this week.
I finally remembered to take some pictures while priming.
With the weather (raining when I need to paint) and other commitments, I usually end up finishing parts up to riveting stage, then going on with the next thing until I can get them primed. By the time everything comes together, I can have a pretty big pile of parts backed up.
For this batch I had all the seat parts plus some baggage compartment covers. I wish I'd thought to do the flap cover and fuel/center covers, but I didn't.
Basically once everything has been cut to length/machined, match drilled, deburred, dimpled/countersunk (if necessary) and everything else, the last thing to do is prime the parts then rivet them together. Sometimes I'll get everything up to drilling (like in the case of the right seat) and prime it first, since it won't be exposed to any weather, drilling after priming is no big deal.
Priming is pretty simple although it takes a while (2-3 hours) with all the prep/setup, waiting for the paint to "cook" (it's a two part epoxy primer), then spraying it, cleaning everything up, then tearing it all down and putting everthing away.
Once all the parts are ready, I go over them and make sure all the parts are scuffed up, then clean them several times with MEK or Acetone, followed by alcohol.
Pile of parts ready and staged for priming.
I paint outside in the side yard. Since it's not a finish coat, the dust really isn't an issue, and the epoxy is not something you want to breathe. I use my sawhorses and a bunch of large pieces of cardboard to support the parts.
I also wear long sleeves and a solvent respirator. The epoxy is kicked off with something that looks/smells like MEK, which is some pretty nasty stuff.
I use a cheap HVLP gun I got at Harbor Freight aircraft supply at Tim Ribble's recommendation. It does a really good job for under $40. If I'm careful I can get a pretty nice finish.
The epoxy primer came from
Aircraft Spruce - AkzoNobel two part. If you look inside nearly any Boeing aircraft, military or civilian, you'll see this stuff. Expensive, but tough as nails and dries super fast. It's mixed 1 to 1.
I tried a few measuring ideas before I hit on this stainless ladle. It's perfect, just hide it in the garage so no one uses it for cooking.
Mix the paint in a mixing cup, then let is simmer for 30 minutes. The pot life is really good - you've got several hours, which is amazing cause once it is sprayed it literally dries almost as fast as you can paint. I can turn parts over in 5 minutes. They are stackable by the time I'm done priming and starting to clean up.
Batch of parts after priming. Mostly seat parts, but also some miscellaneous parts from the baggage compartment and rear fuse.
Seat backs and baggage compartment covers after priming.
Once I had everything primed, it was finally time to nail the seats together. There are a lot of parts that have to be clecoed together. It turned out I could use my pneumatic squeezer w/the Longeron yoke for nearly everything, I just had to clamp it in such a way that it was easy to get to. Most of the rivets (actually all of them come to think of it) are AN470-4 round head.
Working on the left seat. The piano hinges are the attach points to the floor and bulkhead.
Here's the completed left seat riveted and installed in the fuse. Really light (< 5lbs) and very strong.
Here's a side view. I haven't cut the hinge pins to length yet.
Working on the right seat back.
Both seats finished, hinge pins cut to length, bent and installed.
View of the seats looking aft. I can finally throw in some cushions, sit in it and make airplane noises. (yes, I did do that.)
