Grove gear finish/corrosion protection

[colospace]

I'm getting real close to being able to install my Grove main gear.
Grove "highly recommends" corrosion protection for the "inaccessible portion" of the gear. They mention epoxy prime or anodize.
I'm just wondering what most folk have done and how it has worked out over time as far as effectiveness and maintenance.

[SkyPirate]

mine wasn't polished when I got it..but the previous over went over it with a DA GRINDER.. so I got out the buffer and rubbing compound..took awhile but got most of the scratches out,..the steel components I also coated with wax..thought about painting it but its an area where it will get kicked stepped on etc,,easier to hit it with a buffer once in a while then try to clean up scratches in a coating of sorts.

[Av8r3400]

My new Grove gear was delivered in the "DA" sanded finish.

Since I am not a polisher, I plan to paint the gear. I have a an etching primer, finish primer and epoxy paint to match the Nevada Silver which will be on the lower half of my plane.

[ken nougaret]

I was wondering the same thing, especially for the area directly under the fuse. Alodine, prime, or not worry about it because it can hardly be seen.

[AirFox]

I had my gear powder coated by a local shop for $75. It has held up great with no chips or scratches over the past year 250 hours and lots of landings. Make sure the shop doesn't heat the oven over 400 deg due the heat treatment done at the factory to the spring gear.

Here is a pic under construction.
http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/album.php?albumid=321&pictureid=4331

Scott

[Dave S]

For our Kitfox, the gear was etched, painted with epoxy primer and topped with white aerothane - same color as on the fuselage.

This has held up very well and on it's 6th year of service (attached). Just wash & wax to keep it looking nice...or ignore it over winter and clean it up again in the spring for fresh bugs.

Sincerely,

Dave S
KF 7 Trigear
912uls warp drive
St Paul, MN

[rosslr]

Ours was powder coated ex factory along with the frame. I thought it was standard but now remember asking for it to be done as an extra.

cheers

[sourdostan]

Just a "heads up," if you ever need your Grove gear straightened, as I did, it creates mucho problems if painted or powder coated. Those treatments must be removed before Grove can place in their oven and straighten.

[dholly]

^ yes, very good point Stan. Personally, stripping paint turned into a big enough P.I.T.A. that I just opted to buy new. Probably be easier and quicker to polish!

[rosslr]

As a matter of interest S Stan ... why did you have to get the gear straightened??

cheers

r

[PapuaPilot]

Ross,

On my gear I etched, alodined, used epoxy primer and then finished with a urethane paint.

FYI we have had powder coating crack & chip on the gear legs of a Cessna 206 where I work. Powder coating is not very flexible.

[Paul Z]

My gear is 5 years old, no cracks at my last inspection!

[sourdostan]

In reply to rossir, I was caught in a micoburst when landing at my home airport. All of a sudden I saw concrete out of my side window, followed by blue sky, then concrete, blue sky, etc, and dropped in from about 20-25 feet above the runway. The Grove gear I believe saved my life AND my aircraft. No structural damage other than the bent gear. The guys in the control tower thought I was a "has-been!" Followup to removing the powder coating--Grove removed it for a reasonable fee before they straightened it. Straightened gear is polished aluminum--no more powder coating or paint for me!

Stan Specht
Lakewood, Colorado
Model IV Speedster
Rotax 912 UL, 2200+ hours and still ticking!!

[rosslr]

Glad you walked away ok Stan - well done to recover it - sort of anyway! I guess you would have been rather pleased to only have bent gear!?

cheers

r

[Paul Z]

Stan,
Glad to hear you are ok. I've got the Powder coat gears, but I would much prefer to have the Polished Aluminum. I think it looks much better.

If you want to strip your Powder Coat, I've tried sandblasting, an paint Remover to no avail. I heard Permatex Gasket Remover works well, so I searched for a thread on it. Go look at this link.
http://www.choppersurplus.com/global/articles/howtoremovepowdercoating.html
Paul Z

[colospace]

I've been observing the comments so far and just wonder how the various finishes have held up over the years in the hot, humid, maybe salty parts of the country. Also wonder how anything finish other than the bare metal holds up to the flexing in/around the mounting blocks.

[rogerh12]

Alodine is great stuff, but leaves a super thin coat. I would not use it anywhere that could be exposed to rubbing or scratching.
Roger

[colospace]

Well, based upon input from Grove and Kitfoxers, I have primed/painted only the "inaccessible" portions of the gear and mounting blocks leaving the saddle portion unfinished. Plan to annually spray some Corrosion-X into that area. I polished the outer legs. We'll see how it all works out maintenance wise over time, but I think it looks pretty good now.

[jtpitkin06]

With several options available for corrosion protection it seems it comes down to personal preference on appearance vs. elbow grease.

1. Polishing - easiest to inspect Hard to buff out initially. Redo is not as hard. Looks great when first polished. Fades and fogs slowly over time if kept up with a coat of wax. Easily refinished. Can be done at home.

2. Powder coat - slick and durable. Cracks can hide underneath. Very difficult to remove for refinishing. Must go to a shop with a large oven.

3. Anodizing - easy to inspect. Durable finish lasts a long time but will slowly fade Wipe clean with a damp rag. Must go to a plating shop for buffing and treatment.

4. Paint - cheap. Can be done at home. Not difficult to strip chemically for refinishing. Can hide cracks or corrosion. Can match color of plane. Can mimick color of other treatments.

5. Chrome - never recommended for aluminum spring gear. Can cause granular corrosion.

6. Nothing - just sand or rub with a 3M pad once in a while and wax it less is more for some.

Whatever floats the boat, eh?

[PapuaPilot]

Thanks John, that is good information.

Regarding powder coating . . . here is one of my lift struts, which is made of steel not aluminum. I noticed some filiform type corrosion under the powder coating last week as I was considering painting them white.

The point I want to bring up here is that powder coating isn't impervious to corrosion. This plane is a 1999 model and spent the first 14 years of its life in Salt Lake City and near the Pacific ocean with the original owner. I'm not sure if this was due to poor preparation, thin powder coating, nicks, etc. but there is some serious corrosion under the powder coating. It didn't look too bad until I stripped off the powder coating.

I need to take care of this and will clean up the corrosion and paint them with epoxy primer and Aerothane which i going to hold up much better than powder coating.

[airlina]

Phil , my Series 5 is the same vintage as yours, and as I inspected the components for assembly in '99 , I found several parts with corrosion showing itself under the powder coat. It was obvious that poor prep was to blame and powder coat was applied over the corrosion as my kit was new and straight from the old Skystar factory. Poor quality control back then. I had to remove all the coating, remove the corrosion and epoxy prime . Still looking at flying this year? Bruce N199CL