cobra alum trailer re finish

Okay we've talked about gliders now lets talk about trailers I have a cobra

1984 all aluminum chalking up needs and needs to be refinished what
would you use and do you need to prime. There is no peeling just severe
chalking the current plan is too sand for a tooth an wipe it down before
applying a one part auto paint. Any other suggestions? I have never
painted before so am open for suggestions.

Thanks
CH

I had the same issue on an older fiberglass cobra and solved it by
taking to an auto repair shop. Had to hunt around a bit before I
found one that would take it. They sanded and filled as needed and
then primed and final coat as though was a car repair. Even put it
through their drying/curing hot room. Came out very nice and much
less expense than if I would have done it myself. Suggest looking
into that kind of repair.

ASW27BV

On Dec 25, 9:01*am, Cliff Hilty
wrote:
Okay we've talked about gliders now lets talk about trailers I have a cobra

1984 all aluminum chalking up needs and needs to be refinished what
would you use and do you need to prime. There is no peeling just severe
chalking the current plan is too sand for a tooth an wipe it down before
applying a one part auto paint. Any other suggestions? I have never
painted before so am open for suggestions.

Thanks
CH

If you have chalking and no peeling you could always do a cut and buff
with rubbing compound and wax. Start with a mild compound and work
your way up if needed. If you do need to paint, take a look at some of
the mail order parts houses such as Summit. They have a limited stock
colors (Which doesn't matter if you are choosing white) and vastly
cheaper prices for single stage paints. Good luck.

"Morgans" ``````Should have said -----correction change
to --------

I will speak to the paint. One ------step----- auto paints are very
tricky, to use and
get an acceptable finish. DO NOT think because it is
------step------ that you will
get off easier than a base color-clear coat system. The slightest error in
not keeping a wet edge, or getting a bit heavy causing a run, or too high of
air pressure and getting orange peel, or a bit of moisture in your air
causing fish eyes, or.. the list goes on. That is the error that is going
to be on top, so you have to start all over on a section, masking it off,
and correcting the problem. with a clear coat, you fix the error in the base
color coat, then shoot a bit of new color down, and get on with the clear
coat. The clear is less likely to show many of these issues, and easier to
fix a problem, feather in some new clear and buff it out.

If you don't know what any of the terms I used are talking about, you are
not ready to paint your own trailer, before you spend a bit of time with an
experienced paint man learning a bit more about painting.

My advice. Go with a base color and clear coat system.

-- Jim in NC

If you want it to last, paint it the same way you would paint an
aluminium aircraft: strip to bare metal, etch the surface, conversion
coat with Alodine, prime with an epoxy primer containing zinc-chromate
then top coat with a 2 part polyurethane. The coloured polyurethane
topcoat can sometimes also be covered with a clear of the same type
(from the same manufacturer of course) for extra resistance to U.V.

The most difficult thing would be to find a spray booth big enough to
take a glider trailer. Aircraft, boat and truck painters are the most
likely places to have one.

All that aside, I do know a couple of people who just slapped paint
on their aluminium trailers using a roller. Of course these were old,
home-built box type trailers that they didn't feel justified in
spending a significant amount of money on. With a Cobra it's probably
worth doing right. If you do the stripping yourself and then do the
etching and conversion coating in the booth before handing it over to
a pro for the actual painting you could save a fair amount of money
while still getting a first class refinish.

By the way, I still remember a guy who came into the paint store
where I used to work after painting his car with paint he bought from
one of our resellers. Quote: "Yeah, I painted my car with (two part
polyurethane paint) without using a mask..... I couldn't taste
anything for a couple of weeks, but it was no big deal..." Then there
were the guys who wanted to take the used 205 liter drums that had
contained methylene chloride paint stripper, wash them out and use
them to "Make wine in".

On Dec 26, 1:07*am, Hagbard Celine wrote:
*If you want it to last, paint it the same way you would paint an
aluminium aircraft: strip to bare metal, etch the surface, conversion
coat with Alodine, prime with an epoxy primer containing zinc-chromate
then top coat with a 2 part polyurethane. The coloured polyurethane
topcoat can sometimes also be covered with a clear of the same type
(from the same manufacturer of course) for extra resistance to U.V.

*The most difficult thing would be to find a spray booth big enough to
take a glider trailer. Aircraft, boat and truck painters are the most
likely places to have one.

*All that aside, I do know a couple of people who just slapped paint
on their aluminium trailers using a roller. Of course these were old,
home-built box type trailers that they didn't feel justified in
spending a significant amount of money on. With a Cobra it's probably
worth doing right. If you do the stripping yourself and then do the
etching and conversion coating in the booth before handing it over to
a pro for the actual painting you could save a fair amount of money
while still getting a first class refinish.

*By the way, I still remember a guy who came into the paint store
where I used to work after painting his car with paint he bought from
one of our resellers. Quote: "Yeah, I painted my car with (two part
polyurethane paint) without using a mask..... I couldn't taste
anything for a couple of weeks, but it was no big deal..." Then there
were the guys who wanted to take the used 205 liter drums that had
contained methylene chloride paint stripper, wash them out and use
them to "Make wine in".

If the paint is just chalky then buff it out and wax.
The paint problems that would trigger a respray would be blistering
and peeling.
The paint you have if it is still sound would take much less labor to
buff and way than redo.
Also if the paint is sound then a scuff and paint is possible, since
tha majority of the work is in the proper preparation before paint.
All of that work will be many times the work of buffing and waxing.

On Dec 26, 5:47*am, wrote:
On Dec 26, 1:07*am, Hagbard Celine wrote:









*If you want it to last, paint it the same way you would paint an
aluminium aircraft: strip to bare metal, etch the surface, conversion
coat with Alodine, prime with an epoxy primer containing zinc-chromate
then top coat with a 2 part polyurethane. The coloured polyurethane
topcoat can sometimes also be covered with a clear of the same type
(from the same manufacturer of course) for extra resistance to U.V.

*The most difficult thing would be to find a spray booth big enough to
take a glider trailer. Aircraft, boat and truck painters are the most
likely places to have one.

*All that aside, I do know a couple of people who just slapped paint
on their aluminium trailers using a roller. Of course these were old,
home-built box type trailers that they didn't feel justified in
spending a significant amount of money on. With a Cobra it's probably
worth doing right. If you do the stripping yourself and then do the
etching and conversion coating in the booth before handing it over to
a pro for the actual painting you could save a fair amount of money
while still getting a first class refinish.

*By the way, I still remember a guy who came into the paint store
where I used to work after painting his car with paint he bought from
one of our resellers. Quote: "Yeah, I painted my car with (two part
polyurethane paint) without using a mask..... I couldn't taste
anything for a couple of weeks, but it was no big deal..." Then there
were the guys who wanted to take the used 205 liter drums that had
contained methylene chloride paint stripper, wash them out and use
them to "Make wine in".

If the paint is just chalky then buff it out and wax.
The paint problems that would trigger a respray would be blistering
and peeling.
The paint you have if it is still sound would take much less labor to
buff and way than redo.
Also if the paint is sound then a scuff and paint is possible, since
tha majority of the work is in the proper preparation before paint.
All of that work will be many times the work of buffing and waxing.

Time for a new glider! It'll come in a shiny new trailer!!

Mike

On Monday, December 26, 2011 6:58:30 PM UTC-5, Mike the Strike wrote:
Time for a new glider! It'll come in a shiny new trailer!!

Cliff, I can help you with that ;-)
See ya, Dave "YO electric"

On Dec 26, 6:52*pm, Dave Nadler wrote:
On Monday, December 26, 2011 6:58:30 PM UTC-5, Mike the Strike wrote:
Time for a new glider! *It'll come in a shiny new trailer!!

Cliff, I can help you with that ;-)
See ya, Dave "YO electric"

Cliff, how about we just buff off all the old paint from our Cobras
down to bare aluminum and polish them up like a P-51! Maybe with D-
Day stripes and scantily clad ladies on the side!

Sure would be easy to spot our trailers on the ramp!

66

On 12/26/2011 5:50 PM, kirk.stant wrote:
On Dec 26, 6:52 pm, Dave wrote:
On Monday, December 26, 2011 6:58:30 PM UTC-5, Mike the Strike wrote:
Time for a new glider! It'll come in a shiny new trailer!!

Cliff, I can help you with that ;-)
See ya, Dave "YO electric"

Cliff, how about we just buff off all the old paint from our Cobras
down to bare aluminum and polish them up like a P-51! Maybe with D-
Day stripes and scantily clad ladies on the side!

Sure would be easy to spot our trailers on the ramp!

66

I'm thinking a remote key lock that flashes the lights and sounds a
small horn, just like a car. It'd be lot less work. Shoot, go for a big
horn!

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)