Bob,
How do you know your wings are painted with Imron? How long has it been
since they were recovered? What fabric and recovering process was used?
All of these issues impact your decisions about a failing paint job.
When I bought my coupe the wings were finished in a high gloss paint
that looked suspiciously like an automotive paint. The? paint had
started to crack and I bought the plane knowing? that the wings would
soon need recovering. I inquired around to see if the paint could be
repaired. The first step seemed to be to determine what paint is
actually on the wing. I was told the process to accomplish this
involved using various solvents to discover the actual finish. In my
case, the log book indicated the wings had not been recovered for quite
some time so I decided to fly it for a while (after it was approved for
flight by an IA) and then just recover the wings at a convenient time.
Unless the paperwork contains a 337 and an STC defining the last
covering process used, I don't know that I would trust a plain logbook
entry for identifying materials used during a recovering and/or paint
job. While just a paint job may not require a 337, I believe a
recovering does require one. In the case of the cracking paint, the IA
seemed to feel that as long as the fabric under the paint was not
weakened by exposure to water or the sun, it would be safe to fly.
However, I could see that the cracks were increasing in number and
small patches of bare fabric were becoming exposed to the elements.
I ended up doing my wings myself under the supervision of an IA. I
enjoyed learning the process. And I gained the additional comfort of
knowing the wings structure is currently corrosion free and well
protected by the two part epoxy now in use. I also had the chance to
smooth out the dings in the leading edge that the plane acquired over
the past 60 plus years. I suggest you look around and find an IA that
you can work with and use his knowledge and expertise to diagnose and
fix the problem with your wings.
John Roach
N 2427H
?
Bob Stearns wrote:
?
My fabric wings are painted
with Imron. I just noticed a hairline crack, curved maybe 3 inches
long, above one of the ribs. Should I worry unduly? Can it be repaired?
Stop drilling is out of the question <vbg>.
