Marine Environments

[beanforge]

Does anyone have experience building an experimental in a marine environment? I've taken a job in the Middle East and am about 200 yards from the Gulf. Everything here corrodes quickly and you can see the salt on cars. I have tons of free time, a garage in which to work and a way to ship it home. How can I mitigate the salt air and humidity? I feel like I would just be building something to rust away. Are there steps to take that would minimize the corrosion or would this be a fool's errand? Certainly somebody has built something in a seaside community. Perhaps I am making too much of this?

[dedgemon]

As much as I hate to suggest it, build a plastic aiplane! 😊

[beanforge]

As much as I hate to suggest it, build a plastic aiplane! 😊

As much as I hate to hear it, it isn't a bad idea.

[marcusofcotton]

One of the greatest things I've done is to get a dehumidifier for my shop. I set it at 55% relative humidity and that has put an end to rust and corrosion in the shop.

[beanforge]

One of the greatest things I've done is to get a dehumidifier for my shop. I set it at 55% relative humidity and that has put an end to rust and corrosion in the shop.

The central air as an outlet in the garage. Maybe it isn't as bad as I assume. I'll have to monitor temp and humidity in there for a bit.

[Flyingmike]

You left McCall for the Middle East..... I'm in Boise, if you decide to sell rather than work building that BH!

Are you flying for an airline over there?

[beanforge]

You left McCall for the Middle East..... I'm in Boise, if you decide to sell rather than work building that BH!

Are you flying for an airline over there?

I'm working for an oil company. I don't have anything to sell. I got the job shortly after receiving the plans. It's going to be a long delay before I can get started, I'm afraid. We get home to MYL a couple times a year, but it isn't long enough for any meaningful progress to be made.

[zkelley2]

You could stick a round piece of steel in the corner for 3 months and see how it does.

[way_up_north]

Ive thought about this but for a different reason... building outside or have sheets/parts of the aircraft stored outside during different stages of construction..

Scuff up the sheets with scotch brite pads and primer them right off the truck(with a tough epoxy primer)....every surface covered....before you even start to cut...then touch up later after bends and cuts are made...I don't know another way to build with salt spray just feet away...

if you cant spray do to various reasons..read on

rolling the primer on with a foam roller rather then spraying since I don't have a booth/enclosed garage...less fumes.... and I cant afford overspray floating over the fence to the neighbors...

yes this will weight more..adding a few pounds to your plane(roller application vs spray)...

akzo is nasty stuff....be careful use all safety precautions

[svyolo]

People have been building things out of metal in the marine environment forever. Go for it.

Sounds like you already have the first stage of a paint booth. if you have central AC into your garage, A lot of moisture has already been removed from your garage air. The relative humidity probably hasn't changed much, but the amount of water in the air is less. Dehumidify that cooler air, and problem mitigated.

You should try spraying paint in very high ambient temps and humidity.