The project has reached a point where there are two sub-assemblies’ worth of parts that need to have primer applied before the sub-assemblies can be assembled. It’s time to get my shop set up for priming. I think this is the last major shop setup task I need to do.
I plan to use a two-part epoxy primer from AkzoNobel that is popular among home-builders and is also commonly used in commercial and military aerospace applications. This primer is applied using an air-powered spray gun. I really don’t want to build a whole enclosed paint booth, so I’m going to do the next best thing and build a downdraft painting table. The main reason for this is to allow me to paint inside my garage. The table will provide airflow over the paint application area, capturing overspray and venting the fumes outside. This job is not about having a perfect finish. It’s about reliable and safe application of primer to interior surfaces.
I looked at a bunch of examples that I could find on the Internet and settled on a design built around stuff I had available around the house. I bought a Vortex blower from a friend who had been using it to cool computer equipment back when mining Bitcoin was profitable.
I built a wooden frame similar to the EAA-1000 tables I had already built for my workshop and mounted the blower on the underside:
I then enclosed the interior to guide the airflow, leaving a gap that fits a 24×24 whole-house air filter:
I then added two levels of movable baffles to catch overspray and protect the filter, and a chicken-wire table-top to hold the parts being primed.
I’ll probably add a few more modifications before I declare it done. Hopefully I’ll soon be able to make priming an integral part of my building pipeline.
Ted's RV-7 Build 