With the boom stripped of all its accoutrements and freshly sanded in the last week, I wanted to get that first layer of primer on - stopping the oxidation and allowing me to continue forward with fairing the surface, additional primer, topcoat paint and final assembly. Materials also came in over the last few days (etching chemical and the aluminum barrier coat paint), and so I was now prepared to move forward with the process of refreshing the boom, and ultimately the mast.

I started by moving the boom out of the shop and set it on a work surface. I poured about a cup of the etching chemical in a small container and grabbed a maroon scouring pad. With the appropriate PPE on, I loaded up the scouring pad and scrubbed the boom in a fairly aggressive manner, removing any oxidation that occurred on the surface over the last few days. I immediately followed the etching chemical scrub with a fresh water rinse. I applied this process down the boom, working the boom in thirds. I suspended the near 9' boom by running a ~14' length of mahogany off-cut 1" x 1" through the boom, the ends of the mahogany were captured by lines hanging from the roof trusses. With the boom at working height, I dried the surface with clean shop towels. Once the surface is etched, one has about an hour to get primer on or oxidation might present issues with paint adhesion. With this in mind, I mixed the two-part paint and set it aside for the 15-minute induction period. While the paint was doing its thing, I pulled together my other tools for the painting - additional gloves, foam brushes, and clean rags.

Once the induction period expired, I immediately began painting the boom by starting at the gooseneck end and working my way to the outhaul. The aluminum barrier coat, thinned at <5%, went on well and the one coat had exceptional coverage. The first coat was to halt oxidation and begin the process of painting, but it also enhanced a couple areas that will require fairing compound and sanding prior to the next coat of primer. The boom's appearance will be a dramatic improvement, and it's coming along nicely.

Total Hrs: 1.5