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Old 07-03-2016, 05:05 PM   #1
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Who said it would take an hour??

I just spent the afternoon (in 100 deg weather) applying Corrosion-X to all the rivets and exposed edges on the exterior of our 26u. I didn't do the roof or the rivets on the window frames. I also coated all the lights and wheelwell trim. I do have a lot of filaform on the outside grab handle. I can now see why filaform corrosion can be an issue. Probably 10-20% of the rivets have a little damage to the coating around the rivet. Hopefully, my proactive treatment will minimize future problems.

Now that I have done this, how often should it be repeated?
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Old 07-03-2016, 06:17 PM   #2
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What was your procedure for coating the rivets and exposed edges with Corrosion-x? Thanks.
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Old 07-03-2016, 06:28 PM   #3
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I sprayed the Corrosion-X in the cap and used a Q-tip. Went all the way around the trailer and then wiped off the excess with a towel.
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Old 07-03-2016, 07:35 PM   #4
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How many times did you thank AS for giving you all their uncoated cut surfaces to treat by hand?
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Old 07-03-2016, 09:50 PM   #5
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For the uncoated panel edges I took a felt tip acrylic touchup pen and run it carefully along the edge. Let it dry and again for three coats. Use the sharpest tip of the pen so maybe there is a 1/16 inch overlap on each panel side. I think that protects the edge fairly well.

Using CorrosionX and Boeshield T9 we are going on five years and no corrosion anywhere on our Airstream. However we have not exposed it to northern road salt or coastal salt air. We have been applying the protection a couple of times a year now, would be more often in salt environment, less in the desert.
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Old 07-04-2016, 06:32 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkottum View Post
For the uncoated panel edges I took a felt tip acrylic touchup pen and run it carefully along the edge. Let it dry and again for three coats. Use the sharpest tip of the pen so maybe there is a 1/16 inch overlap on each panel side. I think that protects the edge fairly well.

Using CorrosionX and Boeshield T9 we are going on five years and no corrosion anywhere on our Airstream. However we have not exposed it to northern road salt or coastal salt air. We have been applying the protection a couple of times a year now, would be more often in salt environment, less in the desert.
The tip is very important. I found that the tip on the pen from the AS store was too big. When I used it on test plates for a filiform corrosion test it left too much coating that resulted in a noticeable film that I am sure would look terrible on an AS. But again, being required to do this is another example of the low AS manufacturing quality. Our AS may look great, but as all, beauty is skin deep and in this case, a very thin skin that we don't want to break.
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Old 07-04-2016, 01:20 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Bgibbs View Post
I just spent the afternoon (in 100 deg weather) applying Corrosion-X to all the rivets and exposed edges on the exterior of our 26u. I didn't do the roof or the rivets on the window frames. I also coated all the lights and wheelwell trim. I do have a lot of filaform on the outside grab handle. I can now see why filaform corrosion can be an issue. Probably 10-20% of the rivets have a little damage to the coating around the rivet. Hopefully, my proactive treatment will minimize future problems.

Now that I have done this, how often should it be repeated?
That was my question as well. I haven't done ours yet because it is a real chore to crawl all over a 30' Airstream. I believe one post said less than an hour.
I still believe this treatment should be applied in some permanent fashion at the factory before the Trailer is put on the street. Looking at the average age of the Air streamers at the Farmington Rally last year tells me that most Airstreams do not get corrosion treatment.
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Old 07-05-2016, 06:35 AM   #8
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I still believe this treatment should be applied in some permanent fashion at the factory...
I look at this issue from my half century involvement with aviation. Aircraft manufacturers' solution to this corrosion issue is the use of Alclad panels, and paint, as in painting the entire aircraft. Even then if not well-prepared, usually with an alodine solution and wash before the paint is applied, filiform corrosion can be experienced.
So Airstream's solution is to use pre-coated aluminum sheets and hope for the best on the cut edges and drilled holes. Applying a fine line of clear paint sealant to the cut edges is time-consuming and something I suspect the Factory isn't willing to do. And then, what about the rivets?

So I use Corrosion X. I sprayed every rivet head and panel edge below the roof, let it soak in for a half-hour, then wiped off the excess with a cloth rag. It took about an hour, but I also didn't do the window frames. I believe the window frames, since they are unpainted, are unlikely to get filiform corrosion. (Filiform corrosion runs under something, usually paint. These windows still should be watched because, since they are unprotected, surface corrosion is a risk.)

Someone asked how often to re-treat? Corrosion X is widely used in aviation to spray the untreated interior of wings and fuselages, particularly if not painted with a corrosion preventative such as zinc chromate or its follow-on chromate-free product. Once a year, or even less frequently in non-coastal areas, seems to work quite well. So there's no one answer to the "how often?" question. If you live in a corrosive coastal area, or camp fairly frequently on the coast (including 100 miles inland), or you drive on salted roads, I'd re-treat every year. If you're in Arizona or the mid-West, probably longer will work. Also, if you're a frequent washer, I'd re-treat more often because soap does remove Corrosion X (except where it has crept between the aluminum panels and under rivet heads).

Since it's not a big time-consumer to re-treat, I plan to do it every year here in North Mississippi. After all, it takes less time to re-treat than it does to wash.
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Old 07-05-2016, 06:55 AM   #9
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Bob, very good post.

I had a career in maintenance of Navy aircraft. Our aircraft were painted, but regularly exposed to salt environment onboard ship and Naval Air Stations near the coast. .

One of my early jobs as a young sailor was helping the metalsmiths grind corrosion off the areas where rivets and fasteners held the aluminum panels. It was routine and ongoing periodic maintenance, never ended. Many of those aircraft are now stored (unused for the time being) in the desert of southern Arizona where corrosion is not an issue

Corrosion prevention and maintenance is part of owning aluminum airplanes and Airstreams. The prevention is a lot easier than the repairs.
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Old 07-05-2016, 07:26 AM   #10
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Does this corrosion prevention last longer than waxing? Its it best applied in the shade? I don't think mine has ever had this applied. I see some corrosion on one of the wheel rims but the body seems OK.

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Old 07-05-2016, 07:40 AM   #11
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Personally I don't consider waxing corrosion protection. Especially for the rivet holes under the rivets where the wax cannot reach. As for the few panel edges on later Airstreams, I like the acrylic touchup pen application. Easy to do, seals the edge, and I have never noticed the fine line it leaves since I put it on.
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Old 07-05-2016, 08:13 AM   #12
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I've wondered for some time now whether simple clear nail polish might do the trick. Comes with a nice little brush, too!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkottum View Post
Personally I don't consider waxing corrosion protection. Especially for the rivet holes under the rivets where the wax cannot reach. As for the few panel edges on later Airstreams, I like the acrylic touchup pen application. Easy to do, seals the edge, and I have never noticed the fine line it leaves since I put it on.
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Old 07-05-2016, 03:56 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkottum View Post
Personally I don't consider waxing corrosion protection. Especially for the rivet holes under the rivets where the wax cannot reach. As for the few panel edges on later Airstreams, I like the acrylic touchup pen application. Easy to do, seals the edge, and I have never noticed the fine line it leaves since I put it on.

This reminds me of my youth when a friend who was able to do pinstriping of cars freehand.

Do you do any special prep to the metal to make sure that the coating sticks to the metal?

Thanks.
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Old 07-05-2016, 10:27 PM   #14
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If I decide to do the acrylic pen along the edges, how do I remove the Corrosion-X that I just applied?
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Old 07-06-2016, 06:07 AM   #15
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I put the acrylic on the edges about three years ago, after washing and wiping down (be very sure it's dry). Just used the edge itself as a guide for the felt tip, it's a nice sharp line. I think a brush would not leave as straight a line.
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Old 07-06-2016, 09:51 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by Bob662 View Post
I look at this issue from my half century involvement with aviation. Aircraft manufacturers' solution to this corrosion issue is the use of Alclad panels, and paint, as in painting the entire aircraft. Even then if not well-prepared, usually with an alodine solution and wash before the paint is applied, filiform corrosion can be experienced.
So Airstream's solution is to use pre-coated aluminum sheets and hope for the best on the cut edges and drilled holes. Applying a fine line of clear paint sealant to the cut edges is time-consuming and something I suspect the Factory isn't willing to do. And then, what about the rivets?

So I use Corrosion X. I sprayed every rivet head and panel edge below the roof, let it soak in for a half-hour, then wiped off the excess with a cloth rag. It took about an hour, but I also didn't do the window frames. I believe the window frames, since they are unpainted, are unlikely to get filiform corrosion. (Filiform corrosion runs under something, usually paint. These windows still should be watched because, since they are unprotected, surface corrosion is a risk.)

Someone asked how often to re-treat? Corrosion X is widely used in aviation to spray the untreated interior of wings and fuselages, particularly if not painted with a corrosion preventative such as zinc chromate or its follow-on chromate-free product. Once a year, or even less frequently in non-coastal areas, seems to work quite well. So there's no one answer to the "how often?" question. If you live in a corrosive coastal area, or camp fairly frequently on the coast (including 100 miles inland), or you drive on salted roads, I'd re-treat every year. If you're in Arizona or the mid-West, probably longer will work. Also, if you're a frequent washer, I'd re-treat more often because soap does remove Corrosion X (except where it has crept between the aluminum panels and under rivet heads).

Since it's not a big time-consumer to re-treat, I plan to do it every year here in North Mississippi. After all, it takes less time to re-treat than it does to wash.

If I understand this correctly we are all towing an Airplane Fuselage on wheels. I have to think about doing all this work to maintain it or just trading every three years or so.
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Old 07-06-2016, 01:17 PM   #17
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If I understand this correctly we are all towing an Airplane Fuselage on wheels. I have to think about doing all this work to maintain it or just trading every three years or so.
This could be a new direction for AS. They could begin leasing the trailers just as the auto companies discovered a couple decades ago. AS gets a steady monthly income and the users get a new AS every 2 to 3 years,
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Old 07-08-2016, 02:57 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by dkottum View Post
For the uncoated panel edges I took a felt tip acrylic touchup pen and run it carefully along the edge. Let it dry and again for three coats. Use the sharpest tip of the pen so maybe there is a 1/16 inch overlap on each panel side. I think that protects the edge fairly well.

Using CorrosionX and Boeshield T9 we are going on five years and no corrosion anywhere on our Airstream. However we have not exposed it to northern road salt or coastal salt air. We have been applying the protection a couple of times a year now, would be more often in salt environment, less in the desert.
Can someone post a link to or actual description (brand) of the "felt-tipped acrylic pen" that they are using on their panel edges? It sounds like there is a particular brand that has a finer tip for more precise application... We are not yet AS owners (still researching and daydreaming), but are trying to gain as much knowledge in advance as possible. I have to admit, I am feeling a little nervous/hesitant about this filiform issue ...
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Old 07-09-2016, 12:37 PM   #19
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Explorers3,

If you want an AS just get it. They are a great looking trailer with a great history. Just realize that the trailer will most likely be a disappointment if you expect a comparable level of quality. It seems that most owners don't find it to be an issue with increasing sales and repeat buyers. The filiform is a case and point. I am sure that most owners don't perform the care that is discussed above or on the other filiform threads and yet they appear to be happy.

You can always just not look too close at the panel edges and there will never be a problem.
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