paul_sherry
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- Aug 16, 2017
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Just asking a question of the gurus that frequent this forurm - what filler material would you use/not use for radome repairs?
Situation - 1998 Seneca V with nose mounted radar. Over the years the radome has suffered a little bit of cosmetic 'battle damage'. Nothing serious or structural - just a small number deepish chips that involve the gelcoat. My personal view is that they are probably too deep to blend out and need a bit of filling, then blending back flush before repainting. The filled areas will be fairly small in individual surface area and also quite thin - max 1/16" inch (or, in Europe speak - maybe just under 2mm).
When we come to the repaint we have been advised not to use any metallic paint - the concern is that any metal flakes in the paint might attenuate/disperse the radar beam (which isn't that powerful or well focussed in a small radar at the best of times)
Has anyone got some suggestions for the type of filler we should use to fill the chips before blending/priming/painting? In the UK a very common filler that is used (for non structural elements) is a 2 part epoxy filler called Isopon P38. It's mainly used for cars but is often used for aircraft as well for small dings and dents. I'm trying to find out if there is any metal in the filler (such as aluminium powder) for the same reasons as above.
Any of the avionics knowledgeable people have some hard data/suggestions to share?
Thanks
Paul
Situation - 1998 Seneca V with nose mounted radar. Over the years the radome has suffered a little bit of cosmetic 'battle damage'. Nothing serious or structural - just a small number deepish chips that involve the gelcoat. My personal view is that they are probably too deep to blend out and need a bit of filling, then blending back flush before repainting. The filled areas will be fairly small in individual surface area and also quite thin - max 1/16" inch (or, in Europe speak - maybe just under 2mm).
When we come to the repaint we have been advised not to use any metallic paint - the concern is that any metal flakes in the paint might attenuate/disperse the radar beam (which isn't that powerful or well focussed in a small radar at the best of times)
Has anyone got some suggestions for the type of filler we should use to fill the chips before blending/priming/painting? In the UK a very common filler that is used (for non structural elements) is a 2 part epoxy filler called Isopon P38. It's mainly used for cars but is often used for aircraft as well for small dings and dents. I'm trying to find out if there is any metal in the filler (such as aluminium powder) for the same reasons as above.
Any of the avionics knowledgeable people have some hard data/suggestions to share?
Thanks
Paul
