Should a problem or severe corrosion site be identified, contacting the Owner is immediate, coupled with emailed photos and telephone calls to discuss engineering rectification. We have a team of contract sheetmetal workers, engineers of every discipline, upholstery etc., available to suit all needs and to effect any repairs with little interruption to the workflow.
At this stage any missing rivets are replaced and any skin repairs taken care of. Now comes the Acid wash (Aircraft approved for effects on metals) Phosphoric acid based preparation is scrubbed into the complete airframes alloy skins lifting contaminants as well as corrosion salts free from the surface.
The airframe is then rinsed and followed by application of Alodine to further protect and microscopically etch the surface. This process is the baseline for preventing corrosion from re-appearing or continual growth.
Removal of the old coating is achieved by chemical stripping, a dangerous, smelly, noxious and toxic recipe, unfortunately nothing else does in quite the same without damage to the 2000 series alclad skins commonly used in G.A.. Any method employed using blasting of any type of media whether it be soda, glass bead, plastic etc., will stretch the skin and more than likely impede shattered particles into the skin.
Whilst the particle itself may be inert it will create a micro cavity which is then open to contamination and corrosion in the future. Also a problem arises where media enters the airframe and is particularly difficult to remove. No two Aircraft will strip the same, depending on the age of the coating, how many layers and the type of paint etc., little can be done to estimate this until application of the chemical paint stripper has been carried out.
