Blisters in paint

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Lance Murray
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Blisters in paint

Post by Lance Murray »

I just went to check on my airplane today to see how it is doing in all of this California rain.

The aircraft is covered in blisters in the paint. It is in nearly all of the exposed surfaces. The tops of the wings, flaps, ailerons, cowl fuselage, stabilizer etc.

I am trying to figure out what could have caused this. The only think I can come up with is standing water. Could it be that water standing on the aircraft has caused these bumps in the paint?

It looks like my airplane has a bad case of acne. The bumps are about the size of a pimple or smaller. Some areas feel like sand paper and others feel like the face of a kid with acne. Some of the bumps are quite large and feel like there is sand under the paint. I will try to get a photo of it tomorrow. I know this has been talked about on the other forum before. Did anyone ever get an answer from Diamond?
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Gary
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Re: Blisters in paint

Post by Gary »

The photos should be helpful. Is the airplane normally left outside?
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Kai
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Re: Blisters in paint

Post by Kai »

Sorry to read this, Lance. I have no clue, but some photos might help.
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Chris
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Re: Blisters in paint

Post by Chris »

Holy cow, Lance, that sounds bizarre. I've heard of some people experiencing some minor blistering of the paint, but nothing on the scale that you are describing. Simple standing rain water should not be able to do that to the finish of an aircraft. What you describe sounds like it is due to some sort of chemical process. How long was the plane exposed to the elements? Any chance that something other than water might have been in contact with the surfaces? Does it seem like it is only the paint which has been affected or is the underlying material involved as well?
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Lance Murray
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Re: Blisters in paint

Post by Lance Murray »

The airplane has spent all of it's life outdoors. I am a bit baffled by this one too. I have no idea what could have caused this. Here are some pics. These areas are the most visually obvious but other areas are smaller bumps but with more frequency. Some areas feel like sand paper. I think I might turn this in to my insurance company. I wonder if someone was spray a chemical nearby.

The first photo is adjusted to make the bumps more obvious. These are of the tops of the wings but the rest of the plane is similar. It is worst on the top of the wings.

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Gary
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Re: Blisters in paint

Post by Gary »

Tech support at Diamond should see these photos.
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Chris
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Re: Blisters in paint

Post by Chris »

Ugh. From the photos, I suspect a chemical contaminant. I would think that the smaller bumps with higher frequency indicate areas which are farther from the source of the contaminant (i.e. a mist travels farther). For example, if the higher surfaces such as the stabilizer have smaller grained blisters than the wings, then it would indicate the something was sprayed nearby at ground level. If the higher surfaces also have large blisters, then something was probably spattered from above. Are there any structures nearby which may have been getting some sort of cleaning / treatment?

I agree with Gary that Diamond tech support should be consulted to see if they have any ideas of how it may have occurred and what would be the best way to fix it.
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Lance Murray
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Re: Blisters in paint

Post by Lance Murray »

There is a maintenance shop nearby. That is the only thing I can think of.
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Re: Blisters in paint

Post by Erik »

Lance Murray wrote:There is a maintenance shop nearby. That is the only thing I can think of.
I am sure you thought of this, but you might query what chemicals they have been using lately - especially the possibility of repainting, stripping agents. Please let us know how it goes with your insurer. I am very upset to hear about your mystery damage.
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Lance Murray
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Re: Blisters in paint

Post by Lance Murray »

Insurance report made. Standby for a full report when I have information.
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