Prime on the go?

I will be priming the inside of my '12 as I build.

Is there any benefit to priming the outside at the same time? Easier than priming the completed airframe? Or will there likely be too much touch up to do after completion?

Primer

Rocktaupo said:

I will be priming the inside of my '12 as I build.

Is there any benefit to priming the outside at the same time? Easier than priming the completed airframe? Or will there likely be too much touch up to do after completion?

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Not if you plan to have a paint shop paint it. They will strip it. If you plan to paint, choose a primer compatible with your finish paint but you'll have to scuff it.

1. Most primers have an envelope of around 10 to 48 hours between their application and spraying the top coat. Exceeding that requires scuffing. I would assume applying the top coat after several years is not practically possible. You will need to remove of heavily scuff and apply a new layer of primer/sealer.
2. Again, most primers are not UV resistant, hence they may age when exposed to sun light.
3. Certain brand top coats require specific primers or in other words the top coat manufacturer highly recommend what to use.

Applying primer to the exterior as preparation to painting years ahead of time is practically does not work imho.

Agreed. We prime the insides only. On our 7 we waited until finished and then painted, the two 12's are still bare on the outside.

As mentioned, your painter may use chemistry different to you and will just charge you to take your primer off.

They don't need any external protection during build or phase one testing.