MXG paint saves money, maintains equipment

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Timothy Boyer
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  From a famous image by Michelangelo to someone with a bucket and some rollers trying to make their home look nice, many different things might come to mind when thinking about painting. What probably does not come to mind is corrosion control and safety, unless you are a member of the 60th Maintenance Squadron's Aircraft Structural Maintenance back shop.

"Proper painting helps maintain the longevity of aircraft and equipment, often saving the Air Force from having to purchase replacement parts," said Airman 1st Class Vanessa Sanchez, 60th MXS ASM repair specialist. "The goal is to prevent corrosion in the first place, but when we find it, we get rid of it and repaint it. The method depends on the equipment we are working on."

If there is a ladder with a cracked bracket, the bracket would be replaced and then painted, she said. If it's something different, it might go to a different section for repairs before getting to the back shop for paint.

"All metal wants to go back to its natural state," said Staff Sgt. Joshua Orr, 60th MXS ASM back shop NCO in charge. "It's gonna corrode, flake and try to go back to what it was. We're trying to prevent that."

Paint prevents corrosion by keeping moisture off the metal surface of equipment, prolonging the life of the equipment, Sanchez said.

"If moisture gets to the metal and corrosion goes unnoticed, it can cause more damage to the asset," she said.

There is more to corrosion control than simply painting equipment and parts, Sanchez said. There is sanding, priming and color matching along with following the proper safety procedures for each of those duties.

"There are a lot of safety guidelines we have to follow," Sanchez said. "To use primer, we have to gear up and wear a respirator. We use acetone to wipe down parts. The acetone is so hazardous we have to wear a respirator just to fill up the bottle, not to mention the paper on the ground in the booths to prevent static discharge. This is important because when spraying paint you atomize it, making it highly flammable."

When chemicals are used, they must be properly disposed of, she said.

While painting may not be a glamorous job, corrosion control is important.

"When you see something your grandparents have getting rusty in their yard, it eventually falls apart as it ages," Orr said. "If you have a bolt designed to hold the wing on an aircraft and it corrodes to a point of failure ... you take it from there."