Due respect to you! Interesting photos, especially the "professional" application of gobbets of red silicone,trying to hide the leaks.
Console yourself, If he was the best, just how bad were the others?
You seem to be on the ball and researching the best methodology and an understanding of materials and technologies before jumping in.
I had a friend with a full professional auto paint and body-shop who repainted his Cessna 172 after a bare-metal strip and engineers' inspection.
The prop got several coats of 2-pack black, which was stoved in a low-bake oven......It was amazing how quickly the paint eroded back to bare metal on the leading edges of the blades. IIRC he used blade-tape after another repaint and resolved the problem.
Your MR blades certainly look neglected. the previous owner was obviously a "Cheque-book flyer" otherwise, instead of just tossing money at it, he would have found some of the horrors you have uncovered....... keep at it, you should wind up with a really,really good machine....you deserve it
