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How much paint

Nehi

Member
I'm nearing completion on my 9A and getting close to the paintng stage. At this point I think I'll use a urethane/desothane by PPG .
How many gallons of paint are you guys using for say, 2 good coats. also any experience with the desothane ?
 
I have no experience with desothane, so no comments on that. I used auto paint that I can find in the local store. Here is my experience:

http://3limafoxtrot.com/painting.htm

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will find a list of materials I used. Keep in mind that I did it out door and a lot of paints got blown away.
 
I recommend

And this is using Valspar Polyeurathane...One coat on the bottom surfaces and two on the top.

its hard to stop yourself putting that second coat on the bottom but its completely unecessary.

I think I used about 1.5 gallons

Cheers

Frank
 
I used approx 1.5 gal.

I used SHERWIN WILLIAMS product intended for Fed Ex trucks. It's known as GENESIS 3.5 and thus far, it's been very durable. I used approx 1.5 gal.

HOT TIP: Paint the fuse while it's still on the rotisserie.

If you want more details, pls pm me. I have lots of pics.
 
I used SHERWIN WILLIAMS product intended for Fed Ex trucks. It's known as GENESIS 3.5 and thus far, it's been very durable. I used approx 1.5 gal.

And I'm certainly happy with my SW Genesis paint. It's been nearly two years & very durable.

L.Adamson --- RV6A
 
Painting teniques and equiptment will account for varying amounts. Generally, 1.5 gallons should be enough to apply 2 coats on an RV, using HVLP equiptment. If you buy a gallon plus 2 quarts, you will pay almost as much for the 2 quarts as for a full gallon so I would buy 2 gallons. You do not want to run out in the middle of the 2nd coat for lack of a couple of ounces.
Dick
 
And this is using Valspar Polyeurathane...One coat on the bottom surfaces and two on the top.

its hard to stop yourself putting that second coat on the bottom but its completely unecessary.

I think I used about 1.5 gallons

Cheers

Frank

I have a question. How can painting add 75 - 100 pounds of weight, or more, when we only use 1.5 gallons?
 
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I have a question. How can painting add 75 - 100 pounds of weight when we only use 1.5 gallons?

Larry,

Easily done. Add to the 15 pounds or so the weight of the primer, all the trim colors, the fact that most of us can't handle a paint gun well enough to shoot that thin (the reason I had mine done by a pro) and all the blood, sweat and tears and you have 75 pounds!

Bob Kelly
 
Larry,

Easily done. Add to the 15 pounds or so the weight of the primer, all the trim colors, the fact that most of us can't handle a paint gun well enough to shoot that thin (the reason I had mine done by a pro) and all the blood, sweat and tears and you have 75 pounds!

Bob Kelly

Bob, I'm confused (very easy to do ;))I don't doubt what you are saying and many have said the weight of 100+ pounds is common, but I'm just not seeing how?

(Obviously, high numbers)

Primer = 2 gallons x 10 pounds per gallon = 20 pounds
Paint = 2 gallons x 15 pounds per gallon = 30 pounds
Total should be around 50 pounds max, say 60 pounds for being a heavy painter for what ever reason.

Where did the other 40 pounds come from??? :confused:

What am I not seeing?

I just read an article that an MD-80 (regional jet) adds 115 pounds when painted. How can painting an RV add the same weight?
 
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Doesn't add up

You can't weigh a can of paint and say that's what was added. What is left on the plane is the solids only. All the rest of that weight went into the air. Anyone have some before and after weights?
 
Bob, I'm confused (very easy to do ;))I don't doubt what you are saying and many have said the weight of 100+ pounds is common, but I'm just not seeing how?

Seems I've heard that 30-35 lbs is more common. Even though I used an HVLP, I still had paint in the filters, on the floor, etc. The liquid portion evaporates too.

L.Adamson ---- RV6A
 
Whoa, wait a minute!

If you're adding 75-100 lbs of paint to your aircraft, you're doing something very wrong. My -6 was painted with Jet-Glo 16 years ago and it added approximately 20 lbs. including primer and prep. BTW, my paint job still looks as good today as it did when new.
Many aircraft painters nowadays are using more paint, but not 5 times. Even auto paint shops don't use that much.
 
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Seems I've heard that 30-35 lbs is more common. Even though I used an HVLP, I still had paint in the filters, on the floor, etc. The liquid portion evaporates too.

L.Adamson ---- RV6A

That certainly makes more sense, but I've heard others say the 100 pound thing is more normal.

We just had a Cessna 195 (drop dead stunningly gorgeous! BTW) that was bare metal for decades painted and the owner thought it added 145 pounds after they did a new weight and balance at the paint shop. One of the locals said that isn't accurate, because planes add weight over the years, oil, grunge, junk, unacounted for parts, ect. I would expect a new RV that was bare metal then painted (weighed twice) would be a good way to determin the weight of added paint.

I don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but it is interesting to me anyway of just how much paint weights.
 
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According to the build sheet that came with my Cessna 210, the factory includes 23 pounds if you buy the airplane fully painted verses only a trim stripe. This is from 1967.

I would be amazed if an Rv paint job added more than 20 pounds.
 
And my Tiger...

According to the build sheet that came with my Cessna 210, the factory includes 23 pounds if you buy the airplane fully painted verses only a trim stripe. This is from 1967.

I would be amazed if an Rv paint job added more than 20 pounds.

....factory sheet lists the 2 color paint scheme - I guess the white paint coat was not optional - as 6.6 pounds of DuPont Centari.

The optional interior epoxy prime coat is listed as 3.38 pounds (may be fuselage/tail only)

As mentioned, the 20-30 pound number seems correct.

I wonder if the 100 pound gain weight gain comes from a first flight number in a fairly "naked" state, and then compared with a final, finished state with a full interior added and the usual cockpit junk included?
 
I used desothane on my first airplane (RV-6) and it was an excellent choice. It is very flexible and shiny. A friend of mine painted his Christen Eagle with it (they sponsored him in his airshow routines). He painted of sheet of fabric with desothane, let it cure, then put it in the freezer over night. Next morning he took it out and rolled it up around a coke can and it didn't crack. Delta Airlines now paints their jets with it. They use another step in the process though, because they have to be able to strip it for repaint.....

Scott
 
Paint weight

Refer to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) where it should tell you the percent weight solids of the paint. Suppose the % Wt solids is 60% and the weight of the paint is 9.0 lbs/gal, then the weight of the solid paint will be 5.4 lbs/gal. If you intend to spray apply the coating to the aircraft using an HVLP spray gun, you can guesstimate that your transfer efficiency will be about 50%. In other words for every gallon of paint that you use, only 2.7 lbs of solid paint is deposited on the aircraft. The remainder falls to the floor or goes into the filters of a spray booth.

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA
 
Nehi

I painted my 9A in 2004 with PPG DCC and Omni epoxy primer. If memory serves I used 1 gallon and 1 qt of primer and 2 gallons of DCC. (or a bit less, as I had some left) I really liked the PPG, very easy to work with after shooting.
 
thanks for the paint info !

Thanks guys for the info ! I really didnt have much of an idea how much to order. Certainly didnt want to run out mid prodject nor have way too much. Thanks !!
 
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