Paint question...flat, or gloss?

[TXFlyGuy]

The area from the windscreen to the spinner, the top of cowling is what I am asking about.

The color will be OD. But I have seen some RV's with this area in a gloss finish, and a few with a flat finish.

For cosmetics, I would prefer gloss. But some are saying that you want flat as it reduces the glare.

What do you say?

[DanH]

Gloss is fine.

[TXFlyGuy]

Our original choice of finish was flat. But after learning about how difficult it is to maintain, we will go with a gloss clear coat on the entire plane.

Flat finished paints are easily damaged, by a simple hand rub or finger print. You cannot hand wash the bugs off the wing. And I did not even mention bird droppings. A pressure washer is called for. No towels, sponges or any had rubbing with rags.

For drying, you must use a leaf blower, as you cannot rub the flat finish as that will make it shiny.

Do some reading online about high end (BMW, Lexus, M-B, Audi) manufacturers flat finishes, and the restrictions with regards to care of the paint.

My worst fear is being at a show, and dozens of people coming up and rubbing their hands on the plane, or even just touching it with their fingers. It is almost impossible to repair.

Any rubbing of the finish will cause it to develop shiny spots...not what you want on a flat finish.

[RYOUNG]

I went with gloss black and glad I did. Not a problem.

[TXFlyGuy]

Originally Posted by RYOUNG

I went with gloss black and glad I did. Not a problem.

Good to know...thanks!

[maniago]

I have Akzo flat green on my glareshield. Just finished the windscreen to glareshield transition and targa stip and going to paint that Akzo as well as its similar to the green used on some of the Mediterranean based warbirds of old. Of course you have to like that color, which I do; and prob have to have a warbird scheme, which I do. Doenst have the flat color issues mentioned above and any hard to remove marks come off with acetone - doesnt affect the paint.

As far as glare goes however, I remember reading that gloss or flat, it doesnt matter. Polished AL, now thats a different story.

I have a Mustang2 buddy who painted his entire plane in light gray primer with grayed out military markings, not unlike todays carrier based fighters. It looks pretty good, and he says he does nothing to the paint except wash it. Any nicks etc, quick rub, and shoots a bit more primer. Looks like it should. Again, you have to want a military scheme to get away with that.

[rightrudder]

Glossy red cowling here, and glare has just not been an issue.

[gyoung]

I got some black glareshield paint used by a local shop that does a lot of Warbirds. It's PPG Concept with about 3 times the normal flattener. Can be done with other colors. You can put paste wax on it and it wipes off without leaving the white stain or turning glossy. Bad part is it has a short shelf life, like 3 months, then starts crystalizing. So it can be done if you're willing to pay the price.

[F1Boss]

After spraying regular auto enamel on my plane, I sanded with 600 and 800, then stopped. The gloss level was almost nil, and I always wash the plane with a grey scotchbrite pad. One year at Reno my crew decided to wax the dang thing, so now it has a bit of sheen to it.

10 years later - it only looks better with a scuff here and there. I made some 'slight mods' to the cowl and had to repaint - used the 10 year old can again. The sheen is certainty different, but the color still matches.

I can't say what your end result might be, but it's easy enough to add flattener to the mix and see how it turns out. Get a car hood or trunk lid from a local junk yard for practicing. I guess you could keep adding flattener until you get what you want, or do it like I did.

[Jab]

You can also get a piece of flat black vinyl to put on that section if you don?t like it glossy.