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TimO's Interior Paint Color and Type

cwharris

Active Member
Well once I sow TimO's Interior paint I new that's what I wanted mine to look like. Under Tim's Blog he made mention that he used a "Delfleet FDG Single Stage Poly and he even posted the Paint Color mixing print out and how to even get the right gloss. Well when I went down to my local PPG paint store today I found out what I wanted wasn't available. Here is what my PPG guy told me today and please Tim let me know if I was told something that's not true because I have NO idea about anything when it comes to paint.

I was told today that the "Delfleet FDG" is not a Tint-able paint and that they only have certain colors that this paint comes in and that it only comes in a gloss finish. I printed out what Tim has on his blog that shows all the different tint specs and they told me that's just there "Delfleet Standard Grey Color" and that if I wanted an Eggshell appearance then I would have to go with the "Delfleet Evolution FDGH" product Grey in color and then I could get it in an Eggshell finish. Below is what I was told to use. Tim, does this sound right to you? I painted a rib that I got out of my bad parts bin and it seems to match pretty close to TimO's interior. I will let you know how it holds up to my sketch and chemical test tomorrow.

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Hi Waylon,
I'm going to have to go look at the actual cans and see, now that you ask. I was just going by what they told me, and they did a good job with it either way. I really honestly don't know if what I bought was FDG or FDGH...I just know that they color matched it and reduced the gloss.
I'll see what I can find out.

Regarding the paint itself, it seems to be holding up pretty well on the interior. The places where it's just sprayed over my Akzo primer maybe don't hold quite as well as where I sprayed the shopline epoxy primer, but that has more to do with the fact that the Akzo was sprayed a long time before the paint, I think. Anyway it's working out well.

I didn't end up using Delfleet on the exterior. In order to get all the various components like etching primer and such, I would have had to have some of the items special ordered, so I ended up using PPG Concept. It costs a lot more but I was happy in the end because the results came out good, and I was familiar with the process. I learned a bit as usual. Some things I learned maybe too late. I probably bought more product than I had to, and could have simplified some of the application a little, but oh well....tonight I finished spraying my wheel/leg/intersection fairings and now it's time to attach them for good and call the project DONE. There were a couple million pinholes in the fairings, otherwise it would have been a pretty easy job. Next time I update my site I'll have a few pics.

Anyway, if you're happy with how the paint looks, I wouldn't worry about it much and just go with what your local paint guys tell you. Not only am I not an expert, but if my local guys and your local guys aren't on the same page, I can't tell you which one is more correct.:confused:
My biggest advice when painting the interior is to get a lot of ventilation and light in there, so you can see how much you put on. I have some pretty big sags where I couldn't see it was going on thick. But, even though they are noticeable it really isn't something I'm too worried about. Eventually I'll be covering most of the interior of the skins in the plane so it stays warm in the winter.

Have fun, and show some pics of how it turns out.
 
Hey Tim
Thanks for writing me back. It sure does help having you guys out there that's done this kind of stuff before.

I to have sprayed all of my interior with Akzo primer. Should I spay over the Akzo primer with the shopline epoxy primer before spraying the Delfleet Evolution FDGH or what should I do? I want the Interior paint to hold up.

I did a scratch test and Brake Fluid test this morning and it seems to be holding up great. Its hard to scratch and if you have a brake leak seems like all you have to do is just wipe it up with soap and water. There again I sprayed this Delfleet Evolution FDGH paint over a fresh layer of Akzo primer. Maybe it might not do as well over a layer of Akzo primer that's been on for a long period of time.
 
Dark Machine Grey Rustoleum

Just to throw out another option to consider, I used Dark Machine Grey Rustoleum from a rattle can to paint the interior of my -8A and it has held up very well over the 10+ years it's been flying. It's pretty tough stuff. My only complaint was that it's a single part enamel and takes a bit longer to dry than a two or three-part mix like automotive paint. The warmer the better to reduce drying times with Rustoleum. For best adhesion it's a good idea to prime the aluminum first (I used an acid etch primer). The Rustoleum is technically a gloss finish, but compared to an automotive gloss paint the Rustoleum is more of a semigloss.

In addition to being inexpensive and easy to use, I have thanked myself every time I've cut a new panel or wanted to add some other piece of aluminum to the cockpit area. Much easier to grab the rattle can off the shelf than dig out the automotive paint (when the activator is probably long expired), mix it up, set up the paint gun, clean the paint gun etc. Touch up and future small jobs are just much easier with the rattle can paint.

Make sure the can you buy has the 'high output tip'. Probably all of the Rustoleum cans have this now, but didn't back when I was using it. The high output tip is much easier to use and provides a nice even fan pattern compared to the older style spray nozzles that were once standard fare on rattle can paints...

Home Depot and most other stores that carry Rustoleum products have it: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Ole...otective-Enamel-Spray-Paint-7587838/100144179
 
My Interior Paint

Waylon,

I'm not sure that it would be worth it spraying the shopline primer over top of the Akzo primer. Either way, you will want to scuff the Akzo, but once it's scuffed I'd think that there would be only a small difference between spraying over the Akzo vs. the Shopline, and it would add some weight. On my RV-10 I did spray some paint over Akzo and it seemed to be ok. I'm no paint expert by any measure...I've only done this twice. ;) The biggest things are scuffing and clean/degreasing. Preparation is the hardest part of the job.

Also, in a way it's hard to argue with Mark's follow-up comment about using rattle can paint, from the standpoint of being able to quickly paint additional parts. When I've done that, I've added parts and used some rattle can primer of similar color and it's convenient, but you will never get a perfect match. Fortunately, for the interior there's likely to be little metal you'll add later, more likely fabric/leather/vinyl. But I do like the durability of the regular auto paint, and I know the 2-parts are often more resistant to chemicals.

A few people have asked what paint my interior is and I said I wasn't positive but thought FDG (not FDGH). So I took a photo last night.

Interior_Paint.jpg


As Mark said, you may want to etch prime the interior. (I would for sure if using rattle can, and they make an aluminum etching primer in rattle can style) These days it seems that the paint shops that use/sell auto paint though, are leaning away from using an etch primer and leaning more towards an epoxy primer as being suitable enough for aluminum. I used etch primer on my exterior aluminum, but I'm not sure what I would do next time.

On the interior, I used a cheap epoxy shopline primer. But on the exterior, my fiberglass parts (other than the wheel and leg fairings) were first primed with the PPG Epoxy Primer. Here is a photo:

Epoxy_Primer.jpg


The thing is, I don't know if you really need the epoxy primer on the fiberglass. It's a good sealing primer, and you can also just use K36 primer/surfacer. And on the aluminum you can either use etch OR epoxy. The epoxy isn't meant to be a very sandable primer. So for exterior you can either Epoxy + K36 + Paint on fiberglass, or just K36 + Paint. And on the aluminum you can either Epoxy + Seal + paint, or Etch + Seal + Paint, or perhaps even Epoxy + Paint. The methods and options are hard to navigate, but my guess is that you can have good results with most any method.

Again, the preparation is the most critical to getting things to turn out well.
Check out these pinholes in my intersection fairings. I'm thrilled to say that I finished the wheel/leg/intersection fairings this weekend and have them all installed so nothing more to build! The prep work on the legs/wheels was worse than any other fiberglass part on the kit.

Pinholes.jpg


All in all, it took me maybe a week or a little more to get them completed done, so it wasn't the end of the world. It helps if you don't have "showplane" as your personal standard, I'll tell you that much. I'm just happy to have a decent looking plane. If you come to OSH, please stand at least 1 wingspan away from my plane for best viewing. :) That's what you get for amateur work from someone who cares more about flying and long term maintenance than show quality. I really do feel good about the "did it myself" aspect though. This airplane had absolutely no professional help other than the seats and stick boots, and the Koger Sunshade which I wouldn't be without.
 
If you scuff the Akzo primer use acetone. As well as degreasing it will slightly soften the surface and provide a better bond for the paint.
 
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