Painting before I'm finished ... ?

I believe this is a 'no-brainer', but I figured I'd float my question here just to see if there is something I have not considered ... or over-looked.

Later this summer I have an opportunity to paint my RV-12 before it is finished. My finishing kit arrives next month, so I will have everything but avionics and power-plant to complete my E-LSA.

I have a friend who wishes to set up a temporary paint-booth in my hangar so he can bring in a professional painter to do some painting on several planes he owns. My friend runs a business out of his hangar, so he is not able to do the painting in his own hangar-space. In return for the use of my hangar space I'm hoping to barter the services of the painter and the booth while they are set-up in my space.

There are many things in my favor here .... most obviously cost savings and location; I don't have to move my plane to get it painted.

So, here are my questions ...

Is there any down-side to painting my aircraft before it is completed?

For those RV-12 builders reading this ... after my finishing kit is delivered, will I have all the external parts that would be painted?

Thank you in advance for those offering up feedback!

Is there any down-side to painting my aircraft before it is completed?

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There are downsides, but also upsides. Whichever you choose, I am sure you will make it work for you...

This Seems Like.....

A no brainer! Even if you are not ready with all the fairings and bits, it would be a great trade! Having a pro to shoot the paint, lay out and paint all the trim details would be a great head start.

I expect my 6A to enter Phase I early this summer. I have already painted my fuse (bottom half of two-tone paint job), wings, emp and cowl. It is certainly more convenient to paint in pieces and You end up with better paint coverage of the areas un-exposed once assembled.

Prep is another bonus. I didn't want to use alodine (didn't want chemicals in garage) therefore needed mechanical prep (i.e. sanding). The primer needs to go on within 2 hours of sanding, so smaller parts helps a lot.

Good luck,

Larry

Yes do it!

I would do it in a minute! I choose to not paint until after I was done figured a few months, ended up being seven years before I got it painted. If I was doing it again I be painting before it was finished.

are you going to paint it or have it done? I am painting mine as I go, I could not imagine trying to reach up and fight gravity sanding and preping all the bottom surfaces, it was a lot of work just sanding right side up.

I painted as I built. The paint shows some wear and tear but one of the big reasons I painted early was to build enthusiasm. It was much easier to justify the time and $ to the spouse and family with something that looked like a pretty airplane in the garage instead of a bunch of metal stuff. I was surprised at how dramatically attitudes changed after most of it was painted. Tacit approval became enthusiastic cheerleader.

I painted before flying and have no regrets, also you need to consider its a well established kit so I don't understand the benefits of waiting till after phase 1 is complete, what are people expecting to find wrong or needing rectification?

I say go for it.

Cheers

bret said:

are you going to paint it or have it done? I am painting mine as I go, I could not imagine trying to reach up and fight gravity sanding and preping all the bottom surfaces, it was a lot of work just sanding right side up.

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This was a huge benefit for me. When I painted the fuse, I pulled the engine (it was before I did anything firewall fwd) and flipped the fuse upside down to paint. This avoided doing anything on my back. I couldn't imagine trying to lay paint while rolling around on a creeper, let alone the hassle of sanding on my back.

Larry

Read this thread for a detailed example.
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=67760

Really glad I painted before flying, no issues.

lr172 said:

This was a huge benefit for me. When I painted the fuse, I pulled the engine (it was before I did anything firewall fwd) and flipped the fuse upside down to paint. This avoided doing anything on my back. I couldn't imagine trying to lay paint while rolling around on a creeper, let alone the hassle of sanding on my back.

Larry

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Exactly, I did epoxy primer and Base clear, lots of wet sanding, laying out patterns, I could not imagine laying on my back trying to spray water and wet sand the wings, fuse, HS and everything dripping on your face, I build a wing rotisary and a fuse rotisary, even spraying everything flat I had issues. Also agree with above about the paint transforming a bunch of alluminum into art.

I am painting now. I finished assembling the airplane, ran the engine to my satisfaction, then disassembled it. I built a paint booth and so far have only primed and prepped all my fiberglass parts. I plan on shooting some top coats as soon as it gets dry here in West Texas. (Didn't think that would ever be a problem) I knew it was going to be a lot of work with these fiberglass parts but I didn't think it would be this much! Every time I think I'm done and get the part in the booth under good light, I see another imperfection and have to fill, sand, re prime, and sand again! I would love to know how the professional painters handle these imperfections? It would have paid me to go hang out with Grady for a month or so and work for free!

I debated this question as well, and elected to fly first, paint second, on the off chance that I had to change or fix something. With hindsight, if you are building a proven design to plans, you won't have to make any changes, so I recomend painting now to save time and money, and avoid grounding a fly-able bird down the road.