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Vinyl wrapping an airplane

wirejock

wirejock

Well Known Member
Has anyone documented the vinyl wrapping process?
I'm thinking about wrapping.

How about adding a forum for it?
Best practices and processess?
Reviews and results of products?
Tips for application success?

Seems like vinyl has come a long way but to achieve success means using good products and procedures. It's time to add this to our VAF knowledge.
 
wirejock said:
Has anyone documented the vinyl wrapping process?
I'm thinking about wrapping.

How about adding a forum for it?
Best practices and processess?
Reviews and results of products?
Tips for application success?

Seems like vinyl has come a long way but to achieve success means using good products and procedures. It's time to add this to our VAF knowledge.
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I tried the search "vinyl wrap" on our forum. Worked great to bring up several dozen threads with many great examples of pro jobs as well as amateur...
 
Search

BruceEicher said:
I tried the search "vinyl wrap" on our forum. Worked great to bring up several dozen threads with many great examples of pro jobs as well as amateur...
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Been there, done that.
I just thought it would be nice to have a new forum. Sort of like the "Paint" forum.
One stop shop as it were.
 
wirejock said:
Been there, done that.
I just thought it would be nice to have a new forum. Sort of like the "Paint" forum.
One stop shop as it were.
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Yes that could be nice, or it might just qualify as a "never ending debate" "paint vs vinyl".

Swing by my hangar next time you are picking up parts at Van's or Pacific Coast Avionics and we can do a "demo wrap".
 
I have watched a lot of car wrapping videos on you tube. There are lots of tricks to learn. I have wrapped wing tips and empennage tips and it surely tried my patience!.....I bet before you get finished wrapping that plane, you would have learned enough to be an expert!
 
Back in the old days, it was fashionable to put epoxy filler over the wings to make them completely smooth. Then it was discovered that if there were any rivets coming loose, the filler would hide that. I would think that the same would be true of a vinyl wrap, but nobody seems to talk about it.

Ed
 
How Much???

And the big question that I have yet to see answered...how much for a professional install?
I know there are variables but a "ball park" or plain to fancy range shouldn't be that tough of a number to provide.
 
gossend said:
Anybody dare to wrap an RV-12?? How did it work out? Pix?
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There was a vinyl wrapping demo at our Fly-in last summer. The demonstrator did a small riveted piece and the rivets did indeed cause problems. The vinyl had to be carefully worked down over each rivet, which took a fair amount of time. Especially when you think amount of rivets to deal with on an RV-12.

It looked nice though and maybe a method could be found, or a tool made, to form the vinyl over the rivet, which would speed up the process.

Jim
 
SuperDave said:
And the big question that I have yet to see answered...how much for a professional install?
I know there are variables but a "ball park" or plain to fancy range shouldn't be that tough of a number to provide.
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You'd think. The Pro shops say it'll be cheaper and lighter than paint, but I still haven't seen a price alongside an example of a basic wrap job.

A simple two-tone wrap (one colour on the bottom, one colour on top, split at the cowl hinge/longeron, for example) shouldn't be hard to price out. No pre-printed graphics, no complicated shapes or cut lines.
 
check out the sign world!

Jim T said:
There was a vinyl wrapping demo at our Fly-in last summer. The demonstrator did a small riveted piece and the rivets did indeed cause problems. The vinyl had to be carefully worked down over each rivet, which took a fair amount of time. Especially when you think amount of rivets to deal with on an RV-12.

It looked nice though and maybe a method could be found, or a tool made, to form the vinyl over the rivet, which would speed up the process.

Jim
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yes, Jim, there are tools for this. Mostly created for the transport fleet market though, so the 'torpedo' tools are sized for big rivet heads. I guess any homebuilder worth his salt could make one to fit the couple of sizes on an RV.
that said, it would still be a lot of work, as it needs to be as clean and well-prepped as it would be to paint!

http://www.speedpress.com/products/1/330

Newer air release vinyls are even more forgiving; here's one method using a dense foam roller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7hsFPXqHqI


no doubt hundreds more tutorials on YouTube if you search!....caution, some really suck!
 
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Has anybody considered what electrostatic properties these films have? Should a static charge build up on the surface of the aircraft as it scrubs through the atmosphere radios could stop working well and in some cases static discharge can damage structure. I know that a hard wax of a painted airplane using automotive was can create similar problems. The wrap film must be at least as bad as a wax layer and maybe even worse. Perhaps some aircraft that don't need static wicks with paint might need them with a wrap? Curious minds an all that....

Jim
 
Jim,

Prior to installation, I researched all I could about vinyl wrap. 3M had no data regarding static buildup. Because vinyl is high on the static potential chart (I don't have it handy), one would think this could be a problem particularly when re-fueling. However, this product is made for the automotive world and I don't recall hearing anything about wrapped cars burning at the pumps any more often than painted cars.

On aircraft, one benefit is that the vinyl is in very close proximity to the aluminum skin. It is stuck to it. :) Perhaps because the vinyl is so thin and stuck to a conducting surface, the problem goes away.

Before re-fueling, I do a simple check for static when removing the fuel filler cap simply by touching the cap and skin. I have never felt a spark. If I was concerned about it, I could wipe the surface around the fuel filler hole with a damp rag prior to filling. Of course, grounding before filling is important as per normal.

So far, I have had no adverse effects of any kind from the full vinyl wrap.

Bevan
 
I spoke to a guy in Oshkosh last year and tried to get a price. All he would tell me is that it would be cheaper than paint. He said for me to get a paint quote and bring it on o him and he would beat it.
Would like to do it myself but have too many questions about prep and which material.
 
Wouldn't this be a great forum/workshop topic at OSH

It sounds like wrapping is a learnable skill that looks great, gives good service and is cheaper than paint. This is the classic formula for a home builder! Hopefully, someone who has that skill will put together a forum, or even better, a workshop, to spread that skill to builders.
 
AcroSmoke said:
I spoke to a guy in Oshkosh last year and tried to get a price. All he would tell me is that it would be cheaper than paint. He said for me to get a paint quote and bring it on o him and he would beat it.
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I got that answer from someone as well, and that right there turned me off of dealing with them. I may still use vinyl for part of all of my plane when it gets re-finished. However, I'm not going to waste painters' time getting quotes if I don't have any intention of having them do the work. If you can't put a price on your work, I'm not going to play games trying to help you figure out what the traffic will bear.
 
Workshop

Steve Ashby said:
It sounds like wrapping is a learnable skill that looks great, gives good service and is cheaper than paint. This is the classic formula for a home builder! Hopefully, someone who has that skill will put together a forum, or even better, a workshop, to spread that skill to builders.
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Yes! I would attend. Sadly, it looks like we may have to wait til next year or later.
 
Im doing my plane in vinyl, here's a little teaser pic... We painted one color then are doing all the colors in vinyl. I'll let you know how it comes out. It'll be at Oshkosh. It's getting finished tomorrow...
Cost wise, it's not any cheaper for what I'm doing, but I'm doing colors and textures not available with paint... You'll just have to see it...
I've got some clients already lined up and we are going to launch a west coast aircraft vinyl company this fall...


 
DaleB said:
I got that answer from someone as well, and that right there turned me off of dealing with them.........If you can't put a price on your work, I'm not going to play games trying to help you figure out what the traffic will bear.
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+1.

Extra characters.
 
AV8AZ said:
+1.

Extra characters.
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Agreed. If the price is similar or only marginally lower, I will go with paint. Fewer unknowns. If they want a paint quote then it is obvious they want to undercut it just enough to win the job.

If there are any vinyl people out there that can do a simple scheme on my -9A for under $5-6k, I'd be happy to hear from you.

Chris
 
It certainly is a skill which can be learned, I did this in about an hour playing around one afternoon. I am still a ways out from wrapping, but I have no doubts I can come up with a satisfactory end result.

image_zpsbamwhtom.jpeg
 
Mevans,
That looks great! Is it any more difficult than Monokote on a RC model plane? Are there any similarities to Monokote in the process?
 
If I remember, monokote needed to be heated to shrink . This stuff is very tacky/sticky from the get go. Definitely need two people , even for small parts, a hair dryer helps soften it up to help it bend around corners. Basically , spend a 100.00 bucks for a roll, get some aluminum sheet parts and dive in.

You peel of a backing, laid it out and start to squeegee. It will stick when it touches the part,but t you can still lift and move. The squeegee pressure activates the adhesive. You will peel off a few pieces and throw away. I tried to do the fiberglass tip, and did not do very well. I will probably paint them along with the pants , wingtips, , etc. when th time comes.
 
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Larry,
Here's my post from last fall that goes into substantial detail on my RV-7A's wrap with AircraftWraps.com.

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=132000

Yes, that is a 100% vinyl wrap. I'll have it at HBC next week if you're going to Oshkosh.

Regarding cost: the paint shop estimate was about $12,500. Scott Farnsworth at AircraftWraps.com did this wrap for $9500. That cost doesn't include about $650 for the design work at dreamschemes designs.
 
My experimenting with vinyl. Thought I would start with the horizontal and vertical, see how well it goes befor any major covering or control surface removal.
It is a learning curve bet so far myvinyal skills are much better than my painting skills.

fd4ytc.jpg
 
Nice job - the latest eaa experimenter has a feature on vinyl wrapping that convinced me to give it a try soon as well.

Chris
 
I attended the Reno Air Races this year, and at the RV barbecue on Saturday, I met Jay, an RV-10 builder who vinyl wrapped his plane (by himself!). I asked about removing it, like if you did a poor job, or later when it's old or you want to change it. He said removing vinyl from bare aluminum is substantially easier than removing it from paint over the aluminum.
 
How does vinyl do if one should decide to use Corrosion X on the interior. Would it work its way through any aluminum skin overlaps and losen the vinyl? I know you are to do all the painting before using any corrosion product because it works it's way through rivets and seams.
 
For those of you wrapping planes, what are you doing with the ends of the ailerons/flaps and the flap brackets? I'm assuming the open ends are usually painted. I am excited to wrap the parts I have done, but if I need to paint the areas that are not wrapped I need to figure that out before wrapping. I don't have a paint sprayer and am wondering if there are spray cans that would be acceptable for these small areas.
 
2 cents

My 2 cents on wrapping: I was all positive on wrapping my plane, until I went to Oshkosh in 2015 and saw the Titan plane up close. From a distance, it looked awesome, but up close, you could see pieces of the wrap chipped off or scratched, and other little things that bugged the OCD beast that lives inside of me. Granted that plane has probably been through a lot, but I walked the perimeter of the plane, and in 5 minutes decided I was going for paint instead of a wrap.

I don't mean to disparage anyone who is opting for a wrap, or any plane that has one. I just politely suggest that you see one up close that has experienced some wear, look at it with a critical eye, and decide if it is right for you.
 
dwranda said:
For those of you wrapping planes, what are you doing with the ends of the ailerons/flaps and the flap brackets? I'm assuming the open ends are usually painted. I am excited to wrap the parts I have done, but if I need to paint the areas that are not wrapped I need to figure that out before wrapping. I don't have a paint sprayer and am wondering if there are spray cans that would be acceptable for these small areas.
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Mine are primed. I could paint those areas if I remove them, but I had originally primed them and am fine with that.
 
cdeerinck said:
I just politely suggest that you see one up close that has experienced some wear, look at it with a critical eye, and decide if it is right for you.
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True for paint as well, depending on the materials and workmanship.
 
Thanks Sid!! I was fortunate to see your plane and talk with you at Oshkosh this year. Your wrapped plane was beautiful and if mine could come close to what yours looks like I would be a happy man!! I am definitely not building a show plane as this is my first build. That article in this months EAA magazine convinced me to wrap. The monetary savings over paint is just too much to ignore. I am going to attempt to wrap it myself since I love learning new skills.
 
It's interesting to see multiple builders learning how to wrap their plane themselves. It allows a builder who cannot spray paint (for whatever practical reason) to apply color, without spending large at a paint or wrap shop. Oratex pre-painted fabric is a similar concept for tube and fabric builders.

Feedback please. Could our DIY wrappers share the dollar figure they estimate for a full wrap at home, and what specific product is being used?
 
DanH said:
It's interesting to see multiple builders learning how to wrap their plane themselves. It allows a builder who cannot spray paint (for whatever practical reason) to apply color, without spending large at a paint or wrap shop. Oratex pre-painted fabric is a similar concept for tube and fabric builders.

Feedback please. Could our DIY wrappers share the dollar figure they estimate for a full wrap at home, and what specific product is being used?
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The writer of the Experimenter article estimated his final total cost at under $1,500. For somebody like myself, spending close to $10,000 on a paint job just isn't a financially sound decision, even if it may look a little better or last a little longer. And yes, I know, building a plane isn't a financially sound decision to begin with, but...I am looking forward to giving the vinyl a try, even if it's only part of the plane and I polish the rest.

Chris
 
corrosion??

The Vinyl wrapping sure seems like an interesting alternative to paint, but what about corrosion protection? We have all seen pictures of Alclad aluminum corroding under the blue plastic coating.
 
YellowJacket RV9 said:
The writer of the Experimenter article estimated his final total cost at under $1,500. For somebody like myself, spending close to $10,000 on a paint job just isn't a financially sound decision, even if it may look a little better or last a little longer.
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You can paint an RV for $1500. As noted, wrapping becomes a alternative when the situation doesn't allow painting at home.
 
DanH said:
You can paint an RV for $1500. As noted, wrapping becomes a alternative when the situation doesn't allow painting at home.
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Perhaps but I doubt that with my skill set (none, when it comes to painting), I could have better results with a $1500 paint job as opposed to vinyl. Not perfect, by any means, but it's also easier to fix vinyl screw ups. I screw up a lot.

Could I learn to paint, sneak a paint booth into my hangar, and eventually do a passable job painting my RV? Sure. But if vinyl would give the same or better results, without the huge learning curve and setup, it may be worth a shot. And if I ever sold or got rich, the vinyl could come right off for painting.

I'd still prefer to have a painted RV, and as I've said before, if any painter in the southeast can give me even a basic, quality single color paint job for under $4-5k, I will make an appointment, but I have yet to find one that will quote me much less than $10k.

Chris
 
DanH said:
Feedback please. Could our DIY wrappers share the dollar figure they estimate for a full wrap at home, and what specific product is being used?
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$2000 US for 3M1080 with lots left over. This doesnt include the pro paint job on the fiberglass parts which were painted later and color matched to the vinyl (engine cowl, wing tips and wheel pants.) All the aluminum parts are covered in vinyl only.

The pro-paint portion was about $2500US. So the total cost of paint and self-applied vinyl was about $4500US.

I would definately do it this way again.

Bevan

m91xzs.jpg
 
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Bevan said:
$2000 US for 3M1080 with lots left over. This doesnt include the pro paint job on the fiberglass parts which were painted later and color matched to the vinyl (engine cowl, wing tips and wheel pants.) All the aluminum parts are covered in vinyl only.

The pro-paint portion was about $2500US. So the total cost of paint and self-applied vinyl was about $4500US.

I would definately do it this way again.

Bevan
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This is exactly the route I was considering, thanks for the numbers! Do you have any pictures?
Chris
 
DanH said:
Well said...although I am surprised to hear you equate vinyl with poorly applied cheap paint ;)
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Silly Dan, I don't simply equate vinyl with poorly applied cheap paint. I equate a poorly done vinyl job to a poorly done paint job. In each method of aircraft covering, good is great, and bad...ain't.
 
Gusmax said:
The Vinyl wrapping sure seems like an interesting alternative to paint, but what about corrosion protection? We have all seen pictures of Alclad aluminum corroding under the blue plastic coating.
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The blue coating is a different covering with a much lighter adhesive. The 3M airline-grade vinyl covering Scott Farnsworth (AircraftWraps.com) applied to KELLI GIRL works extremely well. My initial concerns involved water intrusion between the wrap and aircraft aluminum at wrap panel seams.

It's a total and complete non-issue.
 
There are definitely +'s and -'s to paint and vinyl.

To get a good result, either one requires a level of learning / skill development.

Factoring the effort involved vs the longevity and overall cost, my preference is painting.

Paint (PPG Delfleet Essential single stage polyurethane) and materials cost of $1200

Time start to finish - 10 days (all fiberglass prep completed ahead of time)

rbe1qf.jpg
 
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BruceEicher said:
HulaGirl has 350 hours now and I am still happy with my DIY wrap...
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=98932
I too would not have liked my DIY paint job...skill set, lack of proper paint booth, tools and air systems...
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An excellent write-up Bruce, thanks.

Your airplane illustrates one interesting use of vinyl...a true bright chrome finish. We've all seen plenty of polished RVs with painted intersection fairings, tips, and cowls because there is no real good chrome paint, at least none I've seen. Silver doesn't match polished aluminum for sure.

You mentioned some increased difficulty with compound curves when using the Avery chrome film. However, it looks like you successfully covered the upper gear leg intersections. Being critical, do they look good up close?

Wrap vinyl also comes in clear, I believe sold as "paint protection film". Has anyone applied it over polished aluminum?
 
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