Glare Shield painting-flat black

[Pmerems]

Gents,

I just painted my glare shield on my Tip-up frame with flat black spray paint (rattle can). The issue is inconsistent surface appearance or sheen. I kept the paint as wet as I could and overlapped the pattern but the result is still an uneven appearance. I live in Arizona and the humidity level is very low and it was about 80 degrees when painting (indoors) so this may play a role in the finish. I have experienced this problem with flat black paint in the past.

My question is this- Any recommendations to improve the surface finish consistency?

Any input would be appreciated.

Paul

[RV7Guy]

Hey Paul,

I used BBQ black paint from Home Desparate. It went on very nicely. Obviously will be no problem with the heat.

I have to say it is the paint and not the technique.

[Radomir]

I spent 4-5 cans trying to get it "perfect" -- no such luck.. I got tired of stripping that paint off all the time Finally got it to be acceptable and called it good..

PS. Not sure if it'll make any difference, but try fan tip on the can..

[Wayne]

I did two layers. First layer flat black (undercoat) and 2nd layer a crinkle coat /fleck or you can use another type of paint with a texture in it. I found that the flat black really showed the rivets and waves in the aluminum whereas the topcoat of black crinkle coat or fleck makes it look like a $1 million and still produces no glare. With the flat black undercoat it doesn?t take a very heavy coat of crinkle or fleck to make it look good.

[AlexPeterson]

You definitely do not get what you pay for necessarily in flat black rattle cans. I tried a couple of "fancy" brands, threw them out and ended up using a simple ACE hardware brand. It really worked well - that was 6 years ago, so no claims about the current version.

[petehowell]

I used the newer rustoleum textured paint in black and liked the results. Available at Home Despot and others.

[flyeyes]

Originally Posted by Pmerems

Gents,

I just painted my glare shield,(snip)the result is still an uneven appearance. (SNIP)
My question is this- Any recommendations to improve the surface finish consistency?

Any input would be appreciated.

Paul

Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but I covered my glareshield with strips of black "industrial strength" Velcro butted together. It is consistent, non-reflective, and convenient for sticking gadgets, pencils, etc on top of the glareshield.


It was cheap, quick, and works for me ;-)



James Freeman
RV-8

[Pmerems]

Gents,

Thanks for the info. I have already tried two other times to get a good finish and stripped it clean and started again. I need to make my decision and move on so I can permanently mount the Plexiglas and start the fiberglass forward fairing.

Thanks,

Paul

[dan]

To the original poster, since you're not happy with how it looks and you're probably gonna want to strip/sand it off anyway, try this. Get out some 600 wet sandpaper and lightly wet sand it. You might be able to even it out.

[fstringham7a]

I had a the same problem. Found the solution by watching Boyd Codington's painters using a very fine grit sand paper to take out organge peel on one of tier cars. It worked great! I had three coats so the light sanding didn't cause a problem.

Frank @ sgu and slc RV7A