Question on painting/masking

[MrNomad]

The painting of our disassembled RV9A has begun. We're creating a series of "jigs" to mount each part on a rotisserie so that it is painted separately and w/o runs & sags.

The final section will be the fuselage and therein lies the question. The slider canopy will be off during painting and what I'm looking for is an easy way to mask off/enclose the cockpit without spending hours.

Ideas & pictures are welcome.

Barry

PS: In this project I elected to use Sherwin Williams Genesis paint system. Thus far, it seems to go on very easily and flows out nicely. It's a lot faster and cheaper than basecoat/clearcoat.

[FrankK90989]

I used roll plastic (poly) trimmed to fit while taping. but before I protected the inside of the windscreen with Glad press'n seal, some overspray can still get in side the cockpit. then I removed that masking right after painting, I diden't
want any trapped vapors affecting the plexi

[pierre smith]

Hi Barry,
On our slider -6A I went to the local Mom 'n Pop grocery store where meat is cut and bought a roll of white meat wrapping paper so that I could use it full length from the windshield to the tailcone in sections. They still have to be taped together though. If you use newspaper, be sure and put the tape over the little holes on one edge.

Regards,

[Harvey L. Sorensen]

DO NOT USE NEWS PAPER. The ink used on most newspaper today will print right through onto your airplane Your paint store has plastic rolls used by pros just for things like this.

[tc1234c]

The advise I received from the painter is to cover the plexiglass with aluminum foil (solvent can still penetrate paper). I got a roll of masking paper (2' wide) from auto supply (the one that sells paints) around $10 (I don't remember exactly, but cheap). I probably have more than 1/3 left. I tape the paper horizontally in the cockpit level with canopy tracks. Here are some pictures. Unfortunately, I did not take one directly into the cockpit.




My painter friend also advise not to use plastic over just painted surface. The solvent will continue to evaporate over several days. It will dissolve plastic. Paper is cheap and easy to work with.

[Tram]

Aluminum foil is a great idea!

I am repainting the interior of our bird, I'm going to have to pick some up and try this!

[MrNomad]

No, I never use newspaper because the print can come thru and it falls apart quickly. Pierre is right, newspaper also has holes along the edge which paint will go thru. We used it once on a Mercedes door we were refinishing. After the job, you could read the newspaper backwards.

Fortunately, the wife just came back from COSTCO with two rolls of "press n seal" which will find its way onto my windscreen, inside and out. Somehow, her kitchen keeps getting raided for the project plane.

Instead of building a replacement temp canopy to seal off the interior, it appears that most people allow the paper cover to sag inside the cockpit taping it backwards to the inside of the cockpit. That makes sense and is a lot easier than what I was planning.

Within 2 hours of painting, I usually remove all masking materials so any masking materials will not become a permanent part of the plane. Yes, solvents will rise for a long time therefore, be careful with wax for at least 6 months.

I've painted a lot of cars with all different kinds of paint. The Sherwin Williams single stage system is easy and the Genesis goes on nicely. One wet coat is all that's required. I'll post pics soon.

After the plane, the 57 Nomad in the avatar is next.

Barry
Tucson

[JordanGrant]

I used flattened-out cardboard from an old box on the inside. Since it has some structure to it, you can lay it across the cockpit and it won't sag or tear. Put masking paper over it.

Good luck.