Tip: Cutting and Buffing Paint

[MrNomad]

Fortunately, they r under the wings. Take the photo to your local paint supply shop and check if there are any newer methods than those I've suggested here and elsewhere which include a very sharp razor, Dremel, block sanding with lots of water, followed by buffing with various 3M polishing compounds. One time I waited for the Sherwin Williams salesman's visit to the supply shop and queried him. Those guys support all of the pros so coordinating a visit with the supplier salesman might yield some new ideas.

I'd wait till the end of summer so the surface is cooler. The biggest problem is burning or cutting thru the paint and then you'd have to learn the art of blending which is not easy. Working with power tools is tempting but given that u will be handling the tools upside down, the probability of ripping thru the paint is almost certain. Start in a very obscure location and perfect your skills. It's possible they laid so much paint on that it will come off in chunks and expose the primer. Meanwhile, you can fly and enjoy.

[wirejock]

Given it's a 12, the wings can be removed. It would make repair much easier. I agree with the vendor fixing their mistake. If they won't, another shop. It's difficult to cut a large area and not break through.

[JFCRV12]

All great advice. Thank you! I'm awaiting to hear back on whether original shop will fix it. Otherwise, I'll likely deal with it myself in the fall (through a local shop). Hopefully, Kracon will just fix it and it'll be a non issue.

[BillL]

Originally Posted by JFCRV12

Hello all,

I'm considering purchasing an already flying (and painted) RV-12. It was part of a teen flight build in Nor Cal. Related, the paint job was donated by Kracon Aircraft Painting. Net, given a pro paint shop did it, the paint job should be fantastic right? Well, the answer is mostly.

Somehow, while the whole plane looks amazing, there are REALLY unsightly drips under each wing. I have no idea how it passed QA. While the paint job was donated, Kracon did stick there logo on the tail cone under the data plate. Given the the size of this drip area, if I were the owner of the paint shop, I'm not sure I'd put my name on it. Anyway, the rest of the plane and paint are literally perfect. So, I want it. But I wanted to get some feedback on how to repair this section. Is it too big for the razor blade method on the 1st page of this thread (run over 400grit, convex, scrape a little, buff a lot)?

Here's a pic of the area (assume it's about the same under the other wing).

Thanks!

As large of an area and quantity of paint to be removed and location, it is doubtful it can be "restored" to look like it was painted properly. The best idea is to sand down for the base and repaint those two sections. White should not be too difficult to rematch. This would be the fastest and most satisfactory result. IMO

[JFCRV12]

My concern as well. Worse, paint shop has been unresponsive to me and the seller... my bet is I?ll end up needing to having it done locally after getting it here. Ugh...just one more thing. But, it does give me something to do and we have he paint codes.

[David Paule]

Might be worth relocating the painter's nameplate so that it's adjacent to the runs....

Dave

[Sam Buchanan]

Almost makes you wonder if the runs are the result of something that happened after the plane was returned to the teen build site.....maybe an amateur attempt at repairing some shop damage? It's hard to imagine a paint shop leaving a mess like that.

[JFCRV12]

Originally Posted by David Paule

Might be worth relocating the painter's nameplate so that it's adjacent to the runs....

Dave

GREAT IDEA 😂. Of course, it?s possible the theory that this is something that happened afterwards is possible. Seller certainly isn?t indicating this happened and is point finger at painter. We?ll see. Not a showstopper on the purchase, just a pain to deal with later.

[Aluminum]

Originally Posted by JFCRV12

there are REALLY unsightly drips under each wing.

Here's a pic of the area (assume it's about the same under the other wing).

It's important to know what kind of paint it is when it comes to touching up and blending.

You may not have to do any of that, though. One thing you could try: mask off everything else thoroughly; spray some black paint over the area with the runs; sand away with 1000 grit until all the black is gone. Use a thin firm rubber pad and press only where there is black. That way you won't cut through the white paint. When satisfied, cut&buff as described in the OP.

[fl-mike]

Originally Posted by JFCRV12

Is it too big for the razor blade method on the 1st page of this thread (run over 400grit, convex, scrape a little, buff a lot)?

The scraping technique, yes.
But, you can slice off the thick part of the runs and work your way down. I've done it plenty of times. Just use brand new single-edge razor blades and carefully slice off the runs. You can then get the last bit with wet-sanding.
I think this is totally fixable. The biggest issue are the rivet heads and not burning the paint off of those if you buff. Protect them with a strip of tape and be careful.