[prkaye]

Before I make the final decision to spend over 12K (CAD) on a professional paint job, I'm fully researching what would be required to do it myself. I visited a local builder who did a very nice job on his plane, using PPG Concept. From his description of the process, I don't think this paint system would be very convenient for me. I would have to paint in my hangar, which has electricity but no running water. I was told I'd definately need a water hose to spray the surfaces during prep/cleaning. Also, the PPG system apparently has very small windows of time between prep, primer and topcoat. This is also inconvenient because it's a 40 min drive to my hangar.

So, my question is, are there paint systems that would be less demanding, but still look reasonable? I need a system that I could do at the hangar without access to running water, and preferably that allow me a bit more flexibility in terms of time betweeen prep and primer, and between primer and topcoat.

 

[trib]

Do it!

Paint it yourself and put the dollars into something useful, like the panel. I used a system by HMG, which is a british equivalent of Dupont here. My local marine products store where I buy my fiberglass materials was excited about my painting the airplane and sold me everything at wholesale. Total with paint, primers, sanding mat'l, etc. was about $1200 for a two color paint job. The paint is a two part single stage polyurethane, similar to imron. It cost a little more than dupont nason brand, but considerably less than the imron. You can google and find them on the web. I also have a POC for the east coast distributer who gives excellent advice on any questions. I need to send him a completed picture as he plans on posting it on the website. The paint is marine/aviation.

I purchased a good spraygun online from an ebay retailer for $150 (devilbiss finishline 3). I was very happy with it. If you'd like, I can e-mail a picture of the plane. Results were more than satisfactory to me. Some orange peel, but only if you're looking for it.

You really don't need running water. You will need to bring a couple of 5 gal containers full. I have spreadsheets showing how much paint/hardener I used for each component also. I'll get together a post to pass the info to everyone. Drying times are not that critcal for the paint I used. You can spray primer or paint after 30 min of flash time for second coating or overcoating. If you go beyond 24 hours you'll need to wet sand (36 hrs for topcoat). My process was to spray the primer/sealer, wait about at least 3 hrs or until the next day, wet sand to knock down any raised specks (this takes very little time) wipe down with a wet paper towel and then dry with clean rags. Let it finish dry (about 1 hr) then a quick wipe with the tack rag and shoot 2 top coats. You can shoot a wing in about 10 minutes. It takes surprisingly little time to paint.

I made a paint booth out of a 10' by 20' carport enclosure I purchased for $170 from Northern. All I needed to add was some blue tarps for the floor. I made a forced air breather from a fireman's MSA mask someone on the site recommended that was $8 used and a $20 bathroom fan.

The process is not at all difficult. It takes a little research and practice, but nothing technically difficult compared to something like wiring the panel. I'll be happy to help with any questions.

 

[lostpilot28]

OK, I'll stop being quiet about this...I'm doing my own right now...it is a LOT of work, but worth it (imho). I'm using the Stewart Systems paint system and running water would be convenient. I don't have that luxury, so I routinely fill three 5-gallon buckets with water from a nearby hangar.

I'm also copying a paint scheme that is VERY demanding. I e-mailed the owners to see if they were OK with that, but never heard back. I hope that's good enough for due diligence. The painting is the easy part compared to the prep work. I believe I'll have $2,500 in this paint job, but I believe that I'll be saving over $10k by doing it myself.

I've painted one thing in my life (motorcycle fairings) with PPG Omni. It turned out pretty well. The Stewart Systems paint is turning out even better. I say "do it yourself" if you can.

 

[Sam Buchanan]

Before I make the final decision to spend over 12K (CAD) on a professional paint job, I'm fully researching what would be required to do it myself. I visited a local builder who did a very nice job on his plane, using PPG Concept. From his description of the process, I don't think this paint system would be very convenient for me. I would have to paint in my hangar, which has electricity but no running water. I was told I'd definately need a water hose to spray the surfaces during prep/cleaning. Also, the PPG system apparently has very small windows of time between prep, primer and topcoat. This is also inconvenient because it's a 40 min drive to my hangar.

So, my question is, are there paint systems that would be less demanding, but still look reasonable? I need a system that I could do at the hangar without access to running water, and preferably that allow me a bit more flexibility in terms of time betweeen prep and primer, and between primer and topcoat.

Phil, I am not a painter.

Having said that, I've painted one RV, one truck, a kit car, a bicycle, and a VW Bug with single stage Concept. It is a wonderful system ideally suited for the non-painter. The quality can be very high, but you can fix nearly any goof. My notes about painting the RV-6 are here:

http://thervjournal.com/paint1.html

Running water would certainly be convenient, but I don't think it would essential if you can "tanker" some water to the hangar in large jugs. Main use for water would be any "wet" sanding you want to do but this can be done from a bucket if necessary. I didn't use a hose at any point in painting the RV-6. It would seem to me that hosing down airplane parts would be asking for problems since it would be so difficult to get all the water out of the structure.

The windows between prep, primer and topcoat are not that critical. If you use PPG epoxy primer the suggested window is 48 hours if I recall correctly. After that you can sand with 400 or ScotchBrite and topcoat anytime. I lightly sanded anyway to remove some dust that inevitably settles in the primer.

Download the tech sheets on Concept, prowl the car/truck painting forums and you'll find Concept to be a nice system. Painting an aircraft is a huge task, the biggest single job of a project (the professional painters are not paid enough!), but very possible for someone who is good at absorbing tech info, not easily frustrated, and willing to learn a new skill.

 

[David Clifford]

When I painted the Cozy MKIV we used PPG also. Had a crappy gun and the finish was just OK,,,nothing to brag about. Used a white top coat and spent about $170 for custom designed vinyl graphics from a local sign shop. It looked a lot better after they were on. Then after a gear up landing and major front nose area repair and paint,,,,it still looks pretty good, especially at 200 mph! The RV-10 is going to be our SUV in the sky, not a hanger queen so I am going to paint it myself as I did the Cozy. This time I am probably going to use the Kirker Automotive Finishes system that someone here mentioned a few weeks ago and has had good success. http://www.kirkerautomotive.com/ VERY reasonably priced! I had them send a color chart and they have a decent selection. I may be so bold as to try a two color scheme this time and forgo the vinyl graphics. If seeing a few painting mistakes in your plane keeps you up at night, then by all means have it professionally painted! $$$$$$$$

 

[rocketbob]

Kirker

smartshoppersinc.com is where I get Kirker paint from. Kirker keeps their prices low by having a limited selection of colors; no custom colors unless you order a 48 gallon minimum. A friend of mine painted a RV-3 with Kirker Enduroprime primer, Acryl-Glo/Laser Dry base, and their Euroclear and had less than $600 in materials, and it was absolutely flawless--looked as good as any high-dollar paint. Unfortunately the airplane crashed but it gave us a good idea on how durable the paint is, and it held up surprisingly well. I painted checkerboard this summer on a new VS/rudder for my RV-6 using the same base/clear and it also came out perfect. Reduced the clear 10% and it came out smooth as glass, no finessing required. I've sprayed Centauri, PPG, and a number of other paints and I like Kirker the best.

 

[frankh]

I used Valspar

and Harbor Freight HVLP spray guns...came out great for about $1200..No clear coat.

Frank