Paint Mask?

[CessnaTPA]

I'm getting close to painting my RV12 and would like to get some input on using a paint mask. Currently it's unassembled so it could be painted in peices.
I have zero experience painting but will have a buddy who is a auto painter helping. This will he his 1st plane and has limited experience with stripes.

Aerographics quoted me $900 for a paint mask for this paint scheme (will be doing something similar)
I'm not expecting a show winning paint job but do want it to look good.
Are paint masks money well spent or not really needed if you're willing to take the time and do it by hand?

 

[upperdeck]

I used Aerographics masking for my paint job at the recommendation of my painter. Great to work with, no regrets at all!

 

[BruceW]

Buy the masks. Your paint buddy will appreciate it.

 

[[email protected]]

It is easy to screw up a paint job and end up causing you massive headaches.
And dollars in the end.
The layout is REAL critical. Your eye will catch any screw ups.
The paint mask scheme will help you keep it straight and better aligned than you can ever do by hand.
Well worth the money and it saves time also.
Art

 

[planenutz]

+1 on the Mask.

It cost me $600 for the "fern" mask for my RV-6 however there was no way we could have masked this up evenly on both sides and achieved the same results. Stripes are certainly a little easier to mask than a complicated design but you can spend a lot of time getting it just right. Best to get the mask and make everyones life easier.

Nice paint scheme you have there for your -12. Looks smart.

 

[Bandera]

Paint masks come in real handy sometimes. For smaller things I make my own. For lager stuff I can get Aerographics to draw me a paper pattern or I’ll just freehand it with a roll of fineline tape.

 

[PaulvS]

How do the masks work out for butting or overlapping the different colors? In the first post the example scheme has 4 colors. Does the entire plane get painted first with color #1 and then the mask is applied and partially removed as colors #2 and #3 and #4 are applied?

If masking by hand with fineline tape I can see how to butt up the colors so there is no overlap, but wouldn't this be more difficult to achieve with a mask? I'm assuming the aim is to keep weight down by avoiding overlapping coats of paint.

 

[Stoo]

Generally with paint masks, you peel out pieces to be painted in one color, paint, and then replace those pieces. Next, peel out adjacent pieces, paint, etc. This works well for small designs (nose/tail art, N numbers). You have to be careful not to stretch the vinyl when you remove it. Stretching can be a problem with larger areas or longer strips but it can be dealt with by cutting the piece into sections which then overlap at the cut edge when replaced.
Stewart Willoughby, 6

 

[lr172]

One of those paint masks provides two benefits. FIrst it saves time and newbie error over doing the masking yourself. Second, it is machine cut vynal, so color lines will be very crisp. You can use fine line tape for DIY masking with similar effect, but takes a bit of gettind used to in order to not stretch and distort it. As mentioned above, even small errors will stand out, especially in areas of large radii. It takes a lot of time to get that right and is harder to see the errors with just the tape.

If you have time and looking to save money as well as accepting less than perfect, try it yourself. No magic here, just learned skill. If those three don't apply, get the mask.

You need to account for time windows also. Once the primer is down, the base needs to get on in relatively short order. Also, you will be laying down one color then masking over it for the next and so on. The base coat open window is generally 24 hours before either another base or the clear goes on it. Advanced lay ups typically require an inter-coat clear because of the time required for masking.

 

[lr172]

How do the masks work out for butting or overlapping the different colors? In the first post the example scheme has 4 colors. Does the entire plane get painted first with color #1 and then the mask is applied and partially removed as colors #2 and #3 and #4 are applied?

If masking by hand with fineline tape I can see how to butt up the colors so there is no overlap, but wouldn't this be more difficult to achieve with a mask? I'm assuming the aim is to keep weight down by avoiding overlapping coats of paint.

Yes, the mask is used in phases. You coordinate with the mask designer in how you plan to lay down the colors and he creates accordingly or he does that and tells you the order.

butting up tape lines is quite rare. Most lay down the first color with coverage beyond the planned color line, then tape over that for the next color. The base is very thin, so most of the overlap line is covered by the clear. A quick hit with 1000 grit on a medium density pad over that clear will make the line disappear, if looking for show quality work. Butting tape lines is dangerous. If you leave a very slight gap a bit of paint can get in there and may be very unhappy when the tape comes off. Many guys will lay out multiple strips of tape to be peeled off in succession, but you must have overlap on that tape to be safe.

Single stage is tougher, as the base and clear are mixed and the edge line is much thicker.

 

[Bandera]

AkzoNobel has an aviation specific base/clear system that has a 3 week open window before you need to clear. It’s very good paint but not cheap.