paint

[bird]

I am going to paint my rv8 myself. I have already painted the empannage with pit polyurethane from aircraft spruce. Didnt really like the paint and worry about buying future paint from them as I am painting as I complete my stages, wings are next. I was wondering about other paint like jetglo. Where can I buy the paint and solvent reducer for it....I dont see many places that sell good paint to the public in small quantities needed for painting a rv. I have thought about automotive paint some but not really excited about it. When I went to a local auto paint dealer here, they were unpleasant to talk to and treated me like an idiot. Some input from otheres who have or going to do their own paint would be much appreciated. thanks in advance.

bird

 

[bird]

deltron

Thanks Scott for the input. I have some exp. with deltron i sprayed my k5 blazer with it years ago and really liked it. I put a lot of clear, 5 coats if i remember correctly then color sanded it with 1500 grit. Then had a friend buff it, because i was too scared to try it. It came out beautiful. Sounds like i might just have to make another trip down the auto paint road. One thing for sure is the availability is there which is a big plus. thanks again for the input/encouragement

bird

 

[pierre smith]

One caveat, Tim....

....when you paint small sections at a time, from small cans, is that the color has a good chance of NOT matching....especially if each batch has to be mixed by your supplier.

I have two really good autobody friends and when they paint either my airplane or a car, they make sure to have enough paint mixed to spray the entire color from one batch, for that reason.

Best,

 

[bird]

color variation

Thanks Pierre, thats good advice. I think I am going to wait until my aircraft is completed to paint. I only have the empennage painted now and I am not happy with it. So I will sand it down when I get the rest of acrft ready. I though about talking to my autobody friend also, but most good painters are like artist, ya gotta catch'em just right to get em to take a special project on..lol For now ill keep studying the paint systems.

bird

 

[KTM520guy]

Jet Glo is about the best paint you can put on an airplane. There are many other good aviation paints as well.

A couple tips for getting a good job.

1. Everything your painting that day needs to be clean. No slimey hand prints allowed. Buy yourself some wax and grease remover and some lint free paper towels. Think "The Karate Kid" when cleaning. Wax On (wet rag), Wax Off (dry rag)

2. Don't be afraid to thin your paint. Buy yourself a #2 Zahn cup and a cheap stopwatch. JetGlo and Alumi-Grip like to be thinned to about 17-18 seconds. Each different paint likes a different amount. Make sure to read the instructions but you can also make adjustments to suit your painting style.

3. Paint as many parts as you can at the same time. This is really important for metallic paints. How you mix your paint, set up your paint gun, the weather outside, and how you feel that day can affect how your finish/color looks.

4. Ask lots of questions if needed.

Hope this helps a little bit. It's hard to tell someone how to paint over the internet. Books and Youtube don't help much either. The best way to learn is to put a gun in your hand and spray some paint. In the end you'll find this is easy but all the hard work is in the prep.

 

[bird]

jetg;p

Thanks for the info on jetglo. I am interested so i can do research on my own. Things like surface prep and primers for jetglo. I want to use one system, so if I wanted to use jetglo, exactly where can I buy the system? Who sells it to a guy like me that needs a couple gallons of paint, and primer?

bird

 

[az_gila]

Thanks for the info on jetglo. I am interested so i can do research on my own. Things like surface prep and primers for jetglo. I want to use one system, so if I wanted to use jetglo, exactly where can I buy the system? Who sells it to a guy like me that needs a couple gallons of paint, and primer?

bird

I bought the interior S-W Jet-Flex from these guys near San Diego.

Easy to work with and they color matched for me from a sample I sent them. They will sell by the quart, but if you need 2 quarts, it's almost better on cost to get a gallon.

I would think they could do the same for Jet-Glo...

http://www.alliancecoatings.com/jetglo.php

 

[bonanza36]

Great Resource

I am going to paint my rv8 myself.
bird

For anyone who plans to do their own paint work, I highly recommend visiting www.paintucation.com. This web site is devoted to amateur painters and is the "vansairforce.com" for DIY painters. There are good resources available there and the forum is very helpful. If you lurk on the forum (as I did) while building your airplane you can learn much from others and avoid the typical amateur mistakes.

www.paintucation.com

cheers,