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Roller - crazy idea?

B

Bob_pipedream

Active Member
Hi all,

Got restrictions on how and where to paint. Don't want to take the wings off either...

So tempted to use rollers and then colour sand as I can really play about with the paint job - what do you all think?
 
I have seen it done

Reasonable result with a water based paint on a buddy of mines RV6 many years ago. You could not tell it was "rolled" on, but it was not the best finish in the world. I dont believe he spent much if any time color sanding.
Color sanding is much more difficult than a car. You can knock off your color quickly on edges of rivets, dimples, etc...however, some of the best paint jobs I have seen have been color sanded, but on sprayed airplanes.
 
I don't think I would do it, but in the Los Angeles area boats are painted by roller with Imron to get around the air quality rules.

Dupont makes a special Imron reducer for rolling - at least they used to, but I haven't checked for a long while...:)
 
It would be interesting to do some test with different paints and rollers but, I?m sure some paint pro will be along soon to tell us the good and the bad.
 
rollin' with the roller ( long version)

okay, not a plane, but I've painted a LOAD of 4'x8's in the sign business.
We experimented with every possible kind of roller, thinner and paint.
After 20+ years, here's the result....keep in mind that the board is flat, and an aircraft is not.
this is for solvent based paint, like marine enamel ( alkyd) and 1-part urethanes. 2-part can be rolled, but we only did small areas before it eats the roller, and/or gets tacky.
Often that was part of the secret. Tape off and only roll what you can do in about 2 minutes. Yes. 2 minutes. ( a 4'x8' eh!)
....experiment with a test piece until you have the temperature and technique mastered. Get a coupe of high quality roller cages that spin freely, and a case of rollers. ( once you find the right ones)

1. paint is generally used out of the can. As Gil says, some retarder or very slow thinner if used sparingly can help it 'flow' out.
2. put on the THINNEST coat possible consistent with even coverage.
3. roll fast, in 2 or more opposite directions, with a very short pile 'lint free' fuzzy roller, ( even 2mm thick foam rollers were tough to use, as they respond differently with slight variations in pressure, and would end up sucking up paint at the end of the stroke!)
4. let the solvent flash off for a few minutes.
5. grab a new, clean roller, and run over the surface with NO pressure, just the weight of the roller, in multiple directions, being sure to run right from edge to edge of the area. Best to end on a piece of 2" tape, or you have to master 'lift-ing off' the surface at the end of each stroke.

This stipples the surface where orange peel is trying to form, breaking the surface tension, and forcing the paint to settle and flow again.
the final product will be paper thin, with an even sheen like silk.
Where you had to go over rivets etc. use a small block of foam ( cheap green camping mattress foam) cut square, and stipple around and over the obstruction until the paint film adheres to all sides and flows uniformaly around it.
Bonus; you can pick bugs and dirt out of a thin film like this.

the surface, once tacked up, will accept a second coat....same technique, fast & thin. Follow paint instructions and control temp and airflow in the shop, and of the surface to be painted. Wear a respirator even if 'just' using enamel, and keep the stuff off your skin etc.
Shop lighting is crucial to 'seeing' where you have rolled, and what needs another pass.
Prep is still VERY important, paint will not hid many ( any) sins, no matter how it's applied. :)
 
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Some where on the net is an article about a car brush or roller painted and then color sanded with very good, but not show quality results. In Theory it works fine (if you don't mind doing lot's of color sanding)

Impressive job in the boat u-tube vids!! That is done on very smooth surfaces to begin with.

As previously noted, and in line with my experience (amateur first time painter, spraying PPG), color sanding on airplanes is tough. Too many rivets and overlaps. The color sanding I did was limited to smooth panel areas between rivet lines and away from panel overlaps.

Without the ability to do extensive color sanding, roller and brushing will be pretty rough looking IMHO. Probably result in a 20 footer at best, but you never know how good it might come out in the hands of a persistent RV builder!

Good luck, fly on!!
 
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Several of us painted a DC-4 once using rollers. It was after a conversion from a passenager to a freighter configuration. It was interesting but not sure I'd want to do it again. The surface was a bit rough when dry but it still flew well. Didn't look to bad from a distance.
 
Maybe

I've painted a car using a roller method. It came out okay. Ended up having to do lots of sanding and buffing. Keep in mind I'm not a paint guy by any stretch of the imagination. I had to put several coats on before it came out looking acceptable. Probably put a whole lot more paint on then I would have with a sprayer. What worked best for me was thinning the paint down to the consistency of water. I used the small foam rollers you can find at Home Aviation Depot. The trick was finding the right pressure/speed to get good coverage without runs or bubbles. A light roll using only the weight of the roller would smooth it out nicely. I think you can do it, but for the time and aggravation you would spend learning the technique and fixing problems I would certainly consider just saving the money to let someone else make your baby pretty.
 
Thanks all, I may do a test patch out of interest and see how it goes.

Here is another question then - wings on or off for painting (bearing in mind this is a 6 with all those bolts on the main spar and I am lazy...)
 
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