Tip: Adventures in Painting... continued

[MrNomad]

Given that we are novice painters, we compensated for our limited skills, primitive environment, and old age by building "jigs" to hold the parts of Chet's RV6A & my 9A for painting. Using automotive engine stands, we were able to position the cowl into almost any position to facilitate painting. As anyone who has ever painted the "shnozz" knows, there are many curved surfaces and sooner or later the novice is going to get "runs”. By positioning the cowl in a series of optimal positions, we got a perfect job.

Here's a second view of the 9A cowl. It will be striped later today.

When we did the front of the cowl, we tipped the engine stand back onto a milk crate so the nose was perfectly vertical. The next photo is is the 6A cowl.

When we "shot" the 6A fuse, we used two engine stands so the fuse could be rotated 360 degrees. In this manner, the surface of the airplane was almost always horizontal which made it easier to "flow" the paint.

The 6A was done in a single stage metallic which is harder to paint (IMO) than basecoat clearcoat. The metal has to be even, we wanted a high gloss finish, and no sags.

[FONT=&quot]Note the blankets on the floor. We wet them before the job so that they "wick" any ambient dust.[/FONT] That helped a lot.

Painting an airplane is sections takes weeks but by welding jigs to keep all of the surfaces level and easily accessible, the novice can definitely get it done.

Cheers!

 

[humptybump]

I like the "wet blanket" suggestion. I'll be painting my plane later this year. While I can do jigs for some parts, the plane is already flying so the bulk of the aircraft will be one big part

 

[MrNomad]

More adventures....

My Devilbiss guns has plastic bags that fit in the cup so that you can paint upside down.

Because we don't have a lot of experience we bought more paint than we needed so we could practice. Also, consider the primer stage as an educational step. No matter how much you mess up fill primer, you can sand it and shoot it again.

I did get one paint sag on the white cowl but with 1200/2000 grit paper, lots of water and then buffing, it's gone.

Best of luck.

 

[dpansier]

Barry,

Very nice job, I have been doing the same type of fixturing on my painting.

One caution to the people not located in Tucson where the humidity are ~10%.

I was told by a old body shop guy to use caution on misting the floor prior to painting.


In many parts of the US, misting the paint area floor can cause humidity levels near 100%, some paints / clears do not react well to high humidity levels.

I have noticed when spraying clear coat that high humidity levels may cause cloudiness in the finish.

 

[KTM520guy]

Don't worry to much about getting runs. It happens to us pros as well. In fact, any who says that they never get a run is lying. Really, no foolin'. Runs do happen from time to time.

My cowl holding fixture is a 55 gallon drum. Light weight and easy to move around

 

[fl-mike]

A Badger 250 airbrush works great for getting in the "shnozz" intakes and other areas (inside corners/angles/edges) that are a challenge for a big gun. Much better control of the amount of paint going on. Keep it handy and switch as needed. Easy to clean too.

 

[szicree]

The first two pics made me say "ho, hum, another white plane". Then I scrolled down and saw that red on the cowl!! Wow, that really pops! I love it, got any more pics?

 

[MrNomad]

The endless adventure....

Barry, Very nice job, I have been doing the same type of fixturing on my painting. One caution to the people not located in Tucson where the humidity are ~10%. I was told by a old body shop guy to use caution on misting the floor prior to painting. In many parts of the US, misting the paint area floor can cause humidity levels near 100%, some paints / clears do not react well to high humidity levels. I have noticed when spraying clear coat that high humidity levels may cause cloudiness in the finish.

You are sooo right. In July, Tucson humidity is quite high given that we're in monsoon season. My air compressor system has three driers and a final drier element at the gun which we change very often. I also designed the pvc lines so that the water "falls" before the air is directed upwards. There are many air handling designs on the internet concerning how to min the effect of humidity. We drain all three driers before and DURING the paint job to make sure we eliminate the water. So far, so good. Moisture has not been a problem given all of the precautions we take.

The blankets on the floor have done a great job of keeping dust out of the paint. The air that comes into the room must pass thru air filters so we do the best we can given the circumstances. And light, you cannot have enough light so that the shooter can see the glare when enough paint has been delivered. The shooter wears a forced air respirator and Chet's stays out of the room until he's needed.

Concerning fixtures, Chet configured these rotating assemblies using hot glue, wood, and pvc tubes so the parts can rotate during painting. In this way, the old man (me) can work at a height and level that's conducive to good results.

Concerning the color, When my kid drove up in her 05 Ford painted in metallic maroon, I was hooked and convinced Chet to let me accent his 6A in that color so it was not another plain Jane white airplane. I also completed a 55 Chev in metallic maroon base/clear so it pops too.

Here is Chet's airplane, patiently waiting for assembly which should begin in the next 10 days.

My intent is to encourage builders to save a bundle and paint their plane themselves. Taken in baby steps, it's possible to get good results. If you "fixture" the parts, you can compensate for your lack of experience and skill. Getting paint to flow (but not sag or end up too dry) takes time and practice, but that's what primer and old cars are good for.

 

[cwreeves]

Painting

Barry's being shy about his painting skills. He's painted so many old cars and planes he qualifies as a professional, really I've seen his work! He does a superior job of painting in his garage. Barry, you're the man. Painting a project yourself can save you thousands considering today's basic paint job can cost $8000. I built a temporary paint booth and I painted in my garage with good results, although not near Barry's quality, but I'm happy. Taking your time, practicing and using good equipment you can get a good paint job. I personnaly like the base coat, clear coat sys myself. My planes fiberglass parts, belly, elevator, rudder and fwd fuselage are painted and the remaining surfaces are polished. Great tip Barry.
Charlie, Tucson AZ, RV-7, TMX360, Cato 2 blade