Painting tips.
I have a few tips I have learned over the years painting cars, and 2 airplanes.
Please take them for what they are worth.
I feel that aerospace coatings are overpriced and overhyped, (although certainly a good choice if you can afford them), and that quality automotive products will produce a durable and satisfying result. My preference is a single stage high solids urethane product. My plane is painted with the Western system, and I have been thrilled with the results. The downside to SS urethane is it's difficulty to blend and repair. Not as big an issue with airplanes, as there is always a panel break line to paint to. My total cost in materials was $655.00, including Nason self etching primer for the inside and out. Don't forget to read the recommendations concerning the mix for aluminum etching, as most of the time the part 2 concentration is upped 50 to 100 percent.
Paint the belly of the aircraft as soon as the canoe is ready to flip. Fit your gear mounts, and install your antennae doublers and blast it. On padded sawhorses for a little while, and then up on the gear, so little chance of damaging it. Just tape it to the break line, and paper it up when you paint the rest of the fuse. You will hate laying on a creeper to paint the belly!!
Use quality 3M green tape. Expensive, and worth every penny. Use coated paper, and buy yourself a small paper dispenser.
Over the years I have used all kinds of equipment, but have been very pleased with my Lex Air HVLP turbine paint system. It takes some practice to get the hang of it, but it produces an excellent result with a moderate learning curve. Folks that have used other equipment may have a little harder time adapting to the process, as you have to "unlearn" your old technique. There are dozens and dozens of small parts to paint on an aircraft project, so the material savings is more significant with a turbine system. If you are buying new equipment to paint your aircraft, consider the cost of a suitable compressor and air drying equipment into the cost analysis. It takes a LOT of clean, dry, compressed air to run a traditional compressed air paint gun. A good turbine solves that issue at a reasonable cost.
I am yet to be convinced that water borne finishes have the durability it takes for an airplane, especially if it is parked on the ramp. I wish you could see my '06 Pontiac Vibe water borne white finish. It looks like a whitewashed fence, and was virtually burned off the car after 3 years. I think the future may bring us a suitable safer water bourne product, but as yet, I am unable to recommend it.
Pay attention to the rivets. Make sure you prime the rivet lines well, and allow adequate time for the solvent to evaporate from around the rivet heads after your final wipe and tac. This will avoid solvent pop around the rivet heads.
NO SILICONE GREASE OR SPRAY ANYWHERE NEAR THE PROJECT!!!! Use fisheye additive only if you absolutely need it. Excessive use of the additive will affect the gloss holdout to various degrees.
Practice with different speed reducers to get the hang of how the finish will flash. You will be dealing with temps that vary as you progress, so consider the size of the area you will paint, and the reducer speed you will need. Rule of thumb, Paint laying flat but lacks holdout, increase the speed. Orange peel, slow the reducer so the paint has time to flatten out before it flashes. Practice.
Have some fun learning a new skill. One you can use over and over. It's a lot of work to paint a plane, but a very satisfying experience.
Don't shoot for absolute perfection. Without years and years of experience, perfect temp and humidity control, and a commercial paint booth, you will not achieve it. That being said, with some practice, you can achieve amazing results.
Hope this helps,
Chris