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Permalink Reply by John Austin on February 21, 2013 at 8:52am

I was very lucky - I'm in a remote rural area, but my neighbor is a retired body shop owner and pilot and has a 24' paint booth behind his house. He still does old car restorations both for himself and for others. He used Dupont "Nason", which I understand is a 2K urethane paint. He applied it over an epoxy primer, don't know the details on it. He got excellent coverage without having to apply it too heavily and it has a nice, glossy finish without the need for clear coat. He told me that he thought scuffing around the rivets was going to be a real PITA, but he got a bucket of what I "think" he called "Scrub Stuff" or something similar ...  rather than a sheet of abrasive, it's similar to a rubbing compound so you can rub it in and get around the rivet heads.

I completely assembled the plane to check fit and specs, then disassembled and had everything painted except the cowl, expecting to have to do some cowl cooling tweaking with the Jabiru 3300. Once that was dialed-in, I took the cowl back to Joe and he painted it.

One tip - I used clear 3M polyurethane tape (used on helicopter blades) as an anti-chafe tape over the paint where the cowl overlaps the fuselage and on my extended cowl lip and nosegear leg for rock chip protection. Also, bugs wipe right off!

Don't have a year on it yet, but seems very durable and no problems with peeling, etc. I wouldn't change a thing!

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Permalink Reply by Bob McDonald on February 21, 2013 at 11:35am

My CH750 was painted in an automotive shop. The White main color is "GM Artic White" and is a 3 part epoxy paint. They stripes are automotive striping shop also. The warranty on the stripe (lightning bolts) is 7 yrs... the paint??? I never asked. Airframe was cleaned with Alumiprep & Alodined before primer.

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Permalink Reply by Bob McDonald on February 21, 2013 at 11:42am

My 2005 CH601HD was painted in the garage, using vapour barrier as a "paint booth" with exhaust fans and proper breathing air.

Aluminum was cleaned with Alumiprep & Alodined prior to painting with ENDURA paints & primers. Very easy to paint with and gives good results... every 8 yrs later (mostly hangared).

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Permalink Reply by david shrader on February 24, 2013 at 12:57am

The aircraft at the 135 carrier I work for use imron, it's easy to work with and hangs in there in some very a very harsh environments. We use it on the wheel halves and gear castings. The planes operate on gravel 90% of the time and it's the only paint I've seen that can stand up to that kind of abuse. The paint fades at about year 6 but like I said its harsh around here 24hr sun in the summer and temps to -50f in the winter. The underside of the wings, etc still have a shine after 10yrs. All that said it goes on a little heavier than some other paint systems, increasing weight. I've used house of kolor, highest gloss shine I've seen. I've used Centari as well, easiest to shoot (very fogiving), but imron is the most durable paint I've ever come across.

Dave

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Permalink Reply by Alan Uhr on February 24, 2013 at 6:09am

David, how did the other 2 paints hold up to the weather. I live in Florida. My next paint job will be the 3rd in 4 years. The plane is parked outside. The sun fades the paint within a year or so. I am going with 1 color, white with vinal graphics. Just looking for a paint that will stand up to the harsh Florida sun.  Alan

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Permalink Reply by Scott Hunter on February 24, 2013 at 12:43pm

Aluminum cleaner: DX S33; Alum. conditioner DX503; Acid edge Chem. PPG; Self etching primer; Paint NAPA Martin Senour (#7220). Main - white, w/ red lightning bolt on side, matching red on leading wing edges & elevator leading edges, front of  vertical stab. Rudder - Carnac 2" vinyl red & white checkerboard. Wheel pants Red tops, white bottoms w/ Martin Senour #7220. (paint seems to be affected by inflation via 3 color 701 2003, as well as 2nd E.A.B. later before current 3rd. I would pick up the paint, if you could. 2010 paint shop marked up paint price per when I needed XTRA, discovering later, etc.

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Permalink Reply by Scott Hunter on February 24, 2013 at 12:54pm

Aluminum cleaner = DXS33; Alum. conditioner= DX503; Acid edge Chem. = PPG; Paint = NAPA Martin Senour #7220. Self etching primer. Main- white, Red: lightning bolt full length on side, leading wing & elevator edges & vert. stabilizer. Rudder - Carnac 2" vinyl checkerboard red over the white; pants - #7220 red on top, white on bottom. If your painter will let you pick up your paint, consider it, as it must be affected by inflationary costs. (3) color 701 in 2002-3, then 2nd A/C later 3 color dope & fabric, 2010 Zenith 3rd prof. painted. (When needed XTRA discovered paint shop marked paint up considerably). Some colors are more expensive than others, red being one.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Pustell on February 24, 2013 at 7:30pm

If you use any of the two-part catalytic paints, be sure to use top quality breathing gear. You can die if you do not use the correct protective gear with this stuff, these paints can ruin your lungs very easily. Do not try to "get away" with exhaust fans and/or breathing filter type protection, you need a hood or mask that is connected to a clean air supply that draws breathing air from well away from the painting area and sends it to your lungs via an airtight hose.

Old fashioned enamels and laquers (you open the can and apply the paint, no mixing in hardeners or catalysts) can be done with less aggressive breathing protection. Do not try it with the catalyst type paints.

I am very interested in the Stewart paint systems. They are water based, non-toxic and will not hurt you during application. It can be used on both fabric and metal surfaces. I have heard good things about the results but have no personal experience (yet) with the Steward stuff.

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Permalink Reply by Louis W. Ott on February 26, 2013 at 2:22pm

Hi Bob,

I'm using the Stewart paints. I'm only painting the rudder, cowling, wheel pants, and wing & stab tips so it isn't a lot. I found the Stewart applies differently than the other paints, but very usable. It works best with HVLP paint system. Follow their instructions 100% or things can get weird. Once applied and cured, the surface is very hard and impervious to solvents, gasoline. Breathing protection is still needed to keep the paint particles out of your system. No solvents except pure water. You can get an instructional DVD from Stewart's to explain application better.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Pustell on February 26, 2013 at 10:02pm

Thanks for that info, Louis. I tentatively plan about the same as you -- Mostly polished with some paint accents and maybe a stripe down the side. Also, like you, leaning to the Stewart system.

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Permalink Reply by david shrader on February 26, 2013 at 12:23am

Imron contains isocyanate, bad stuff.

Organic vapor respirator cartridges have been evaluated for use with Imron® and Centari®, two isocyanate containing enamels, under conditions which approximate field conditions. Although solvent breakthrough was observed under some conditions, isocyanate breakthrough was not observed in any test. During four hour exposures to Imron, neither solvent nor isocyanate breakthrough was observed with the Willson Products R21 organic vapor cartridge with R15 prefilter. On exposure of this cartridge to Centari, acetone breakthrough, followed by other solvents, was observed after 10 hours, but, even after 25 hours, isocyanate breakthrough was not observed. Ethyl acetate broke through the Mine Safety Appliances organic vapor cartridge (part number 459315) and prefilter (part number 448842) after 15 hours, but isocyanate had not broken through even after 18 hours of exposure.

As far as paint hold up goes I think house of kolor will be best in the sun. It has alot of UV protection in the clear coat. I cannot attest to the longevity of HoK I shot it only 5yrs ago, but it still has shine. The Centari was the worst, I think krylon is better. Aside from the health precautions that must be taken, Imron 5.0 is my preferred paint due to its durability under extreem conditions. I think HoK has the best protection from fading (from product literature I've read), and would be a good choice if fading is a problem. If chiping, cracking, or erosion wear is a problem go with imron

Dave

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