lafountainj

I have had it trying to use Lustre Kote spray can paint. It does not cover well and if there is the slightest humidity it will fog up in a heart beat. Dope is just about as bad. A friend who does a lot of custom car painting suggested using a urethane automotive paint. You can paint with it when it is raining and still get a perfect finish. Anyone had any expierence with automotive paints? I think the jet guys use it.......The color I am using is Cub Yellow. The auotmotive paint people have a digital camera that they can take a picture of a sample and match it exactly. Thanks for any help.......

MajorTomski

Jimmy Dave Platt the godfather of scale modeling used to use Rustoleum paints strait from the hardware store.

Lot cheaper than Auto stuff

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

Some people do use automotive paints.

While they do provide a superb finish (especially the base coat/clear coat ) there are a few negatives. They are usually quite expensive, they may or may not require a special primer (also $$$$), they often require special or specialized equipment (separate air breathing masks, etc) and are frequently a heavy finish.

If you have not done so already, you may want to investigate using latex paint. There is an excellent article by Roy Vallencourt (Top Gun Winner) on painting with latex. http://www.modelairplanenews.com/how_to/latex1.asp

I would suggest using a water base polyurethane for a clear coat to fuel proof it. Water base poly is good to definitely 10% nitro (all I use ) and various reports indicate no problems with 15% nitro.

If you are interested in trying latex I will be glad to try and answer questions you may have.

kdheath

Here's a link to some info on auto paint. These guys have probably shot as much auto paint on models as anyone. Really nice work. Every gory detail.

http://www.egpworld.com/ultrahobby/t...INGARTICLE.htm

Murphey

My Feedback: (11)

Campy: How does the weight of Latex vs. automotive vs. Rustoleum vs. dope compare? I've heard that latex and Rustoleom are heavy...but I'm not painting a battleship...just a 76" airplane. Will there be a significant weight difference with the finished product?

kdheath

Can't speak to the latex. But Rustoleum is likely a little heavy. You can lessen the problem (if you use the rattlecans) by warming the can in hot water and shaking it well before spraying. Follow the can directions carefully about how much time between coats or it may pucker on you.

The issue with auto paint is that it has a very high solids content-about 60%. Dope is only about 10% solids. So one or two coats of auto paint is roughly equal to six of dope. EPA forced the auto industry to develop paints that give off very little solvent. So with good surface prep, sanding and application, the auto paint won't be any heavier than dope or enamel. And it is shiny, very tough and fuel proof. Not to mention the infinite choice of colors.

Goggles

My Feedback: (4)

Give auto paint a try, you'll like it. You can do lots of cool stuff if you have the imagination.

DO however think safety! Wear gloves when handleing paint or cleaning up, and wear a mask. I spray in my car port and most of the fumes are gone quickly except for the clear coat, it's nasty.

I buy my paint from NAPA and use the Martin Senior cross fire urethane enamel line and you can buy as little as a pint of paint. Use a sealer, then base, then clear coats. Clean up with lacquer thinner.

You'll probably be looking at around $100-$150 to get started (3 - 4 colors, sealer, clear coat) and if you're looking for a gun, they are cheap on ebay. I use a 4oz porter cable hvlp gravity feed gun and it's just right.

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

All paint will add weight to the plane. The amount of weight for a given type of paint will depend to a great extent on the color and the amount of pigment that is in that color.

My experiences with latex have been that it is about 30% lighter in weight than Rustoleum after it has dried. This includes the poly clear coat. The paint "weighs heavy" in the can, but after it is applied and the water evaporates it winds up quite a bit lighter. If you read the article by Roy Vallencourt, after redoing his plane in latex, the plane lost over 4 lbs in weight.

The only dope I have used in the past several years is clear, and that is for fuel proofing areas I do not want to use thinned epoxy on.

My experience between latex and automotive paint has been that latex , again, tends to be about 20% lighter than automotive paint. While the automotive paint definitely has a higher shine and is more durable than the latex, the price turned me off.

The actual weight savings or gain to your plane will depend on how heavy it is applied and how many coats. A ROUGH guess for latex vs Rustoleum (based on painting the complete plane) would be in the neighborhood of a 4 oz - 6 oz savings in weight.

To get a more precise idea of the weight differential, I would do some test panels. Weigh them prior to anything being applied and then after the paint has dried completely (about a week in a decent temperature/humidity environment).

Hope this helps.

timothy thompson

My Feedback: (1)

ppg enamels with flattners work great i can get od and any shade ! This paint will weather and look great. I use plaSTIC SCALE TECHNIQUES AND GET A NICE FADED WEATHERED LOOK. I hate shiney warbirds look at any REAL pic and they were not perfect i realise the replicas and rebuilds ate gloos for easae of maintenance but the real thing was not very preey after several missions.

Tim
n318RC

gow589

My Feedback: (1)

Once I tried automotive paints, I swore off Krylon and all hoby paints. There is no comparison. I use dupont single stage but I am sure PPG is good too. It is quite expensive though. Pick colors you will use for other things. Until recently I have been using a harborfreight HPLV gun which was about $45 on sale. Worked great. I ONLY use single stage due to weight. Getting a solid primer color underneith helps if you want to keep the coats down. I just painted some metalic silver ont he P-51. Took 3 coats (20 minutes in between) to get complete coverage, without solid color underneith. I even had some red to cover:

http://www.rc-tech.net/per/p51/paint1.jpg
http://www.rc-tech.net/per/p51/paint2.jpg
http://www.rc-tech.net/per/p51/paint6.jpg

Still have the stripes to paint. Here is the Bearcat:

http://www.rc-tech.net/gear/firstb.jpg

Staudacher cowl:

http://www.rc-tech.net/per2/Studachera.jpg

Make no mistake, auto paint is pricy. Pick something you'll use again. If you try to match covering, they have a scanner to scan the covering but I have found it never reads it right. I would compare the color chips.

d_bodary

My Feedback: (85)

If you need auto paint try Radio South he sells it in small quantities that will match covering.