DaveSR71

hi all
back into airplanes agin but paint situation has almost frustrated me to the point of quiting while im ahead !

the problem--while painting a all foam control line 1/4a stunt ship(just for fun) i discovered that pactra formula u (spray can)is fantastic stuff!(takes awhile to dry/cure) o.k. -- i then used the left over paint on the abs parts of a byron v tail beach and the results were fantastic.then went to buy more to finish the rest of the airplane and no one has any and the mfg has discontinued it!

monokote lustercoat is not the right shade of white(does not match)dries flat and attacks the formula u.

i have heard that rustoleum might be fuel proof--will look for some today and test it if it matches.

anyone have other sugestions? or possibly have some unused formula u polar white they would be willing to sell me? i would possibly need 4-5 cans to make sure i have enough.

below is a list of airplanes that im still flying--paint type--age---condition---notes

sig craftsman pt-19 rm auto laquer 23 years old exelent (did not use escapment radio!)

???? cap 21 rm auto 2part base/clear 21 years old exelent (no yellowing this poison made me sick for
months-staying upwind and using respirator--never
agin!)

scratch built dauntless some kind of spray can paint 8 years old fairly good.(heavy as @#$% )
some kind of flat clear spray can
cant remember

coverite 1/4 art chester monokote wings/econokote on 15 years old (monokote is good ---econokote has lifted and yellowed
jeep the rest badly)


airplanes i need to finish-these planes are ready to paint if i can find somethin to paint them with(no 2 part poisons as i already have liver problems)


byron v tail(the one above) about 15 yeqrs old (fantastic kit!)

jemco p-47 about 15 years old (real nice--working intercooler doors--scale
exaust-ect)

scratch built 1/4 mr mulligan about 15 years old (partial steel tube frame work in fuse--scale interior
dash stamped aluminum dash-machined
gages-scale wireing harness--ect)

airplane almost ready--great planes gee bee---it came painted!!!! are arfs the way to go now?solves paint problem but very few make
good scale models.


have searched site and checked out links on latex and urethanes but very unclear as to what to do--the p-47 and mulligan should not be to much problem-----the byron is a problem as i have already painted and finished(glued nav lights and covers on)the parts to delicate to redo.

if someone can help please do!

thanks
David

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

I suggest latex. You will need to clear coat it to make it fuel proof. Here is a basic "How To" for latex (RC Universe is STILL giving me fits about uploading files).

Painting with Latex


First, if you have not done so, I strongly recommend you read the article
by Roy Vallencourt on using latex paint.
http://www.modelairplanenews.com/how_to/latex1.asp

I do disagree with Mr. Vallencourt in a couple of areas. These areas
of disagreement are based on my personal experience using latex.

1. I add 1 1/2 caps of FloTrol per quart of latex paint PRIOR to any
diluting. The Flotrol retards the drying slightly and allows the paint
to level itself.

2. Use ONLY water for thinning the paint. My experience has shown
that using windshield washer fluid gives a slight tint to light colors.

3. My best results with latex have been between 25 psi and 30 psi.
Under 25 psi I don't get the coverage I would like and over 30 psi the
paint starts to have a "dimpled" appearance.

4. I have not had good luck using a heat gun to promote quicker drying.
I know of several people who have had good luck using this technique
though. You can try it and see if it works for you or not.

5. I strongly suggest and highly recommend the blue 3M brand of masking
tape. What you want is the "60 Day Safe Release". This can be
identified by a paper appearance to the tape and on the side of the
wrapping is an adhesive index. You want a 2 dot adhesive rating. The
2 dot adheres reasonably well, yet will not pull up even fresh underlying
paint.

6. Flat latex will take an average of 7 - 10 days to "cure". Semi gloss
and gloss latex take 14 - 21 days to cure. To see if the paint is cured,
press your finger firmly on a hard area of the plane (I use the cowl
area). If a fingerprint remains, the paint is not cured. The
fingerprint will disappear in a day or two.

7. Gasoline powered planes will be fine with the paint as is. Glow
engine powered planes need to be clear coated. I suggest waiting until
the latex is cured before clear coating.

For clear coating I suggest one or 2 sprayed coats of a water base
polyurethane. My personal experience has shown that it is fuel RESISTANT
to 10% nitro and various reports indicate no problems with 15% nitro.
By fuel resistant, I mean if you let the clear coat dry for a minimum
of a week before exposing it to fuel AND you clean your planes at the end
of the day,you should have no problems. If you let the residue sit
overnight on the plane, it will become sticky. If you want fuel proof,
use Ultracote or Lusterkote clear. Oil Base polyurethane is also fuel
proof, but it will start yellowing in about 6 - 8 months. The yellowing
is not that noticable on dark colors, but very noticeable on light colors.

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

Nice post, Campy--If I let you live rent-free in my camper in the back yard, would you paint all my planes for me? With what I have planned for the next year or two, you'll stay busy, I promise

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

DON'T TELL MY WIFE !!! She would have me packed up and ready to go in 5 minutes.

DaveSR71

campy---how do i contact wife?

i have 3 suburbans to paint(anyone need good well maintained airplane haulers?)a pick up and several race cars to paint so there is plenty of surface area for you to experiment on---am seriously contemplating on going to latex on full sized stuff(blame it on 60s&70s)

seriously--thanks for help

my biggest worry was finding gloss latex for civilian stuff---found it!learned it or something and feel better now.


the pactra formula u spray cans did kinda spoil me and now have a test panel and 7 diffrent brands of white spray cans to test
at 12 hours of dry time all the enamels are fuel resistant (30 min raw fuel)and the laqure is not!!!crazy world---??--!!@#$%^&*
all picked up pink from fuel---must change fuel---next is sig castor base that i should use anyway as most of my engines are older types and dont last with the syn stuff.

thanks agin!! and dont forget i need wifes phone #!!


David

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

I have enough problems as it is and you WANT ME TO VOLUNTARILY ACQUIRE MORE ?

I plan on going up to Hamilton, Ontario in June. They have a Lysander under restoration at the air museum there (need the pics for the one I am building ). I bribed the wife to let me go (she is comming with me ) so I have a feeling the CC bill is going to be a "little larger than usual".

FWIW - I usually use flat exterior latex (more resistant to UV than interior latex) and the degree of "shine" I want is determined by the clear coat. I much prefer the shorter curing times of the flat.

bkdavy

My Feedback: (1)

Another advantage to using latex paints is that you can take a sample of the covering you're using to the local home improvement store and have them match the color. I did this for my CAP 232 (trying to match the yellow monokote) and came up with a perfect color match. I also have enough paint left over for the next 20 cowls.

Brad

techsarge

My Feedback: (1)

I'm building a Sig 1/5 scale Cub and ordered Cub Yellow Solartex for the covering. I'm not sure which of the available paints would most closely match theSolartex. I saw a post in this thread which makes sense to me. BKDavy said that he took a piece of the covering to a local paint store and was able to get a perfect match. On the cub I'll need to paint the fiberglass cowl, struts and landing gear. The landing gear is Robart scale, the main struts are spruce and the jury struts are brass. I guess I would have to prime everything except the cowl or do I prime the cowl also? Which primer would you suggest I use for the metal and the spruce struts? This is all predicated on using latex paint. Appreciate any tips you can send my way; I have no experience painting models.

OOPS! Forgot to mention I don't have any spray gear so will have to use a brush. Will that work without a bunch of lands and ridges?

Thanks...

Ed

bkdavy

My Feedback: (1)

Can't comment on the primer to use. For my ABS plastic cowl, I used the Rustoleum Plastic Primer, and overcoated with the latex. You might want to look into using rustoleum primer on the metal and fiberglass parts.

As for brushing, I used foam brush. Put it on in very thin coats, and build them up. You'll probably get some brush marks, but the thin coats will help minimize that. It will take longer, but the thin coats will cure faster. You can also lightly wet sand with 400 or 600 grit between coats to help minimize brush marks.

Brad