ORIGINAL: cstevenpeterson
Thank you all for the responses. The thing about paint is that you only get one shot to get it right. I sensed that Lusterkote was not a good choice because I believe it is a laquer based paint or at least the VOC's in the can are rather aggressive - I have had problems with that stuff before doing something similar. I will try to get a can of clear Poly at the auto supply and give that a shot. I guess it would be wise to make a test piece first.
Steve
Lusterkote is a lacquer base.
As far as the polyurethane goes - oil base polyurethane is fuel proof, but it will yellow on you in about 6 - 8 months.
Water base polyurethane does not yellow with age, but is fuel resistant WITH THE FOLLOWING CAVEATS:
1. Do not expose to glow fuel for a MINIMUM of 7 days after application.
2. Do not let the residue from the engine remain on the plane over 6 hours. After that the finish will begin to soften.
I paint many of my planes using latex and clear coat with water base polyurethane (MinWax Polycrylic). From personal experience the caveats are what I have found. It may be a trick of the mind, but it seems that the older the water base poly gets, the more fuel resistant it becomes.
You may also want to try "Dupli-Color" Truck & Van paint. My experience with this paint has been that as long as the label states it is acrylic (usually somewhere on the back) it is fuel proof to 15% nitro anyway. Be careful of compatibility since MOST of the paint is lacquer, but SOME is an enamel. You can put enamel over lacquer, but not the other way. The Dupli-Color I usually get at Wal-Mart and it runs about $4.00 for an 11 oz spray can.