talon_77

Good day all...my 1/3 scale Spacewalker project is progressing nicely. I am in the process of covering it now. I purchased my Solortex covering from Balsa USA at Toledo this past April. I was going to use just a standard latex house paint but was wondering if there was something that might work better? Whatever I use, I would like to use it on the fiberglass parts as well.

Thanks in advance for your advise and suggestions.

Brian

TomCrump

Hi Brian

I'm not a fan of latex paints. To me, it doesn't look "right" on our models.

For a premium finish, I use PPG automotive products. Most of my projects are painted with Rustoleum, however.

My Spacewalker and Cessna Airmaster were painted with Rustoleum, using my HVLP spray gun. My Lockheed Vega and Luscombe Silvaire were painted with aerosols cans. All, but the Vega, are covered with Natural Solartex. The Vega is glassed.

talon_77

Thanks Tom for the advise...I like the Rustoleum idea...what did you use to thin it so it would go though your spray gun?
Also...did you use any clear over the paint?


Thanks again!

spaceworm

Are all Rustoleum paints gasoline and glow fuel proof? If not what clear coat should be used? Thanks.

TomCrump

I use acetone to thin Rustoleum.

The paint needs no protection, when flying gassers. It is fuel resistant, but I feel better by using Minwax Polyurethane, and clear coating glow powered models.

The Vega and Luscombe are glow powered. The Vega is clear coated. I'll clear coat the Luscombe after the graphics are applied.

All Day Dan

My Feedback: (5)

I finish mine like Tom. Been using oil based paints and Rustoleum ever since I switched to gas. Dan.

talon_77

Thanks to all. Stopped and got the Rustoleum paint today. Should be ready to start painting in a week or so depending on the Indiana weather...

SunDevilPilot

Good luck with your painting. I will still make one more recommendation, maybe for next time. Try Klass Kote. It is all I use. Absolutely great to work with. Great company, great paint. No, I don't work there.

www.klasskote.com

SunDevilPilot

carlgrover

Tom,

where are you buying your Rustoleum and can you get custom colors mixed?


carl

TomCrump

I buy my Rustoleum at Menards, but it is available from many sources.

I understand that custom colors are available, but I've never looked in to it.

spaceworm

Is there any difference, glow fuel and gasoline resistance wise, to spray can, regular pints and quarts, or gallon industrial size can paint? What difference does it make to use the Rustoleum thinner (instead of acetone) to prepare the can paint for spraying? Thanks

TomCrump

The Rustoleum can says to thin with mineral spirits, or acetone. I choose acetone because it flashes off faster than mineral spirits.

I have noticed no difference in fuel resistance from the aerosol cans to the quart sized paints. It should be the same paint, but packaged differently.

Truckracer

My Feedback: (19)

Tom, I have painted quite a few airplane parts with Rustoleum but never a whole plane. How long do let the plane cure / dry before applying graphics and flying it?

Over the years, I've used quite a bit of the various automotive urethanes, both base coat / clear coat and single stage and with excellent results. Also used K&B Superpoxy many years ago when it was still available and the newer Klass Kote, also with excellent results. The Klass Kote paint film is more flexible than the older Epoxy based paints and it seems to work quite well over fabric as well as solid surfaces. The price is reasonable compared to some of the automotive paints. All great paints but the exotics are getting quite expensive. Rustoleum certainly has the advantage of much lower cost and is relatively easy to apply.

TomCrump

I let the model sit for a week, before masking trim, or applying vinyl graphics.

I suggest letting it sit for a month, before flying,

Truckracer

My Feedback: (19)

Those drying times are in line with my experience painting cowls, wheel pants, etc.

Weav

My Feedback: (3)

Hey SDP!! I'm trying to get a hold of you! Check your messages inbox and PM's.....
Thanks!
Weav

MTK

Having used many different paints over the decades, from dope/ lacquer to urethane, from epoxy to stits, and have not found one yellow that covers worth beans without at least a couple extra coats. It adds a lot of weight. What has been your experience with this color specifically?

I see see a couple yellow subjects where the yellow looks opaque, hence the question.

spaceworm

A white first coat will both brighten and make the yellow opaque. TWID. "Your results may vary"

MTK

I do that always. Still, yellow requires at least two or three coats extra. The ancient Du Pont lacquer from 40 years ago did a great job but that formula is long dead. I have not tried chroma base in yellow. Maybe chroma seal white first then supposedly one coat covers. We'll see ....

TomCrump

Using Warbird Colors RLM Yellow, I sprayed directly over dark green it covered in 5 coats, the same as the green took, over primer.Using Rustoleum, I sprayed 2 coats over primed, and unprimed, Natural Solartex. I could net see a difference.pics of both models, below.

TomCrump

Sorry, I posted the wrong Stuka pic.

Let's try this one.

I added another Cessna pic, too. the nose area was in primer, but the rest of the fuselage was not.

Truckracer

My Feedback: (19)

Yes, when the EPA removed lead based pigments from most paint formulas, coverage certainly suffered. Many yellow and red paints are now formulated with a dye rather than an opaque pigment and contain other colors such as white to improve their opaque qualities. There is a work around though that works in many cases.

When painting yellow with automotive paints, I try to use pure mixing colors rather than mixed colors as the pigment seems much more concentrated regardless of what the pigment actually is. For example, I still use DuPont (name changed to Axalta now) #842J Chrome Yellow Light, Chroma base coat in a bccc process. This is nearly a perfect match to Ultracote or Monokote yellow and it covers a white or light gray primer base very well. The down side to using straight mixing colors is their cost! Go to the bank before going to the paint store! Some of the single stage automotive urethanes also cover quite well but some color formulas are still horrible. You have to experiment a bit and some of those experiments are expensive.

The KlassKote colors seem to cover quite well but as others have suggested, a solid white or very light gray base is a requirement for most all paints these days.

TomCrump

I'm getting lost in this conversation. After 30+ yeas in paint manufacturing, I'm reading things, here, that I don't comprehend. Terms may have changed since I retired.

The gov did take lead out of most paints. Suitable substitutes have been available since that time. The cost is high, and many manufacturers use less expensive pigments, that don't perform as well. The dye, mentioned by Truckracer, is an example of this.

Red is expensive because it is hard to process. It takes more time, raising labor costs. Outside of eliminating red lead, I do not remember any changes to the reds, when lead was removed from paints.

I believe that the "mixing colors" mentioned, are what we called tinting colors. These are used to adjust the paint to it's desired finished color. It is a highly concentrated product, making it expensive.Most are ground to a high tolerance, also making it expensive.

The ability of paint to cover well is called "hiding". High hide paints have a heavy pigment concentration. High pigment solids means less resin. Less resin results in lower gloss.

Paints that cover well tend to give up something in the gloss department. This is one reason that it isn't as glossy as, say, auto paint.

spaceworm

I recall that chromium was removed from most if not all paint formulae, and primers such as cadmium chromate. I think cadmium yellow is still available in artists paint, but is that just a color, or does that paint still contain cadmium. Was it cadmium in yellow that improved it's "hide"? Thanks.

TomCrump

I remember the term, cad yellow, but not anything about it. We used chrome yellow. Chrome yellow disappeared when the lead laws came in to being. I believe that cad yellow was it's replacement, and was expensive.

Many industrial manufacturers change their company colors when the lead laws came into effect. I remember that Cateppilar Yellow went from a bright yellow to a dirty, yellow oxide. I assume that the change was due to cost.