RickP

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Hello All,
I am finishing this kit up which I started a long time ago. I would like to paint the fuse, although I plan on covering the flying surfaces with Monokote. Can I use standard automotive enamel to paint the fuse, will that be fuel proof? If not what type of paint should I use?
Much thanks in advance,
Rick

TCraft Lover

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I completed my Smith Miniplane 2 years ago and painted it cmpletely including cowling and pants with rattle can rustoleum. The paint has withstood 10% glow fuel just fine.

RickP

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Thank you, that's what I thought. I am going to go for it and see how it works. I have some automotive style enamel paint, I've used this on gas planes with no problems. I'll keep you all posted.
Thank you
Rick

acdii

Unless its a heat cured auto enamel, it wont be fuel proof. I used some automotive clear coat thinking it would be fuel proof, and it got all tacky and gooey after a few flights. Rustoleum is good, but goes on heavy. Also the white will turn yellow after a while.

I haven't tried catalyzed clear, where you mix 2 parts and reducer to see if it is fuel proof. It might be, but its also expensive.

RickP

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A friend of mine suggested that I use Brodax paint:

http://brodak.com/media/BrodakPaint.pdf

I'm not really sure what this is though. Is it dope?
RP

RickP

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A search of that brought me full circle to this thread:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-w...-products.html

Apparently Cheveron Hobby products / Perfect paint. But it's no longer available? Any thoughts?
RP

acdii

All the good stuff has been banned by the EPA. Surprised we can still get Dope.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Go onto the Klass Kote site and see what you think. The stuff is a two part epoxy and it's bullet proof. Goes on with a brush or gun. My only problem with it is the price but it mixes 50/50 with the two parts then it gets thinned so it goes a long way.

acdii

Its mixed 1-1-1, resin, hardener and reducer, so 8 ounces becomes 24. Down side, it stinks. So does Dope, so does my house now. LOL

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

That's what it calls for but I have thinned it a lot more then that for air brush work and it comes out fine. I really like the stuff but it costs me as much to paint a plane as it does to build one.

TomCrump

Heat curing is not necessary with automotive paints. The "secret" to auto enamel is to add a hardener. I have a 20 year old glow powered model, finished in automotive enamel, using a hardener, and the finish is still in great shape.

This hardener works well in Rustoleum, too.

Be aware that this stuff is hazardous, and proper protection must be taken when using this product.

The hardener is the "Wet Look" product, pictured below. It serves as a gloss enhancer, too. Te feature is especialkly evident, when using it in Rustoleum.

TomCrump

Perfect Paint was a great product. As you surmised, it's no longer produced.

I used it years ago, on this Bf 109.

tzlaser

My Feedback: (-2)

Here's a second vote for Rustoleum spray. Used it on my fiberglass fuselage Quadrotech Laser 200. Very good coverage and gloss, holds up well to glow fuel after it completely dries. Their Sunrise Red matches Monokotes dark red exactly. Good luck, the King Cobra is a great sport/ pattern flyer.

RickP

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Tom,
This was the way I was originally inclined to go. I've painted quite a few gas airplanes this way and it was perfect. My first glow painting project though. Let me sift through the other posts though, maybe there is an easier way...
RP

oliveDrab

So you're covering the wing, horizontal stab, and vertical stab with Monokote? I've built 3 electric King Kobra's and have always tried to keep the airframe as light as possible because I power them with a 6-cell Lipo .... a big brick of a battery. So the vertical stab, rudder, and elevator are stick-built and I've lightened the fuse. Covered the whole thing with Ultracote. Wish I had painted the fuse but thought it was a bad idea given my attempts to lighten the plane.

Are you powering it with a glow motor? I'm very fond of the King Kobra - am building a scaled up version of it - has a 80" wingspan. Powered by Power 160 electric motor. It's a tail dragger to save weight and remove the added complexity of a nosewheel.

Would like to see pictures of your KK when you're done. Have fun!

RickP

My Feedback: (2)

Hello Olive Drab!
Yes that is my plan. Monokote wings, stab and rudder. Paint the fuse. I originally wanted to paint the entire thing, but the thought of glassing everything just turned me off due to weight. I am not going to glass the fuse, just paint it with resin filler prime and paint.
No, I am not going electric. This is supposed to be fun :-) I have a .60 FX and a MACs pipe.
I should post pictures, better yet, maybe this should be a build thread? I don't know if it is in the right place.
I started this kit in 2000 I think. I picked this winter to finish it up. Been thinking about it for while, thanks for following!!
RP

TomCrump

If you are not going to glass the fuselage, I would suggest seeking other option than paint.

This debate appears often on RCU, but I have never seen a painted, but not glassed, wood airframe look good.

It may not be immediate, but the wood grain eventually shows through.

.Why not cover the whole airframe ?

RickP

My Feedback: (2)

Tom,
I cannot claim to have experience in this field, but I am going to try to resin the fuse only, filler prime and paint it. I'll sacrifice the fiberglass to save weight so I might fly better in trade off for the consequences. I am more interested in flying it, but of course it should look good! I'm still covering so there is some time to change my mind!!! Stay tuned!!
RP

TomCrump

1/2 oz cloth does not weigh much. By omitting it you are saving little, if anything.

oliveDrab

This is something I've often asked about but can never get an answer. Why not just prep the wood with something to fill in the grain, sand it smooth, then spray it? Skip the cloth altogether. Only thing is, prepping the wood to get a perfectly smooth finish with no imperfections might take a lot of work. How about this:


1. sand it as smooth as possible.
2. spray it with Rustoleum sandable primer.
3. sand
4. spray it again with Rustoleum sandable primer.
5. sand
6. paint.

Something like that. But that primer can get heavy fast. I assume you'd be sanding most of it off. I do mostly Ultracote so don't listen to me while I'm thinking out loud.

acdii

Primer weighs much more than 1/2 ounce cloth. This stuff is so light that you can put the entire sheet used to cover the whole plane on a scale and it will barely register. Use WB poly to apply it and seal it and half the weight of the poly will go away once it dries. I use EZE Kote to seal the wood, then apply Minwax poly and 1.2 oz cloth, and apply a second heavy coat of Minwax in stages to fill the weave. Then one or two coats of sandable primer and wet sand 90% of it away to fill in low spots and missed open weave. Then apply latex paint and clear coat it. Very little weight has been added this way, no more than if I had used Monojoke or Ultracote. I weighed my Corsair before and after and the difference was nothing more than a couple ounces.

acdii

No heat is not required, it just speeds up the curing and makes it a harder finish in the end. A true clear coat is 2 part, clear and hardener, with reducer, just dont EVER use flex additive unless it is for a bumper. It scratches WAY too easy.

TomCrump

I can't imagine placing a model in any type of oven to heat it up.

Using a heat gun can cause problems by sealing the outer layer too quickly and trapping solvents uderneath.

Speeding up the drying process is not always desirable. I let my models sit inside, out of the sun, after painting. This allows the paint to flow out, and the solvents to evaporate.

After 24 hours, I like to then place the model in the sun. The UV rays, (not heat) work to cure the finish.

A succesful paint job is seldom hurried. Good things come to those who wait.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

My glass jobs come out as light as my covering jobs but I won't go into that because I discovered a small problem with my method with glow planes. The only added weight is the 1/16 sheeting that is added to the wing and other surfaces. I wouldn't do anything but glass and paint on a gas powered plane though.

acdii

So true, not suggesting to heat soak a plane anyway. LOL, just stating that an automotive painting system is designed to be used in a specific manner for a hard durable finish, and that being baked after application. I have painted a couple cars with base coat clear coat, but painting on steel is far easier than on wood. Once the primer sealer has set apply a couple coats of base, let each coat flash, then apply two or more coats of clear, then bake. Of course during all this painting, you are doing so in a heated booth, so the solvents flash off quickly on each coat, before baking. This really is the best way for a durable finish, but not one easily applied to our hobby. I haven't found an off the shelf clear coat yet that was glow proof.