Airbrushing doculam and other fun stuff
 

OK, I've got some K&B epoxy paint sitting around, so I decide to paint one of my "Blinks". Having wanted to do this I had already went to Walmart and purchased a twenty dollar Testors single action airbrush. Yes, it worked just fine. The funny story isn't about the airbrush!

Picture this, the airframe is covered in Doculam, the firewall drilled for a dowel. The dowel is (of course!) attached to a sawhorse. So I'm looking at an upside down Delta that's absolutely ready to be painted. I mix up some white paint. (keep in mind it's epoxy paint) I look at the cup and think, "I thought I only put 3/8oz of white in there, but it sure looks like 1/2oz!". So I add a 1/2oz of catalyst. You see where things are already going wrong? Yes, there was only 3/8oz of paint in the cup and I just over catalyzed. No, no beer yet.

So, I start spraying with my cheap airbrush. Thinking how darn easy this is! I should have tried it a long time ago! Wow, am I having to get closer to get enough paint? Oh yeah! Before long I start trying to figure out what's wrong. I take the jar off, etc. It takes about thirty seconds for me to have epoxy paint all OVER my hands. So I douse my hands with laquer thinner. This has the effect of giving me white epoxy gloves.

Lesson learned. I tape off the sections that are going to be red. Since I know how important it is to pay attention, the second round goes fairly smooth. I think how nice it is to still have my cheapie airbrush after learning the hard way. I must be some kind of super hero, right? Yeah, till I pick the dowel up and hold my airframe up to the light. What the h*ll? Did some kind of retard just airbrush this thing?! (the answer is yes) (that's not nice, but somewhere in there I did start the beer) There's sooo many streaks and runs it looks ridiculous. Oh well, I won't hold it up to the light to show it off.[sm=spinnyeyes.gif][sm=bananahead.gif]

The storal of this mory? I've got alot to learn!

RE: Airbrushing doculam and other fun stuff
 

I just weighed the painted airframe. Ready for the engine and radio, it weighs a mere 2.5oz. Putting me on course for a sub 7oz airplane. !!!I love Doculam!!!

RE: Airbrushing doculam and other fun stuff
 

It sounds to me like you are going to be prettier than the Blink! I just might have to come over tomorrow and check those paint jobs - the Blink and your hands!;)

RE: Airbrushing doculam and other fun stuff
 

So how is the clean up with the epoxy paint? I have an airbrush, but have not messed around with it much yet.

RE: Airbrushing doculam and other fun stuff
 

Scud, I had no directions to go by, so I read up on "Klass Kote" paints. They're epoxy paint too and even have some interchangable parts with K&B. First of all, do NOT let your K&B paint sit in the cup for forty minutes. I can't think of a worse idea. Mine was dry to the touch within ten minutes of spraying. There's the first difference between the two! Second, cleanup with laquer thinner is a little difficult. When the paint got on my hands, it was there for good.
I would like to get an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner and try that. They only run twenty bucks at Harbor Freight and should do the job. I only wonder if you just use water in it?

RE: Airbrushing doculam and other fun stuff
 

One more thing. I highly recommend you pick up a cheap, external mix airbrush to start with. I'm sure glad I did. I don't know that my l'il airbrush is going to recover from my mistakes!

RE: Airbrushing doculam and other fun stuff
 

I do know that adding 30 % of DENATURED ALCOHOL to Epoxy slows down the cure time to 5 days in a 55 F basement.

So a seperate spray jar of it should stop the cure to the point where flushing out and cleaning the brush parts is not a panic.

RE: Airbrushing doculam and other fun stuff
 

PATRICK, with most spray jobs, it works pretty well to first spray on a light tack coat. Let it set up for a few minutes, this is what gives the second coat support, so the second coat can go on "hot and heavy". Don't fret if you aren't getting a sheen straight out of the gun, just go for a nice even build up, the shine comes later after the paint has had a chance to cure, then it can be rubbed out. It takes a lot of skill and knowledge of the proper set ups to get beauty straight out of the gun no matter what the conditions are.

I thought the doculam was supposed to be misted with dye on the underneath side?

K&B cleans up with either their brand thinner [which smells an awful lot like lacquer thinner] or plain old lacquer thinner.

RE: Airbrushing doculam and other fun stuff
 

So your going to put your hand in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner![:-] Well, I am sorry to here that you are figuring this all out the hard way for us. Just the sound of putting epoxy through an airbrush makes me cringe... that's why I asked how the clean up is. Sounds like cyclops has a good idea... having a second jar ready with a cleaner to spray through it.

RE: Airbrushing doculam and other fun stuff
 

Clean up is easy, just don't be late. Wipe the jar out as best you can, swish around a little thinner, wipe, repeat. Then fill the clean jar 1/2 way with thinner and run it through the nozzle. Easier than opening a bag of FRITOS.

RE: Airbrushing doculam and other fun stuff
 

Depending on the gun tip parts.
Remove the small tip AFTER a 3 second flush.

Have 2 jars so you can suckup and flush the guns pump parts with a lot of flow into the second jar. That is the part you can not clean if hard. Back and forth till sure. Leave the tip in 1 of them till the end of flushing.

RE: Airbrushing doculam and other fun stuff
 

I should have asked CP before I started, but sometimes it just LOOKS easy. The stupid part is that I bought some gloves at the same time as the lacquer thinner. Too bad I forgot they were still in the bag. For the most part, the paint has come off my hands without using an ultrasonic cleaner. (smartypants)[sm=biggrin.gif] I cleaned up in much the same way as CP says to the second time. The first hot load probably ruined that tip.

CP, you can spray onto the bottom, but I just wanted to try the epoxy paint on this. You can put a light coat on and it's translucent.(but not clear) With a little practice it would look very nice.

RE: Airbrushing doculam and other fun stuff
 

The problem is that you don't get a lot of experience painting a Blink! I am glad that you mentioned the gloves. I have been wondering all weekend why you didn't get several pair for this job seeing how it was your first epoxy paint job and all. I did not want to say anything because it might have come out sounding like I was beening a wise guy - you know I wouldn't want that to happen.;)

After you get all experienced applying the epoxy paints, maybe I will let you paint my wingless seaplane when it is finished. I am going to want a little more than a misted paint job or a single, heavy, drooly coat. You might want to practice on one of your neighbors' cars first. Probably when no one is home!:D

Did I tell you that Alan took your Blink plans and framed one up on Saturaday-Sunday? I guess he won't need a short kit or a RTC afterall.