jzinckgra

My Feedback: (11)

I used microballoons/epoxy to make my wing fillets and wanted to know if I can paint them directly. My approach was to sand them down till they are smooth, then prime, then paint them. Will this work or do I have to fiberglass the wing fillets 1st? They are rock hard right now, so I don't think I need to fiberglass them. ALso, what kind of paint should I use and should I apply it with a brush or spray it on? Thanks.

Kaos Rulz

jzinckgra

You can paint directly on the micro ballons and epoxy. I'd suggest using spray paint. Just make sure it's fuel-proof. I've had good luck with Lustercoat.

jzinckgra

My Feedback: (11)

Thanks. Would I still need to prime it 1st?

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

You can paint the fillets directly, there is no need to glass them.

The type of paint you use is up to you. I strongly suggest spraying over the brushing. I use latex paint with excellent results. I like the fact that it is almost totally odorless, easy to use, and relatively inexpensive. A quart of custom mix runs about $8 - $10. The downside is that it NORMALLY takes 7 - 10 days for the paint to cure (it can take as long as 30 days depending on the weather ) and it does need to be clear coated to fuel proof it. (I use 2 coats of water base polyurethane and it is good to 10% nitro [maybe more] ).

Rustoleum is another choice if you need spray bombs, however, not all of the Rustoleum products are fuel proof. LusterKote and Ultracote spray paints are also options. Personally, I do not like the way LusterKote sprays or lays after it is sprayed. 2 part automotive paint is fuel proof, but EXPENSIVE.

In any case, make sure the paint is fuel proof, or clear coat it to fuel proof it.

If you do not have spray equipment, I suggest a "detail" spray gun, an airbrush and a compressor with adequate capacity to handle the detail gun.

Kaos Rulz

Not necessary.

Patriot

yes you can, but after sanding, I would definitely use good two coats of primer first, just to fill in any tiny surface imperfections from the balloons.

Patriot

Steve Collins

My Feedback: (8)

Another reason to use a good primer/filler is that the bare microballoons will absorb paint where the glassed area everywhere else will not. This results in a different finish quality over the microballoons than the finish on the rest of the airframe.