Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

Hello out there. Hope someone can help me out with some info. I am about to finish off my first glass coated project with a paint job. I'm very interested in the products offered by Warbird Colors and Nelson Hobbies. I've gone to both sites. Warbird Colors appears to have suspended production and I'm not quite sure if Nelson is up for business having moved to the Chicago area. Both products are water based, making them very appealing from the eco point of view, not to mention ease of cleanup and minimal fumes. I'd really like to go with either product but it appears they are not easy to get. Any ideas if the companies are going back on line or any suggestions of an alternative. I know I can go with an epoxy based product but would rather not.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

Water-based latex house paint has been used successfully to paint warbirds but you have to apply it correctly for good results. Roy Vaillancourt talks about the subject at his website: http://www.vaillyaviation.com/Intro.html
Sometimes the links on his website don't work, so here are the HTML versions of the latex painting article
Part 1:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...&ct=clnk&gl=us

Part 2:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q...BdFnsQv0BhNT_w

Jesse

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

I use Latex house paint on my gas powered planes. It's not fuel proof for glow power though. Sure is easy to use and clean up, can be color matched at most hardware stores, it's cheap. On glow powered planes I use Klass Kote. easy to use, goes on with a brush without leaving brush marks, can also use foam brushes. Not easy to clean and NOT cheap!!! I just ordered 1/2 pint of part A&B, with shipping it was $43.00 and change. It goes a long way though, 50/50 mix with A&B then that gets thinned another 50%. Bullet proof from fuels and even acetone won't remove it. NOT cheap!! But none of the two part epoxy paints ever were.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

From what I've read, Warbirdcolors is in business, but the paint formula has changed. I don't believe that WBC is now fuel proof.

I believe that Nelson's is up and running, too. Their paint sprays very well, similar to the original WBC product. It is fuel proof, and provides an authentic looking finish.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

Many thanks to whstlngdeath, Grey Beard, and Tom Crump for your replies. I'm new to RCUniverse and am so impressed with the readiness and generosity of members with their comments. All this info is very valuable and appreciated to us rc fanatics. Hope I can repay in kind in the future.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

Your a four year member, I don't think your a newbie any longer.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

I have painted a glow plane with a lot of different colors and used latex house paint then shot a top coat using the clear Klass Kote paint and it worked out very well. The clear KK was something I had on hand so I didn't have to buy it just for this plane. The clear was a gloss but the plane was a stunt plane so it didn't mater. The KK does have a matte finish clear. I just haven't tried it and can't say how well it works. I'm not a paint person myself, I only paint a plane every couple of years but I have one getting painted this week so I'm still in sticker shock after buying a half pint of the Klass Kote. I already have three colors of it on hand but needed the yellow for the base coat before I started.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

Wow, what a a great idea. I have been contemplating this for quite a while but never could make the connect of KK clear over latex. Brilliant idea !!

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

+1 on the latex if using gas. I've been using it since talking to Roy at WOD in 92.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

I'm sure you could use other fuel proof clears, OK not real sure, I didn't run any tests but the two part epoxy paint didn't peel or bubble the latex. Always run tests first though. Just because I go away with something doesn't mean it will work for everyone. Different brands of latex could react differently?

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

Be sure you're not in a hurry if using latex. It needs to dry for about a month before being topcoated.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

Or the three days I gave it but it was summer and 105 degrees.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

Before you Top Coat with what??

I used [link=http://www.systemthree.com/store/pc/WR-LPU-Topcoat-c29.htm]SystemThree WR-LPU Topcoat [/link] with just a day or two for the Latex to dry with no issues at all,, adding the "Cross Linker" makes it fuel proof.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

As I understand it the latex takes a long time to fully out gas. I topcoated a test panel of it once after a week with lustercote and it bubbled, but that's my only experience with it. Plenty of others have given the 3-4 week curing time guideline though and seem to have the experience to back it up.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

Miniwax Polycrylic is available in an aerosol can. This is specially formulated for spraying. It is available in gloss, semigloss and satin.

This is a water based product and works well over latex. I usually hit it with steel wool afterward.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

Lacquer will pull just about anything but lacquer if you apply it to heavy,, I don't think it was the slow cure time that did you in, but the high volatility of the lustercote. Give that systems three a try, I'm sold on it now after using it on my Kingfisher rebuild last spring.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

Moggy - The spray can polycrylic isn't fuel proof. It does look nice though so it's a candidate for anything electric.

Scale- That's a nice finish you got there. I've heard others talk about the Systems Three clear coat also. One is an auto painter who's local to me.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

Jester,
Thanks, I was very pleased with the results my first time trying latex also. I tried it because another RCU member told me the ststems3 was a similar base formula as Warbird Colors.

That is the Satin Clear over Behr Latex (sample size cans), Cost around $30 in paint + what I thought was a kinda high shipping cost for the 2-4oz cans and crosslinker from Sytems3, so maybe $40-$45 total and I have enough left over to do 3-4 more planes, the stuff goes a long way. It only took about 2oz to do 3 coats on the whole plane.

The rebuild and painting of the plane is documented here
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_10852874/tm.htm

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

Just for reference...

System Three poly and Nelson's paint are the same thing. Nelson's custom blends the System Three for the Monokote, Ultracoat, and military matching colors that they offer (or did - I haven't looked in a while). Both the gloss clear and satin clear work well over latex enamels to fuel proof them if you add the cross-linker. Be advised that Nelson's takes some getting use to when you spray it. You start with very light mist coats that allow the paint to build up slowly. It's more like lacquer in the way it works than enamel.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

I'm guessing since this is a polyurethane it brushes pretty well? I don't have spray equipment although I have a couple of buddies who do. I don't mind doing the work of wet sanding light brush marks out if it means saving the cost and trouble of finding a suitable place to spray.

RE: Warbird Colors and/or Nelson Paints
 

Jester,
I first sprayed with Rattle can gray "sandable" primer from Lowes as the base in the garage, That is lacquer based and dries very quickly but does have a strong odor/fumes.

Then the latex I used mostly my airbrush set up, very little overspray with that tool. I did try a few sections with my touch up cup gun (in the garage), but found it was easier to control with the airbrush with a lot less wasted in overspray. Virtually no odor or fumes with Laxex or the water based ploy Top Coat so I did most of it in my basement shop. Overspray was minimal with the airbrush. One could easily just put down a painters drop cloth and spray it in their living room if they wanted.

But Yes, the S3 top coat is brush-able