Glassing and Painting Question
05-09-2016, 07:42 AM
#1
Glassing and Painting Question
So decided to give this a try for the first time. A little intmidating since never done it before on such an expensive jet. Gonna Glass and Paint my Balsa Bandit myself. WOuld love a link to a turotial or qick guide to follow.
Firstoff
Which fiberglass to buy for covering the wood parts and which epoxy or resin to apply the fiberglass with?
Second. Never used a spray gun before. Which gun would be good for me to shoot K-36 Primer. Can U use the same gun AFTER cleaning of course to apply colors to plane?? and then qhich gun for smaller jobs such as cockpits, inlets, lines etc..
Also whats the difference when wet sanding vs dry sanding to prep the surface for paint..
Any help and quide would be greatly appreciated..
Firstoff
Which fiberglass to buy for covering the wood parts and which epoxy or resin to apply the fiberglass with?
Second. Never used a spray gun before. Which gun would be good for me to shoot K-36 Primer. Can U use the same gun AFTER cleaning of course to apply colors to plane?? and then qhich gun for smaller jobs such as cockpits, inlets, lines etc..
Also whats the difference when wet sanding vs dry sanding to prep the surface for paint..
Any help and quide would be greatly appreciated..
05-09-2016, 08:34 AM
#2
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Hi Johnny
I'm no painting expert by any means but i have painted probably a dozen planes or so, so with that being said. I would use 1/2 oz glass with west systems epoxy.As far as priming with K36 primer i think you could probably get away with using the same gun for the color. The key to having a paint job come out good is the surface preparation and the equipment you have to work with. If money is no problem i would buy a Sata gravity feed gun. Than you have to have a good compressor that has a way of eliminating all debri,water and any other stuff that can ruin a paint job. Than you have to worry about dust and insects in the air that can spoil your newly applied paint job. I use a Badger 150 air brush quite often and have had fairly good results for small paint jobs and their reasonably priced.If you plan on doing any bondo work i highly recommend purchasing the ICING bondo that comes in a tube. It really is a joy to work with and does a great job. As far as wet vs dry sanding i would wet sand everyting because it keeps the sandpaper from loading up and keeps the dust down . You also have to decide if you want to paint with single stage or base coat/clearcoat paint. It really adds up in the price of equipment and materials to paint these planes so if you plan on doing this i hope you plan on doing more than one aircraft in the long term .You might initially spend a whole lot of money to get started but if you think you might enjoy this type of work i would go for it Hope this helps some
Mel
I'm no painting expert by any means but i have painted probably a dozen planes or so, so with that being said. I would use 1/2 oz glass with west systems epoxy.As far as priming with K36 primer i think you could probably get away with using the same gun for the color. The key to having a paint job come out good is the surface preparation and the equipment you have to work with. If money is no problem i would buy a Sata gravity feed gun. Than you have to have a good compressor that has a way of eliminating all debri,water and any other stuff that can ruin a paint job. Than you have to worry about dust and insects in the air that can spoil your newly applied paint job. I use a Badger 150 air brush quite often and have had fairly good results for small paint jobs and their reasonably priced.If you plan on doing any bondo work i highly recommend purchasing the ICING bondo that comes in a tube. It really is a joy to work with and does a great job. As far as wet vs dry sanding i would wet sand everyting because it keeps the sandpaper from loading up and keeps the dust down . You also have to decide if you want to paint with single stage or base coat/clearcoat paint. It really adds up in the price of equipment and materials to paint these planes so if you plan on doing this i hope you plan on doing more than one aircraft in the long term .You might initially spend a whole lot of money to get started but if you think you might enjoy this type of work i would go for it Hope this helps some
Mel
05-09-2016, 08:47 AM
#3
My Feedback: (41)
so decided to give this a try for the first time. A little intmidating since never done it before on such an expensive jet. Gonna glass and paint my balsa bandit myself. Would love a link to a turotial or qick guide to follow.
Firstoff
which fiberglass to buy for covering the wood parts and which epoxy or resin to apply the fiberglass with?
Second. Never used a spray gun before. Which gun would be good for me to shoot k-36 primer. Can u use the same gun after cleaning of course to apply colors to plane?? And then qhich gun for smaller jobs such as cockpits, inlets, lines etc..
Also whats the difference when wet sanding vs dry sanding to prep the surface for paint..
Any help and quide would be greatly appreciated..
Firstoff
which fiberglass to buy for covering the wood parts and which epoxy or resin to apply the fiberglass with?
Second. Never used a spray gun before. Which gun would be good for me to shoot k-36 primer. Can u use the same gun after cleaning of course to apply colors to plane?? And then qhich gun for smaller jobs such as cockpits, inlets, lines etc..
Also whats the difference when wet sanding vs dry sanding to prep the surface for paint..
Any help and quide would be greatly appreciated..
west will "blush " if humid
05-09-2016, 08:50 AM
#4
My Feedback: (34)
So decided to give this a try for the first time. A little intmidating since never done it before on such an expensive jet. Gonna Glass and Paint my Balsa Bandit myself. WOuld love a link to a turotial or qick guide to follow.
Firstoff
Which fiberglass to buy for covering the wood parts and which epoxy or resin to apply the fiberglass with?
Second. Never used a spray gun before. Which gun would be good for me to shoot K-36 Primer. Can U use the same gun AFTER cleaning of course to apply colors to plane?? and then qhich gun for smaller jobs such as cockpits, inlets, lines etc..
Also whats the difference when wet sanding vs dry sanding to prep the surface for paint..
Any help and quide would be greatly appreciated..
Firstoff
Which fiberglass to buy for covering the wood parts and which epoxy or resin to apply the fiberglass with?
Second. Never used a spray gun before. Which gun would be good for me to shoot K-36 Primer. Can U use the same gun AFTER cleaning of course to apply colors to plane?? and then qhich gun for smaller jobs such as cockpits, inlets, lines etc..
Also whats the difference when wet sanding vs dry sanding to prep the surface for paint..
Any help and quide would be greatly appreciated..
Lots of question and the info is everywhere, The best place for you to start researching your answers would actually be more in the WAR bird section as it have been a very long time since some people have fiber glassed balsa jets, and like everything out there so many people have different ways to do things.
I'm no expert, but I have fiber glassed 4 Top Flight Giant war birds, This is the method I have learned from Mike Barbee a great guy and a TOP GUN Winner.
I like Z Poxy Finishing Resin, You can get it from tower or local hobby store, (are there better brands yes, but they require a larger up front investment and normally give you around a gallon of epoxy resin. You will only need 2 of the $18 Z Poxy boxes for your project, maybe one but I would get 2 just incase.
I get my Fiberglass from Ebay, or anywhere you like. I have used .25 oz and .50 oz and they seem the same. I like .50 some guys will use .75 oz as its cheaper, but you have to remember, covering in glass dose not add a lot of strength to your model weather its .25 or .75. the heavier the glass it give you a slightly better ding protection but the weight of the model goes up. (me I would just use .50)
You have to go to store and find the supper cheap toilet paper. It should have no design on it.
After you strip the model, go to Lowes/Wal-Mart etc and get light weight spackle . Take your time here, fix any dings or waviness now with the very light spackle to save weight it will get locked in once you put the glass on top of it. (also it will lay down smoothie, do not add water to it as it can warp the balsa)
Once your ready, Do the bottom of the wing first, Lay the glass over the wing, mix up your z poxy, and use a cheap Lowes 1in brush and wet the glass from the middle out. Once done, take the toilet paper, and roll it over the glass, so it keeps rolling on it self, this will pull off any excess epoxy, get rid of puddles of epoxy and save you a lot of grief (read Sanding) later. Then in a few hours or the next night, do the top of the wing with a 1-2 in overlap of the glass on the bottom. and do as above. once it cures, you can lightly block the wing with 60 grit. Then evaluate. Do you need a second coat of epoxy? only if you have a lot of the weave showing. If not, then the rest of the weave will be filled by your filler primer.
Spray guns again can go cheap to High $, I personally like the nice Set at Harbor Fright, its a paint touch up gun, for primer you will have to use a larger auto paint gun. IE look at your primers directions and it will tell you the size of the gun tip you will need. I have used a very very thick Polyester filler primer, and had to get a special gun just for it.
Once in primer then the hardest questing is next, what paint system are you going to use as your top coat, and that really all depends on your $
I have painted my war birds with exterior latex from Lowes, $10 per color, looks good but not as smooth as I would want for a jet.
I have painted one of my jets with Krolyon 2X spray paint, and it looks great if you heat the gun up with a heat gun, but takes a week to dry between colors for tapeing wich sucks.
I have use PPG Automotive paint, the best options, But just to paint the nose of my Zioril P38 cost me around $400 for 2 paint colors and a gallon of clear. You can get PPG, or any automotive paint in a single stage (already shiny like spray paint) for around $75 a Pint depending on the color (ie reds, yellows, and candies all cost more)
I really love using base coat / cear coat on crazy paint jobs as the base paint (the color) once sprayed is really for tape and different color paint within a hour) vs all other methods.
Get on YouTube and surch fiberglass rc war birds and you will find plenty to expand on the little I put out.
Don't be worried, once you have done it, its so easy just take time
05-09-2016, 10:08 AM
#6
In addition to what has been said.......go to your local automotive paint shop/supplier. You will find that a lot of them carry "local" brand names of higher end products. My local shop carries the "advantage" brand, which is very similar to PPG products (pbly made by PPG!) but at a fraction of the cost. They make primers, clear coats, single stage paint....all of it.
For your first project, I'd stay away from base coat/clear coat. As a matter of fact, you can get pretty decent results using just klasskote. Again, automotive paints are typically sold by the quart, some places sell by the pint. You end up with a lot of paint you don't really need. Plus the cost of specific thinners, activators.....
Also, because this is your first job, I'd brush the primer on vs spraying it on. This will help you build up the primer, which will help cover your crappy glass job (just kidding!)....but seriously.....primer is thick, tacky, and a royal PIA to thin to the consistency that really works best. Lots of trial and error. Just brush it. Then in areas you think you will have a problem, keep hitting it.
If you are not happy with the single stage paint method, or you find it is not glossy enough......don't panic....you can always sand it to a dull finish, and shoot clear over it.
Then, once you are happy with your fiish, post some pics so we may start sending you more models for painting. :-)
David
For your first project, I'd stay away from base coat/clear coat. As a matter of fact, you can get pretty decent results using just klasskote. Again, automotive paints are typically sold by the quart, some places sell by the pint. You end up with a lot of paint you don't really need. Plus the cost of specific thinners, activators.....
Also, because this is your first job, I'd brush the primer on vs spraying it on. This will help you build up the primer, which will help cover your crappy glass job (just kidding!)....but seriously.....primer is thick, tacky, and a royal PIA to thin to the consistency that really works best. Lots of trial and error. Just brush it. Then in areas you think you will have a problem, keep hitting it.
If you are not happy with the single stage paint method, or you find it is not glossy enough......don't panic....you can always sand it to a dull finish, and shoot clear over it.
Then, once you are happy with your fiish, post some pics so we may start sending you more models for painting. :-)
David
05-09-2016, 10:46 AM
#8
The state of the art with glassing now is to place a non binding "peel ply" over the fiberglass when you apply the epoxy resin, after the resin cures you peel it off leaving a perfect weave finish in the glass, then you fill the weave with something (primer, more resin, filled resin, etc).
The peel ply can be purpose made product ($$) or nylon dress lining material from the sewing store.
Best stuff I ever used to put down cloth and fill the weave was sating clear K&B Superpoxy paint.
The peel ply can be purpose made product ($$) or nylon dress lining material from the sewing store.
Best stuff I ever used to put down cloth and fill the weave was sating clear K&B Superpoxy paint.
05-09-2016, 11:08 AM
#9
And as for the gun, that is a tougher question. Most primers need a pretty big tip which is OK for primer and clear not so good for the basecoats. I would get a cheap harbor freight jam gun for the primer and then a decent gun for the base and clear with proper nozzle sizes for each.
You can kind of slob on the primer with a roller or something, but in the end I always shoot at least some of it. The pain with K36 is that it is catalyzed, so it is toxic and you can't store it pre mixed (I have had luck keeping it in the freezer for a bit, dont tell my wife.)
I find that you have to do a lot of spot priming when buildng and painting especially a bandit. I have used SEM high build (can) primer. It is "OK" but nothing like a properly catalyzed primer.
The least risky approach is to use the same brand for everything, so just go to the auto paint jobber and tell him what you are doing and see if they have a complete paint system you can use. After gaining some experience you can mix products. I use PPG (Deltron) and House of Kolor.
You can kind of slob on the primer with a roller or something, but in the end I always shoot at least some of it. The pain with K36 is that it is catalyzed, so it is toxic and you can't store it pre mixed (I have had luck keeping it in the freezer for a bit, dont tell my wife.)
I find that you have to do a lot of spot priming when buildng and painting especially a bandit. I have used SEM high build (can) primer. It is "OK" but nothing like a properly catalyzed primer.
The least risky approach is to use the same brand for everything, so just go to the auto paint jobber and tell him what you are doing and see if they have a complete paint system you can use. After gaining some experience you can mix products. I use PPG (Deltron) and House of Kolor.
05-09-2016, 11:11 AM
#10
My Feedback: (34)
The state of the art with glassing now is to place a non binding "peel ply" over the fiberglass when you apply the epoxy resin, after the resin cures you peel it off leaving a perfect weave finish in the glass, then you fill the weave with something (primer, more resin, filled resin, etc).
The peel ply can be purpose made product ($$) or nylon dress lining material from the sewing store.
Best stuff I ever used to put down cloth and fill the weave was sating clear K&B Superpoxy paint.
The peel ply can be purpose made product ($$) or nylon dress lining material from the sewing store.
Best stuff I ever used to put down cloth and fill the weave was sating clear K&B Superpoxy paint.
I bought some Peal Ply to help me lamented some of my wood formers with carbonfiber. How do you use it on say a wing?
Just do fiberglass process as normal, wick off the excess, then put the peel ply down and just press it down by hand or do you have to have weight on it?
05-09-2016, 11:51 AM
#12
Best stuff I ever used to put down cloth and fill the weave was sating clear K&B Superpoxy paint.
I don't vacuum bag, so I have never tried the peel-ply technique. I use thinned West Systems epoxy that I spread with a cheap foam paint roller. Almost impossible to end up with too much epoxy this way. Then I fill the weave with primer. I used to use K-36 but bought a cheaper alternative this time that seems to work almost as well. I think it is from the cheap (lesser expensive) PPG Shop Line.
05-09-2016, 03:11 PM
#16
This gun from Harbor freight primed and painted all of these models.
http://www.harborfreight.com/touch-u...gun-66871.html
Starfire II is PPG base coat clear coat / Eurosport is tinted K36 and cleared with PPG / F-15 is Model Masters / Turbinator is latex with Klass Kote clear.
http://www.harborfreight.com/touch-u...gun-66871.html
Starfire II is PPG base coat clear coat / Eurosport is tinted K36 and cleared with PPG / F-15 is Model Masters / Turbinator is latex with Klass Kote clear.
05-09-2016, 04:01 PM
#18
This gun from Harbor freight primed and painted all of these models.
http://www.harborfreight.com/touch-u...gun-66871.html
Starfire II is PPG base coat clear coat / Eurosport is tinted K36 and cleared with PPG / F-15 is Model Masters / Turbinator is latex with Klass Kote clear.
http://www.harborfreight.com/touch-u...gun-66871.html
Starfire II is PPG base coat clear coat / Eurosport is tinted K36 and cleared with PPG / F-15 is Model Masters / Turbinator is latex with Klass Kote clear.
05-09-2016, 05:17 PM
#21
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I found using small foam rollers worked for me. Easier than faffing around with peel ply especially on compound curves although I do use peel ply on large flat surfaces
Be very aware of the dangers associated with epoxy dust. It is common for people to become increasingly sensitized to epoxy dust and to have severe allergic reactions. I am one such person.
Now I always wet sand and collect the residue while wet and dispose of it. A cheap mask is useless and even the ones with the two cans only help a little.
Amine blush is a real 'gotcha' The next coat of epoxy will 'fish eye' I like using West System but it does seem more prone to amine blush than others.
Do a test piece first before attacking your pride and joy.
A surfboard with fisheye.
Be very aware of the dangers associated with epoxy dust. It is common for people to become increasingly sensitized to epoxy dust and to have severe allergic reactions. I am one such person.
Now I always wet sand and collect the residue while wet and dispose of it. A cheap mask is useless and even the ones with the two cans only help a little.
Amine blush is a real 'gotcha' The next coat of epoxy will 'fish eye' I like using West System but it does seem more prone to amine blush than others.
Do a test piece first before attacking your pride and joy.
A surfboard with fisheye.
05-09-2016, 05:35 PM
#22
Well I ordered a bunch of painting stuff so its getting real. Only thing I gotta figure out is where I will paint. I dont have a garage but a large yard, so thinking us using a large pop up tent wrapped all the way around with some sort of slightly heavy plastic to keep all bugs and debris out and weighing it down.
05-09-2016, 05:52 PM
#23
Good for you..
Glassing and painting is not really that difficult, and very satisfying to do.. There is no doubt that takes time, requires some effort and technique, but the rewards are definitely worth it. i
I have done a few BVM Balsa kits, my last being a Balsa Bobcat.. The finish is indistinguishable from a full composite paint in the mould..
My advise would be treat it a series of projects, and try not to think too far ahead, as the whole project can be a bit daunting. . One step at a time..
There are numerous threads here and other sites and numerous magazine articles on how to apply glass cloth. If you don’t find one you like, let me know and I will supply more detail. There is some variation of techniques, but it is all basically the same process.
· Apply wet resin to with surface.
· Apply cloth.
· Apply more resin. (not too much))
· After cure, work the surface until it is ready for paint
I don’t use peel ply.. Just elbow grease..
My Tips,
Use a good quality epoxy resin.. I use West Systems, a boat builders epoxy.
Use the correct thinner for this resin. Don’t use paint thinners.
Do a practice part before you commit to the real thing. Just use largish piece of ½” balsa sheet, and apply the full finishing system you intend to use.
When sanding, always use a block.. (I use a cork block.) NEVER sand with just paper in your hand..
The more work you do on sanding and filling, the better your final finish will be..
Glassing and filling
Painting
Glassing and painting is not really that difficult, and very satisfying to do.. There is no doubt that takes time, requires some effort and technique, but the rewards are definitely worth it. i
I have done a few BVM Balsa kits, my last being a Balsa Bobcat.. The finish is indistinguishable from a full composite paint in the mould..
My advise would be treat it a series of projects, and try not to think too far ahead, as the whole project can be a bit daunting. . One step at a time..
There are numerous threads here and other sites and numerous magazine articles on how to apply glass cloth. If you don’t find one you like, let me know and I will supply more detail. There is some variation of techniques, but it is all basically the same process.
· Apply wet resin to with surface.
· Apply cloth.
· Apply more resin. (not too much))
· After cure, work the surface until it is ready for paint
I don’t use peel ply.. Just elbow grease..
My Tips,
Use a good quality epoxy resin.. I use West Systems, a boat builders epoxy.
Use the correct thinner for this resin. Don’t use paint thinners.
Do a practice part before you commit to the real thing. Just use largish piece of ½” balsa sheet, and apply the full finishing system you intend to use.
When sanding, always use a block.. (I use a cork block.) NEVER sand with just paper in your hand..
The more work you do on sanding and filling, the better your final finish will be..
Glassing and filling
Painting
05-10-2016, 04:51 AM
#24
My Feedback: (41)
the state of the art with glassing now is to place a non binding "peel ply" over the fiberglass when you apply the epoxy resin, after the resin cures you peel it off leaving a perfect weave finish in the glass, then you fill the weave with something (primer, more resin, filled resin, etc).
The peel ply can be purpose made product ($$) or nylon dress lining material from the sewing store.
Best stuff i ever used to put down cloth and fill the weave was sating clear k&b superpoxy paint.
The peel ply can be purpose made product ($$) or nylon dress lining material from the sewing store.
Best stuff i ever used to put down cloth and fill the weave was sating clear k&b superpoxy paint.
05-10-2016, 04:54 AM
#25
My Feedback: (41)
Lots of question and the info is everywhere, The best place for you to start researching your answers would actually be more in the WAR bird section as it have been a very long time since some people have fiber glassed balsa jets, and like everything out there so many people have different ways to do things.
I'm no expert, but I have fiber glassed 4 Top Flight Giant war birds, This is the method I have learned from Mike Barbee a great guy and a TOP GUN Winner.
I like Z Poxy Finishing Resin, You can get it from tower or local hobby store, (are there better brands yes, but they require a larger up front investment and normally give you around a gallon of epoxy resin. You will only need 2 of the $18 Z Poxy boxes for your project, maybe one but I would get 2 just incase.
I get my Fiberglass from Ebay, or anywhere you like. I have used .25 oz and .50 oz and they seem the same. I like .50 some guys will use .75 oz as its cheaper, but you have to remember, covering in glass dose not add a lot of strength to your model weather its .25 or .75. the heavier the glass it give you a slightly better ding protection but the weight of the model goes up. (me I would just use .50)
You have to go to store and find the supper cheap toilet paper. It should have no design on it.
After you strip the model, go to Lowes/Wal-Mart etc and get light weight spackle . Take your time here, fix any dings or waviness now with the very light spackle to save weight it will get locked in once you put the glass on top of it. (also it will lay down smoothie, do not add water to it as it can warp the balsa)
Once your ready, Do the bottom of the wing first, Lay the glass over the wing, mix up your z poxy, and use a cheap Lowes 1in brush and wet the glass from the middle out. Once done, take the toilet paper, and roll it over the glass, so it keeps rolling on it self, this will pull off any excess epoxy, get rid of puddles of epoxy and save you a lot of grief (read Sanding) later. Then in a few hours or the next night, do the top of the wing with a 1-2 in overlap of the glass on the bottom. and do as above. once it cures, you can lightly block the wing with 60 grit. Then evaluate. Do you need a second coat of epoxy? only if you have a lot of the weave showing. If not, then the rest of the weave will be filled by your filler primer.
Spray guns again can go cheap to High $, I personally like the nice Set at Harbor Fright, its a paint touch up gun, for primer you will have to use a larger auto paint gun. IE look at your primers directions and it will tell you the size of the gun tip you will need. I have used a very very thick Polyester filler primer, and had to get a special gun just for it.
Once in primer then the hardest questing is next, what paint system are you going to use as your top coat, and that really all depends on your $
I have painted my war birds with exterior latex from Lowes, $10 per color, looks good but not as smooth as I would want for a jet.
I have painted one of my jets with Krolyon 2X spray paint, and it looks great if you heat the gun up with a heat gun, but takes a week to dry between colors for tapeing wich sucks.
I have use PPG Automotive paint, the best options, But just to paint the nose of my Zioril P38 cost me around $400 for 2 paint colors and a gallon of clear. You can get PPG, or any automotive paint in a single stage (already shiny like spray paint) for around $75 a Pint depending on the color (ie reds, yellows, and candies all cost more)
I really love using base coat / cear coat on crazy paint jobs as the base paint (the color) once sprayed is really for tape and different color paint within a hour) vs all other methods.
Get on YouTube and surch fiberglass rc war birds and you will find plenty to expand on the little I put out.
Don't be worried, once you have done it, its so easy just take time
I'm no expert, but I have fiber glassed 4 Top Flight Giant war birds, This is the method I have learned from Mike Barbee a great guy and a TOP GUN Winner.
I like Z Poxy Finishing Resin, You can get it from tower or local hobby store, (are there better brands yes, but they require a larger up front investment and normally give you around a gallon of epoxy resin. You will only need 2 of the $18 Z Poxy boxes for your project, maybe one but I would get 2 just incase.
I get my Fiberglass from Ebay, or anywhere you like. I have used .25 oz and .50 oz and they seem the same. I like .50 some guys will use .75 oz as its cheaper, but you have to remember, covering in glass dose not add a lot of strength to your model weather its .25 or .75. the heavier the glass it give you a slightly better ding protection but the weight of the model goes up. (me I would just use .50)
You have to go to store and find the supper cheap toilet paper. It should have no design on it.
After you strip the model, go to Lowes/Wal-Mart etc and get light weight spackle . Take your time here, fix any dings or waviness now with the very light spackle to save weight it will get locked in once you put the glass on top of it. (also it will lay down smoothie, do not add water to it as it can warp the balsa)
Once your ready, Do the bottom of the wing first, Lay the glass over the wing, mix up your z poxy, and use a cheap Lowes 1in brush and wet the glass from the middle out. Once done, take the toilet paper, and roll it over the glass, so it keeps rolling on it self, this will pull off any excess epoxy, get rid of puddles of epoxy and save you a lot of grief (read Sanding) later. Then in a few hours or the next night, do the top of the wing with a 1-2 in overlap of the glass on the bottom. and do as above. once it cures, you can lightly block the wing with 60 grit. Then evaluate. Do you need a second coat of epoxy? only if you have a lot of the weave showing. If not, then the rest of the weave will be filled by your filler primer.
Spray guns again can go cheap to High $, I personally like the nice Set at Harbor Fright, its a paint touch up gun, for primer you will have to use a larger auto paint gun. IE look at your primers directions and it will tell you the size of the gun tip you will need. I have used a very very thick Polyester filler primer, and had to get a special gun just for it.
Once in primer then the hardest questing is next, what paint system are you going to use as your top coat, and that really all depends on your $
I have painted my war birds with exterior latex from Lowes, $10 per color, looks good but not as smooth as I would want for a jet.
I have painted one of my jets with Krolyon 2X spray paint, and it looks great if you heat the gun up with a heat gun, but takes a week to dry between colors for tapeing wich sucks.
I have use PPG Automotive paint, the best options, But just to paint the nose of my Zioril P38 cost me around $400 for 2 paint colors and a gallon of clear. You can get PPG, or any automotive paint in a single stage (already shiny like spray paint) for around $75 a Pint depending on the color (ie reds, yellows, and candies all cost more)
I really love using base coat / cear coat on crazy paint jobs as the base paint (the color) once sprayed is really for tape and different color paint within a hour) vs all other methods.
Get on YouTube and surch fiberglass rc war birds and you will find plenty to expand on the little I put out.
Don't be worried, once you have done it, its so easy just take time