Portlandflyer

It's an excellent paint and I find it very forgiving. Still don't know why you are getting lifting. Let's see some pictures when it's done. I'm doing a cut and buff on a new Xareltoo bipe. One wing done....got a long, long way to go.

Portlandflyer

Rudy

oh my...

kenh3497

That's an understatement!!!!

Ken

Portlandflyer

Rudy...I know you....you just like the candy apple red!

Portlandflyer

This shows the incredible versatility of vector files. I used the same image as a ghost graphic on a prior build.

On the Xareltoo, I just used Corel Draw to add a line around the flame for a single beveled edge. I painted the checkered flag in purple. You just use white to show highlights and black to depict shadows on the flag. Really easy to paint, but very impressive.

MTK

Cool art for toy airplanes. Mine is not art, just meatballs and spaghetti, designed for visibility.

HoK paint dries so fast. Makes multiple masks quick. It takes 20x more time to develop the mask than to shoot it. The other great thing is how smoothly it lays down. None of the other paint systems flowed out so smooth it seems. I think the clear coats will be a breeze and the subsequent rub out will be much easier. BTW, the clear I'm using is Klass Kote three part urethane. It lays down much better than their epoxy paints and cures pretty hard in one day, ready for rubbing.

Portlandflyer

If you shoot HOK like it's supposed to be with multiple dry coats, it feels like silk.

I haven't used Klass Kote's clear. I like to use stuff from the same paint system, so I stick with HOK clear.

MTK

There was a lot of learning on this paint project. I think the HOK paint is so easy compared to the other systems. Plus the sheer number of colors available is mind boggling.

It's expensive but it's good. Buying it from Coast controls the expenses since they will sell as little as 1 ounce. It takes two weeks to get to you so if you're in a hurry, well, wait....

I I think the next paint job will be easier and less expensive. I tended to overshoot on the current project to assure coverage but realized that often coverage was fine as the paint dried. Another lesson I learned is that most paint could be thinned 50:50 but their neons were better, easier at only 25% thinner.

I'm shooting clear today so I better get cracking

Pat thanks for the tips on the paints and everything you covered. And my delta masks worked great. I'll post snaps tomorrow.

Portlandflyer

Like everything, there is a learning curve. It's definitely not an inexpensive system for sure. I have accumulated so much from various builds, that it helps control the cost. With one paint job, I worked backwards with the paints I had and designed a scheme to fit them. I think I had only the cost of white and clear.

MTK

I spent several hours today, Monday, cutting the stab's surfaces. Fresh 600 grit on the second stab worked much better, easier than the first which was done initially with 400. I suppose 400 is okay, just took longer than necessary to remove the scrajtches.

Im going to try to upload a snap through my phone

MTK

Try again the right panel was cut and polished. About as good as I can do by hand. The small buffer Pat uses will come in handy.

Started cutting the left side

Portlandflyer

Matt....you're stepping up your game! I like it a lot. Of course I'm a sucker for yellow.

Good looking Delta logo....Must have been a really good guy that did those for you!

Portlandflyer

The little 3 inch Griot's buffer really saves a bunch of time. I cut and buffed both stabs this morning and still got in 7 flights of "P"!



Second wing cut and buffed. I got some bleeding on the ailerons, so I'll touch them up and re-clear them when I shoot the fuselage.



Fuselage ready for clear. A lot simpler scheme this time around, but every color is over shot with HOK candy with HOK Metajuls, The stuff looks nuts in the sun.

MTK

Thanks Pat. By hand, you almost can't help but cut the edges. I had a couple on the first stab. Also put a dent in it with a finger nail...I had to step away it ticked me off so much. What do you use to fill these with the minimum of pain? It's not terrible and I'm tempted to just leave it alone.

Tried to order the buffer but had problems checking out. How do you set up an account there? My failed attempt to check out was as guest. What other pads, etc does the buffer need to make it useful?

Good guy? Only the best.....

MTK

Here's the left stab cut and polished with elevator cut to 2000 grit only. It went much better on this half

Portlandflyer

I got mine from this company. They have a kit that you can't get direct from Griot's at a great price and they have it on sale. I comes with the perfect pads and they last a long time. I have done several full planes and mine are just now in need of replacement. With the System 51 compounds it works perfect. I use the Blue pad for the number one cutting compound, the Orange for number 2 and the Red for the number 3 polishing compound.

http://www.autogeek.net/griots-3inch...l-machine.html

Portlandflyer

I always start with 600, then 1,000, 1,500 and finish with 2,000, then on to the three steps of System 51.

Dings are a real pain, but as you know inevitable. I have fixed them very effectively with just mixing up a little bit of clear keeping it pretty thick. I just drop in a ball of it so it sets above the surface. In a day or so I level it with a single edge razer blade like a scrapper, Then just sand it up to 2,000 and buff it out.

Just last week I picked up some of this stuff and think it's going to be outstanding and ultra fast to make repairs.

http://store.gluboost.com/

Guitar repair guys are pretty much at the forefront in how to repair dings. The hot thing now is using medium CA and hitting it with their kicker. Their kicker leaves the CA crystal clear. I had a couple of little solvent pops (holes) in one wing that I repaired with their stuff and you can't see them. I don't know if the CA is any better than the stuff we use, but I went ahead and got theirs.

Portlandflyer

By the way, System 51 is on sale ....15% off with code: http://www.systemfiftyone.com/#!surf...finement/c15lv

Exceptional stuff

Portlandflyer

OK boys, I made a very minor mistake in painting the left stab versus the right. Trust me, it's ultra subtle, so you have to look really close. Here is the left stab with the error.



Here is the right stab that was painted correctly:



Anyone see it! Clue...it's in the red graphic.

MTK

The belly of the red is lighter or is faded to lighter towards the edge. It looks like metajules orange over the red? That colors probably shimmers in the sun.

why not just mask and shoot some of the metajules back over the red. It won't come out right?

if you were to shoot color over the clear, would it stick?

Portlandflyer

Nope, not it Matt. The red is fine, it's just glare you are seeing. It's actually red Metajuls mixed with red candy that is shot over the base red.

Yes, you can shoot HOK back over the clear with no problem...unfortunately I have had to do it a few times. Just re-shoot and clear again. It's best to sand the area with no higher than 600.

OK, another clue. It's not the red part itself, but is associated to the red. It's very subtle. Another clue. It's missing in the left stab, but is in the right one.

There has to be more than you and I reading this.....come on guys, what is it?

MTK

Pat, have you tried intercoat clear to fill divots?,

i went ahead and ordered 8 ozs each of production cut, pro cut and perfect cut. I have a quart of Finesse It which cost a bundle so I'm taking you on your experience that System 51 is better. Well, anything to make this part of the job easier.

A quart is more than I can possibly use in this life time and the next 10. Anybody wants some Finesse It, I have some for sale and I will sell small quantities.

also ordered the small buffer as a kit with all the pads.

Portlandflyer

No it won't do the trick. It's doesn't set up hard enough. If I get a little divot before I clear, I just leave it and hit that spot with some extra clear, so I can just level it back with I cut and buff.

MTK

we may be the only ones retired....everyone else is at work???? Work is for those that can't retire....LOL