Would you clear coat - what would you use.
 

Everyone,

I am just finishing a kit build of a Rich Uravitch T28. Its all painted and ready to be asembled. Now I am suffering from the nasty little nicks and bruises fromthe table and tools. I painted with rattle cans (Rustoleum protective finish) but did not put on a clear coat. Would you recommed this. If so what product would you use? I just want to get a protective coat.

Let me know what you used.

Thanks
Michael

RE: Would you clear coat - what would you use.
 

You should clear coat it anyway, a lot of paints aren't glow fuel/gasoline proof, some are just more resistant than others, not sure about the Rusto you used. I know the oil based ones are usually pretty fuel resistant as long you clean your plane regularly. If you want to give it a test spray some of your paint on some test material, then give it a good bit of time to cure, like a week+, then do some tests like put a drop of fuel on the test piece on one section, then on another portion smear some fuel onto the surface and let it set to see if your paint separates. Rustoleum also has a clear coat sealer in a spray can. You could probably use it without fear of wondering if it's compatible with the paint. [link=http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=164]Rusto Clear Coat[/link], you might call around and see if anyone has any. Nelson Hobby Clear coat is also a good sealer. Tom Pierce (TomPierce.net) conducted a test using the Nelson Hobby Clear and it was fuel proof, he seems to recommend it. [link=http://www.nelsonhobby.com]Nelson Hobby[/link] I've ordered quite a few finishing/covering items from Jerry (Nelson) and have always been extremely pleased with the service and product.

RE: Would you clear coat - what would you use.
 

Assuming this is the standard Rustoleum, it is fuel proof but heavy. Do not use Rustoleum clear as it is not fuel proof.

Paul

RE: Would you clear coat - what would you use.
 

A spray polyurethane works wonders, but it will give a very slight yellow tint that is really only noticeable if you spray it over white.

RE: Would you clear coat - what would you use.
 

I have used Rich U plans several times and he designs some nice flying planes but they tend to come out a tad on the heavy side so too much paint doesn't help them a lot. Rustoleum paint {most of it} is fuel proof up to a point. The thing I have found with it is you just have to let it dry or set up for about 10 days or more before it really hardens to it's max.
If you really want a tough fuel proof clear coat then go to the Klas Kote web site and have a read. It's two part epoxy like the old K&B paint. The only problem with it is the price!!! The two parts mix 50/50 then thins down at least another 50% so it goes a long ways, you don't need to buy much and it doesn't yellow on you.

RE: Would you clear coat - what would you use.
 

OK guys, You're always talking about putting on the paint & it being too heavy. Come on now, just how heavy could a couple of coats of paint be ?? I personally don't see how "paint" could ever be a weight problem.

RE: Would you clear coat - what would you use.
 

Paint with Lead in It:D:D:D
Larry K

RE: Would you clear coat - what would you use.
 

Thanks for the advice. I will be checking into the clear coat from Nelson Hobbies. Problem is that since it is a T-28 - of course it is white so I will test the clear coat on a sheet of Balsa to see if it turns yellow before i coat the entire plane.

In regards to weight, I figured this would be a practice build for the next kit which is a Ziroli P-47n. It will be the 70 inch version which will be heavy by nature. According to the article it is supposed to be 48 - 52 ounces but Mine is well over that. I am hearing from a few forums that the plane is coming in at 68 - 70 ounces.

Who know I may never fly it but I want it to look good when I do.

For the Ziroli, I will be looking to either a latex or the epoxy paints but that is a ways off.

RE: Would you clear coat - what would you use.
 

Has anyone tried the clear Laquer that Minwax sells?

RE: Would you clear coat - what would you use.
 

The paint on a C-5A weighs over 25000 lbs.

RE: Would you clear coat - what would you use.
 

Uh, a C-5A? I appreciate that fact, but what does that have to do with a 50" wingspan RC Plane??? OK, so the paint has lead in it. How old is the paint you're using ?? Let's say, I completly paint a 50" WSP plane with,let's say, 2 coats of primer, 3 coats of finish coat & a couple of coats of clear. Take into consideration, I'll be sanding part of it off. How much weight will that amount to?? One, maybe 2 oz.? I honestly don't see how it could amount to that much. OK. The plane will come in @4 to5 lbs., you add a couple of oz. to that for the paint. Big hairy deal. The same thing goes with glue, I always go over my kit builds & ARFs & give a "little extra" insurance to the more stressed areas. I've never had a problem that effects the plane's flying ability. I guess I'm saying we just "worry" about something that really don't matter that much. I just don't know of anyone that has a scale to weigh their plane that reads grams !!!!!!

RE: Would you clear coat - what would you use.
 

I'm one of those builders that goes nuts when I see people posting about too much extra weight going from 4.8 to a 6v battery, a little extra weight is no problem at all, I prefer my planes a bit on the heavy side, up to a point.
Just for you I went out to do some of the thinking stuff. Last year I built a nice 60 Extra from a very old kit, glassed it and used Klass Kote paint on it.
1/2 pint of paint weighs in at 8oz, that mixed 50/50 with the part B so 16ozs, that was the orange and after thinning I used 3/4 of that total. Then I shot it with the second color of blue and used about the same ammount.
You can do the math yourself, it's a bit more then just a couple of ounces and I didn't even mention the hand painted pin stripes.
I built this plane as light as I could knowing I was going to go with glass and paint, the glass was very light but I have painted more then a couple of planes and know the weight can start adding up very fast depending on how much paint it will take to cover it.
When plastic covering first came out we thought it was over weight until someone used a scale on a before and after of two of the same planes to compare, it was an eye opener.
Paint can and will turn a plane into a lead sled if you don't think ahead.