I bought a can of True Red Ultracote Spray Paint, and painted my landing gear on my Ultra Stick 60. I run 15% Wildcat fuel. Now, the can says it is fuel proof up to 15%. Well, it lies. When I was cleaning my plane today, I got a rag full of spray paint, and was quite upset. I bought that paint SPECIFICALLY for that purpose...Anyone have any tips or tricks to fix this from happening or any advice?

I top off my UltraPaint with clear polyurethane for this very reason. I use Minwax from the hardware store and choose satin or gloss depending upon how much shine I am after.

Excellent, thank you I wil try that.

Assuming your model has duraluminum gear, that paint might need a primer to stick to metal; or at least the metal should be sanded or otherwise "roughed up" before spraying.

There was a pretty lengthy thread about this stuff, before the "upgrade", that was mainly complaints of one sort or another. I used it on the canopy frame of my Contender, and so far it is sticking well to the butyrate plastic, with no issues.

While methanol is a solvent, the real villain that eats finishes is the nitromethane in raw fuel. Spills, leaks, etc., can cause all sorts of grief. Hot exhaust is another problem. Perhaps you have the exhaust directed onto the painted parts? That's always something to avoid.

There will always be issues with one-part (as opposed to two part- catalyzed- auto type paints) rattle can spray paint. Still, it survives because it is convenient. The only time I break out the spray gear is for a helicopter canopy; it is just too much of a hassle to set up and then clean for incidental plank goodies.

This is one of those topics that has a BUNCH of different ideas by modelers. Many swear by Krylon; the one time I tried it was a disaster.

I just hope that Lanier gets their feces consolidated with this UltraPaint. LusterKote needs some competition...

One suggestion that I intend to fully explore, next time I need some, is the one about having a paint store mix and match a two-part paint and put it in a spray can. You have to use it right away, and it costs close to twice what a regular can of "hobby" paint does, but if the finished product is anywhere close to what you get from mixing and spraying with a gun, then it will be worth the added expense.

Steve

It is the aluminum gear, and I used the Ultracote Primer (white) before I painted it. I just think it is the nitro that eats it away. I am going to try a few coats of poly and see what that produces.

Well, it won't be a problem on dark colors, but polyurethane has a nasty tendency to turn yellow, which is very apparent on light colors. And it gets darker as it ages. I agree with Galen that MinWax is probably the best buy, in terms of cost and ease of application. Just don't be surprised when you see a color shift. And don't bother with that new water-based polyurethane; it is NOT fuelproof. I found out the hard way

You primed it, eh? Well, sounds like the paint simply was not fuelproof. That, and taking forever to dry, were the two main complaints in the afore-mentioned thread. Either they had a bad batch, or are still getting the formulation right, or who knows? I, for one, won't buy any more for some time. Why take a chance?

Steve

What type of min-Wax are you talking about I tryed some on a scrap piece and the fuel did some nasty stuff to it. I used the poli-crilic [sp?] I am trying to clear coat over latex paint...Vic G.

Oh boy,

I just bought some of the orange for a Cap 232 cowling...let us know what your testing ends up showing!

The Minwax product I use is Polyurethane...

This is the product that I get in a rattle can...

http://www.minwax.com/products/protective/fast-poly.cfm

Well, I give up on this crap. It comes off with the wipe of your hand. I am calling Horizon Hobby today and complaining. I got red paint on everything now because it bleeds off. So, I am either going with anodizing or just leaving it that ugly aluminum color. How sad.

They did me right. Called, explained the situation nicely. They are sending me a new set of Landing Gear, another can of Ultracote Paint, and a can of UltraCote Clear Coat... I thought that was nice..

Anyone ever had their Aluminum LG Anodized?

Hello; I read somewhere that if you put a couple of coats of automotive wax over the polyurethane after it has completly dried it stops the polyurethane from yellowing. It might be worth a try. Just my 2 cents worth. Cal.