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covering and painting Spacewalker II

Old 03-21-2005, 11:39 PM
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gnirwin
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Default covering and painting Spacewalker II

I'm finally to the point where I'm starting to cover my Spacewalker II. I'm covering it with Cub Yellow Solartex that I plan on painting the leading edges and the front portion of the plane red as is the typical paint scheme for this plane. I also plan on spraying on a protective coat of water based varnish "satin" finish when done. My question is in regards to the paint. This is the first time I have used Solartex (very impressed so far) and I have questions about what's the best paint to use? Should it be a spray or should I brush it on (leaning towards brushing)? Anyone with experience painting over Solartex, I would like to know your experiences. This build has been a labor of love and I would hate to ruin it with screwing up one of the last steps. Also is the water based spray varnish the way to go or should I use regular oil based varnish?
Old 03-22-2005, 06:56 PM
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woodys3b
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Default RE: covering and painting Spacewalker II

Wow, big question! There have been books writen on this!! Recommend you get one.

Now, here is my $.02. I too really like Solartex. I am currently painting mine with dope using a brush. It actually works really well. My mistake was not putting a base coat on Nitrate dope down first to make the Butyrate dope stick to the fabric better. However, it is coming out very nice.

You sound like you want to use latex. Probably a wise decision. Model Airplane News did a "how to" on doing this and I think you can find it using the search function. They recommend using house paint thinned with windshield washer fluid and spraying it on. Clean up should be a breeze. They recommend using a two part epoxy for the fuel proofing. If you use varnish, don't use oil based stuff because it tends to yellow. One other tip. After you have masked off the area to be painted, brush on a coat of clear along the edge of the masking tape. The clear will bleed under the masking tape and seal it so your color coat won't bleed under it. This makes all the difference in the world.

Good luck and post some pictures when you get it done!

Andy
Old 03-22-2005, 10:09 PM
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gnirwin
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Default RE: covering and painting Spacewalker II

I've sprayed Rustoleum in the past on other planes that I have built but like I stated, this is the first time using Solartex and wasn't sure. That last tip about the clear sounds interesting. When you say clear do you mean a varnish? Do I paint the varnish on the inside edge (where the red paint will be)? Also I heard that water based spray varnish will not hold up to 15% nitro and higher, is this correct? My biggest concern with brushing on is will the brushstrokes show on the Solartex? Like I said I want the paint to turn out as well as the rest of the build.
Old 03-23-2005, 02:28 PM
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woodys3b
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Default RE: covering and painting Spacewalker II

Brush marks will show on any surface if not done correctly. I think brushing requires more skill (by far) than spraying. Spraying latex should not be too difficult. You don't need high end spray gear. A small pancake compressor and a touchup gun should work fine. Or, a HVLP set up will work as well. It's just a matter of experimenting to get the mixture right. It needs to be thinned a bunch to work right. I would stay away from the brush unless you are dead set against spraying. I'm brushing on my dope because I live in an apartment and don't have a place to spray.

As for sealing the edge of the masking tape, I'll explain a little more. No matter how well you lay down your tape, there is going to be some paint that works its way under the mask making your nice line look like crap. So, to avoid this, first paint a thin coat of clear along the edge that is going to define the line so that the clear creaps under the tape. Use a small hobby brush so that you are applying a line about 1/8-1/4 inch wide along the tape with half on the tape and half on the covering. The clear will dry and keep the color coat from getting under the edge. I would recommend using the same kind of paint as the color coat. Not sure if you can get clear latex but if not clear water based varnish will work or you can take a piece of your Solartex to the paint strore and have them match it with latex. If you intend to keep this plane for a long time and use glow fuel, the only really fuel proof clear coat is two part epoxy. I used water based varnish to seal a firewall once and it softened rather quickly. I will not use it again for that. Two part epoxy is pretty easy to use and has great qualities like flow out and it doesn't tend to run. Just be very careful that you don't apply it too thick as it can really add to the weight in a hurry.

Andy

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