I've heard that Rustoleum paint is fuel proof...has anyone tried it..what were the results?

The ONLY "FUEL PROOF" paint is a 2 part epoxy paint, the rest are FUEL RESISTANT (to varying degrees - Ultracote ststes to 15% nitro after 72 hours ).

That being said, SOME of the Rustoleum paints are fuel resistant/proof, but not all of them. If you have particular colors in mind, list them and someone should be able to tell you if they are fuel resistant/proof or not.

If you are not sure, AFTER THE PAINT COMPLETELY DRIES, you can clear coat it to make it fuel resistant/proof.

My experience....

The original Rustoleum *enamel* paint works well. Fuel resistant/proof enough for everyday life but the colors are limited. An it takes a couple of days to really cure.

The other varieties of Rustoleum like "Painters Touch" don't really work even if you clear coat them.

Depends on what you're painting. I painted an ABS Cowl with Rustoleum Plastic Primer, Yellow Rustoleum, then clear coated it with Rustoleum Clear. After having a month or so to cure during construction, the clear coat softened with about 1 hour of exposure to exhaust. Within a few weeks, the yellow began peeling from the ABS. I finally surrendered, peeled all the paint off, sanded off the remaining primer, and painted with Lustrecoat.

4 months later, the cowl still looks like new.

For me at least, it cost more to use the "cheaper" rustoleum than to just use the lustrecoat in the first place.

I also found the lustrecoat easier to use than rustoleum. I think it has a higher solvent content, or lower vapor pressure solvent. The resultant paint was glossier with fewer coats, and much less likely to run.

Brad

I agree with Brad about the Rustoleum clear coat... it is not fuel proof. I tested Rustoleum enamel (blue) and found it to be suitably fuel proof and used it to trim white fabric covering purchased from SR Batteries. I assumed to my peril that the same product in a clear coat had the same properties... it didn't. The blue is fuel proof and the clear coat wasn't even though both were identically labeled as a Rustoleum line of enamel paints.

If you are looking for inexpensive clear coats, do a search on my name in the Tips & Techniques forum. I have done some testing of various clear coats, and have how I did it and the results.

Has anyone tested the Valspar enamel for nitro??

Well, Guess no one is watching this thread anymore?? If there is someone watching the Valspar report is in. It's fuel proof. Ran a test on it over the last 24 hours and it's great.

How about yellowing on light colors. The Minwax Oil Based Polyurethane is as fuel proof as I need with 15% but on light colors the yellowing is significant.

Jeb, Almost every clear I have ever used will yellow over. Some faster and some slower. The fuel don't do it as much as the UV rays. If you have a prize plane that you have worked on for some time and need to put clear on it, make some covers to go over the wings while it's setting out.

which valspar did you test? it seems that on other threads re; fuel proof paints that different colors have differing resistance to nitro from no resistance whatsoever to seemingly "bulletproof".
if you tested the clear, which one? valspar has a gloss, a satin and a flat clear.


anyone familiar with the klascoat (sp?) sprayable 2 part epoxy finishing products? does their clear turn yellow as well?

here is the thread CAMPY refers to above (I think)

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_50..._1/key_/tm.htm

Yes, Klass Coat is probably one of the best, also one of the most expensive but worth it if you must have it bulletproof for nitro.

Frets, it was Valspar premium enamel #65077 Autumn Crush which is a dark orange.