RE: clearcoat?
 

was the duplicolor laquer?

RE: clearcoat?
 

I just sprayed some. It smells like lacquer thinner as its drying and it wipes off with lacquer thinner so I'm compelled to call it lacquer. Why don't they just tell you on the label? Is this an important trade secret or something? If a child ingested the stuff I would think this is exactly the kind of info a Poison Control Center would need to know? I guess I shouldn't think.

RE: clearcoat?
 

You would think they would tell ya on the can.I think lustercoat is laquer and it is fuel proof but it does not go on very smooth (even spraying it wet)I would hate to use it over a whole airplane.I used other clear laquer and it went on much smoother(on plastic models) is there any other clear spray for rc. planes other then lustercoat out there?

RE: clearcoat?
 

I tested Minwax Brand "Fast-Drying POLYURETHANE Superior Durability". It comes in rattle-cans in gloss, semi and satin and is pretty cheap too. I tested it on some panels and it sprays very smoothly. After it cured 48 hours it was impervious to raw glow fuel even after being left on it for a couple of hours. The only problem is that it takes a long time to dry despite what the label says. I haven't done any long term UV exposure tests so I don't know how bad is bad but I'd stay away from whites and other light colors because of that yellowing problem Campy mentioned.

I also tested Minwax Spar Urethane and its fuelproof too but they tint it to give wood a golden hue. It looks great on wooden interplane struts and stuff, but white fabric - not so nice.

As always I would recommend you try each paint and clear together on test panels for reaction with one another as well as fuel before doing anything on your airplane.

RE: clearcoat?
 

I like the idea of semi-gloss,I wonder how long it takes to get the yellow effect?because I have lots of white trim that could discolor in time.So here are two fuelproof clear we have so far.
1)Lustercoat
2)Minwax fast-drying polurethane
Thanks for the testing cruncher.If anyone else has any ideas please post them.

RE: clearcoat?
 

A third option is a 2-pack automotive clear used by automotive paint and body shops. Most of the stuff (Dupont Chromaclear, PPG, Glasurite, etc) come with huge price tags and are therefore impractical for the hobbiest. I have shot model cars with Chromaclear leftovers and that stuff is awesome.

I was in my local Napa Autoparts store the other day and noticed a reasonably priced professional clear coat system called MARTIN SENOUR PAINTS. I have no experience with the stuff but maybe you could look at it and tell us? Realize that a 2-pack system reacts with a catalyst and can be a bit heavier than a pure solvent based system. Also, the fumes are quite toxic but it is as durable a finish as you will ever get and will not turn yellow. Here's a link if you want to pursue it as an option:[link]http://www.martinsenour-autopaint.com[/link]

EDIT: Look for the "Reference Materials" button on the home page in the link and scroll down to MSDS and PDS for safety and product information.

RE: clearcoat?
 

I've a question,and some answers.Do you guys own or promote the paint brand you mention?

The answer to yellowing of white in particular(most noticable)was found by car manufacturers way back in the early seventies when du-pont(cci)invested millions on some serious r&d to come up with a successor,in terms of automotive coatings,to the old nitrocellulose(duco)and acrylic systems which stained easily when you put petrol in your car.People did'nt like it,spraypainters too because we were always re-painting those areas.Dulux marketed their first 2k system here as 'acran',quite primitive but none the less a start.Since then it's come ahead in leaps and bounds,that's why it's universally used to paint cars just like yours.It works in short.

Cheers

RE: clearcoat?
 

Cowboy, How did you get such nice crisp lines on your Hog paint scheme? I want to paint red over white solartex in a similar scheme on an Aeromaster bipe but can't seem to find a masking method that sticks well without sticking too well.

RE: clearcoat?
 

Well heres the thing,the white trim is not paint it is white color fabric, I cut it with a razor and straightedge,and this is why I need to clear over it.Awhile back I patched a trainer with some white 21st century fabric and the glowfuel turned the white fabric pink,I don't want my astrohog turning pink so this is why I wanna clear it,also I don't wanna see my trim blow off the plane.If u do want sharp lines go to the automotive shop and get some pinstripe and use that as your mask where your stripes will be then use paper and regular masking tape to cover the rest,start out with very light coats and allow dry time between coats.remember to that the thicker the pinstripe the less it will bend,so if you want to mask off something round use thinner pinstrip.Ok back to the clearcoat I was trying to stay with something in a rattlecan just to make it easy,now if I did go with something to spray from a gun what about clear gloss dope? It's cheap and fuelproof,any Ideas on that?

RE: clearcoat?
 

Here is the headrest I painted using pinstripe for masking the edge of the white trim.

RE: clearcoat?
 

The lines are more crisp then the pic is showing,they look kinda jagged in it but they are not.

RE: clearcoat?
 

zzzzz....

RE: clearcoat?
 

Nice looking work Cowboy. My local club had a "big bird" fly-in yesterday and there were some beautiful scale planes brought down from Dallas. One in particular, a white/red trim Waco from Peppino plans caught my eye. I asked the builder how he did the gorgeous covering and he said the frame was sprayed lightly with Minwax "polycrylic clear" then polyester dress liner was ironed on. He then sprayed more of the polycrylic to fill the weave. The color coat was just Krylon and it looked awesome. He used Frisket paper to mask the complicated stuff. He then traced around the red trim with the that auto pinstriping tape as you mentioned. He then hand-brushed all the pinstriped areas with more polycrylic clear just so it wouldn't come off.

I asked how old the paint was and he said about 4 months. I then asked if he had ever had any problems with fuel or the polycrylic yellowing on light colors and he said "never". He mentioned he had been building planes at a museum scale level (and using polycrylic) for a long time. I kinda felt like maybe I've been overthinking this.

RE: clearcoat?
 

Heres a link to the Minwax Polycrylic:[link]http://www.minwax.com/products/water_based_clear_protective_finishes/polycrylic_protective_finish.cfm[/link]

RE: clearcoat?
 

Wow thats neat,I like that you can clean your brush or gun up with water and also I'm liking that it is in semi-gloss,I kinda wanna keep the covering looking like fabric and not film.So what should this be thinned with?I'm guessing not water.Thanks for this bit of info,I'm gonna pick some up and do some testing.

RE: clearcoat?
 

The Dupi color clear for engine paint high temp is glow proof has a pretty nice gloss too

RE: clearcoat?
 

The secret to nice crisp lines in a paint scheme is the correct masking tape. Standard tan or blue "household" masking tape like 3M from the big box stores will allow the paint to creep under the edge and leave a "Ratty" parting line. Do your initial masking with 3M Fine Line tape in either green or blue. I prefer the blue because it's more flexable if you have curves in your color scheme. The tape isn't cheap and is usually stocked at any auto paint store. Then do the "rough" masking with the household paper masking tape. Overlap the rough mask onto the Fine line for complete masking coverage. Another lesson I've learned is do not use newspaper for masking. It leaves ink on the surface. I use the brown masking paper you find in various width rolls at the big box stores or any good paint supply store.