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armywrights(at)adelphia.n
Guest

Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 9:25 pm Post subject: Paint experience

How much experience did you (anyone) have prior to doing your own priming and then paint?  I need to start planning.  For the simplicity of the fuse interior, it seems that I can both prime and paint with an inexpensive gun (<$50 or<$75), then I can save up for a higher quality exterior gun after I fly for a while.  

   

Questions:  

   

How’s the learning curve?  

   

How many practice pieces before committing?  

   

What about gravity vs. standard fed guns? Meaning, how easy is it to manipulate the gun to all the nooks and crannys with such a big cup without losing paint flow?  

   

Recommend pint or quart cup to cover the interior, or go with a touch-up gun?  I see on Tim’s site that he only used about a quart total for the whole inside.  

   

Thanks,  

   

Rob Wright  

#392  

Fuse Access Covers  

       [quote][b]

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Tim(at)MyRV10.com
Guest

Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 6:10 am Post subject: Paint experience

Reply inline...

Rob Wright wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   How much experience did you (anyone) have prior to doing your own 

 priming and then paint?  I need to start planning.  For the simplicity 

 of the fuse interior, it seems that I can both prime and paint with an 

 inexpensive gun (<$50 or<$75), then I can save up for a higher quality 

 exterior gun after I fly for a while.

 

 Questions:

 

 How’s the learning curve?

 


	


The learning curve question is a very tough question.  It could vary

greatly for people.  I do believe that those who are priming their own

parts can benefit from the time spent priming, however.  My advice is

if you don't feel really comfortable, have someone come over who is

when you get to the real painting, and give you a hand with some parts,

or at least critique you. Most people will know SOMEONE who they

can call who's painted things before, even if it's a friend of a

friend.  So talk about it with those close to you and see who

knows who.  Even if it cost you a couple hundred bucks for an off-duty

auto body person for a day, you'd learn things....and a professional

paid paint job will still be many THOUSANDS more.

 	  Quote: 	
		   

 How many practice pieces before committing?

 


	


Painting isn't too bad when you get the theory down and have some

practice.  After doing the plane I painted and matched a couple of

car pieces too, including clearcoat.  The only thing that didn't

turn out perfect is I did it in a dusty garage and got some dirt

in the clearcoat.  If you have someone get you started, there's no

reason that you can't do a reasonable job.  I'll never pay for a

car to be painted again, from what I've found now.  So now my

wife can nail all the deer she wants. 



 	  Quote: 	
		    

 

 What about gravity vs. standard fed guns? Meaning, how easy is it to 

 manipulate the gun to all the nooks and crannys with such a big cup 

 without losing paint flow?

 

  


	


Here's a good suggestion for you.  I think the pressure pot guns would

do good for people on the main color, but we didn't use them.  But,

the guy who helped me had a good trick.  For the Sata guns we used,

they make a plastic liner disposable paint cup that has it's own

integral filter.  It was awesome for doing even the undersides

of things, because as the paint got used, the liner collapsed, keeping

it void of air for the most part.  This eliminated the issue.  They

weren't too expensive, and it was nice to just throw away the liners

when done with a session.   Again, a small cost compared to paying

a pro.



Incidently, keeping a paint job simple (which is what I consider mine

to be), can help make it easier.   One large single color base followed

by 1 or 2 stripe colors isn't really a big deal.  Actually, the color

stripes are even easier to do on top of the base, and I found the base

coat clearcoat to be even easier to work with in general.  But I am

glad I went single stage on the main color.



 	  Quote: 	
		   

 Recommend pint or quart cup to cover the interior, or go with a touch-up 

 gun?  I see on Tim’s site that he only used about a quart total for the 

 whole inside.

 


	


The interior is harder to maneuver around than the exterior.  I now own,

AFTER the fact, a nice SATA MiniJet with a smaller cup that would be 

great for the small areas on the interior.  I think you could use

either, but you'll want to put any inline hose filters somewhere

upstream a ways so the hose connects directly to the gun with a 10'

whip instead of quick connectors.  That makes it easier to flex

around.  I don't know what I'd do if I could do it all over again.

Probably use the minijet on the interior, since it's such a small

area.



Either way, when you paint the plane, you're going to mix up larger

batches of paint than what one gun cup will hold.  You need to be able

to just pour more into the gun and carry on quick, in order to keep

painting along the wet edge on the larger parts.  The good news is,

if you can't keep up and keep the edge wet, you can back up to a

seam or some spot and start that panel with a new edge.  Anyway,

you just don't want to have to stop and mix more paint during a large

shoot if possible.  It also might be nice, if you have the time

and space to do it, to do a couple major pieces at a time.  Like

the day you do the fuselage, don't do anything else.  Do the wings

another day.  Then do the small parts another day.  That helps

break things up.



For my next plane, I may even just plastic line my garage and do

the entire thing there, as the color striped we did there turned

out fine.  I'd just need to get some blower/filter stuff set up

but I could do that cheap enough to still make the entire job

a bargain over a paid-for pro job.   Mine isn't the prettiest

plane out there, but it still seems to look good to most

people from what I can tell.



Tim



 	  Quote: 	
		    

 

 Thanks,

 

  

 

 Rob Wright

 

 #392

 

 Fuse Access Covers

 

 *

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n8vim(at)arrl.net
Guest

Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 6:50 am Post subject: Paint experience

Rob,

I use a Paasche airbrush for all the small pieces (anything other than a 

skin), which keeps overspray down, wastes less paint, and lets you work 

a boit slower this allowing you more precision in priming. For the 

skins, it is too small, so I use a regular automotive touchup gun, but 

the amount of paint that gets in the air is horrible compared to the 

airbrush.



If you do go the airbrush route, make sure to get a few 3 or 6 oz. spray 

jars and a large needle to spray the heavy paints. I use the airbrush at 

70psi.



Oh, if you screw up a small part during priming, just toss the part in a 

bucket of Acetone or MEK and it will remove it so you can try again 

later. (after a week though, the PPG Epoxy paint won't dissolve!)



I am using PPG DP50LF Epoxy primer, with DP401 Catalyst.



-Jim 40384 (must..... get..... back.... to..... riveting..... bottom.... 

wing.... skins.... ! )



Rob Wright wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   How much experience did you (anyone) have prior to doing your own 

 priming and then paint? I need to start planning. For the simplicity 

 of the fuse interior, it seems that I can both prime and paint with an 

 inexpensive gun (<$50 or<$75), then I can save up for a higher quality 

 exterior gun after I fly for a while.



 Questions:



 How’s the learning curve?



 How many practice pieces before committing?



 What about gravity vs. standard fed guns? Meaning, how easy is it to 

 manipulate the gun to all the nooks and crannys with such a big cup 

 without losing paint flow?



 Recommend pint or quart cup to cover the interior, or go with a 

 touch-up gun? I see on Tim’s site that he only used about a quart 

 total for the whole inside.



 Thanks,



 Rob Wright



 #392



 Fuse Access Covers

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rj_todd(at)yahoo.co.uk
Guest

Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 7:00 am Post subject: Paint experience

Hi Tim,

"they make a plastic liner disposable paint cup that

has it's own

integral filter.  It was awesome for doing even the

undersides

of things, because as the paint got used, the liner

collapsed, keeping

it void of air for the most part"

I think you're refering to the 3M PPS system here

which is available for most guns.  I'm in the process

of getting it for my Sata Minijet 4 - been on order

for over two months, the distributor is currently

waiting for the mini-cups.

See

http://multimedia.mmm.com/mws/mediawebserver.dyn?6666660Zjcf6lVs6EVs66SeggCOrrrrQ-

or if this doesn't work then go to the 3M site and

search for PPS.

I think some one here mentioned this some months ago.

Best wishes,

Rodger

--- Tim Olson <Tim(at)MyRV10.com> wrote:

 	  Quote: 	

 <Tim(at)MyRV10.com>

 Reply inline...

 Rob Wright wrote:

 > How much experience did you (anyone) have prior to

 doing your own 

 > priming and then paint?  I need to start planning.

  For the simplicity 

 > of the fuse interior, it seems that I can both

 prime and paint with an 

 > inexpensive gun (<$50 or<$75), then I can save up

 for a higher quality 

 > exterior gun after I fly for a while.

 > 

 > Questions:

 > 

 > How’s the learning curve?

 > 

 The learning curve question is a very tough

 question.  It could vary

 greatly for people.  I do believe that those who are

 priming their own

 parts can benefit from the time spent priming,

 however.  My advice is

 if you don't feel really comfortable, have someone

 come over who is

 when you get to the real painting, and give you a

 hand with some parts,

 or at least critique you. Most people will know

 SOMEONE who they

 can call who's painted things before, even if it's a

 friend of a

 friend.  So talk about it with those close to you

 and see who

 knows who.  Even if it cost you a couple hundred

 bucks for an off-duty

 auto body person for a day, you'd learn

 things....and a professional

 paid paint job will still be many THOUSANDS more.

 > 

 > How many practice pieces before committing?

 > 

 Painting isn't too bad when you get the theory down

 and have some

 practice.  After doing the plane I painted and

 matched a couple of

 car pieces too, including clearcoat.  The only thing

 that didn't

 turn out perfect is I did it in a dusty garage and

 got some dirt

 in the clearcoat.  If you have someone get you

 started, there's no

 reason that you can't do a reasonable job.  I'll

 never pay for a

 car to be painted again, from what I've found now. 

 So now my

 wife can nail all the deer she wants. 

 >  

 > 

 > What about gravity vs. standard fed guns? Meaning,

 how easy is it to 

 > manipulate the gun to all the nooks and crannys

 with such a big cup 

 > without losing paint flow?

 > 

 >  

 Here's a good suggestion for you.  I think the

 pressure pot guns would

 do good for people on the main color, but we didn't

 use them.  But,

 the guy who helped me had a good trick.  For the

 Sata guns we used,

 they make a plastic liner disposable paint cup that

 has it's own

 integral filter.  It was awesome for doing even the

 undersides

 of things, because as the paint got used, the liner

 collapsed, keeping

 it void of air for the most part.  This eliminated

 the issue.  They

 weren't too expensive, and it was nice to just throw

 away the liners

 when done with a session.   Again, a small cost

 compared to paying

 a pro.

 Incidently, keeping a paint job simple (which is

 what I consider mine

 to be), can help make it easier.   One large single

 color base followed

 by 1 or 2 stripe colors isn't really a big deal. 

 Actually, the color

 stripes are even easier to do on top of the base,

 and I found the base

 coat clearcoat to be even easier to work with in

 general.  But I am

 glad I went single stage on the main color.

 > 

 > Recommend pint or quart cup to cover the interior,

 or go with a touch-up 

 > gun?  I see on Tim’s site that he only used about

 a quart total for the 

 > whole inside.

 > 

 The interior is harder to maneuver around than the

 exterior.  I now own,

 AFTER the fact, a nice SATA MiniJet with a smaller

 cup that would be 

 great for the small areas on the interior.  I think

 you could use

 either, but you'll want to put any inline hose

 filters somewhere

 upstream a ways so the hose connects directly to the

 gun with a 10'

 whip instead of quick connectors.  That makes it

 easier to flex

 around.  I don't know what I'd do if I could do it

 all over again.

 Probably use the minijet on the interior, since it's

 such a small

 area.

 Either way, when you paint the plane, you're going

 to mix up larger

 batches of paint than what one gun cup will hold. 

 You need to be able

 to just pour more into the gun and carry on quick,

 in order to keep

 painting along the wet edge on the larger parts. 

 The good news is,

 if you can't keep up and keep the edge wet, you can

 back up to a

 seam or some spot and start that panel with a new

 edge.  Anyway,

 you just don't want to have to stop and mix more

 paint during a large

 shoot if possible.  It also might be nice, if you

 have the time

 and space to do it, to do a couple major pieces at a

 time.  Like

 the day you do the fuselage, don't do anything else.

  Do the wings

 another day.  Then do the small parts another day. 

 That helps

 break things up.

 For my next plane, I may even just plastic line my

 garage and do

 the entire thing there, as the color striped we did

 there turned

 out fine.  I'd just need to get some blower/filter

 stuff set up

 but I could do that cheap enough to still make the

 entire job

 a bargain over a paid-for pro job.   Mine isn't the

 prettiest

 plane out there, but it still seems to look good to

 most

 people from what I can tell.

 Tim

 >  

 > 

 > Thanks,

 > 

 >  

 > 

 > Rob Wright

 > 

 > #392

 > 

 > Fuse Access Covers

 > 

 > *

 Click on

 about

 provided

=== message truncated ===

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bsponcil(at)belinblank.or
Guest

Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 8:33 am Post subject: Paint experience

This past summer I borrowed a HVLP system from a  guy at our airport and shot my practice kit control surface just to see how good  of a job I could do.  The final result was pretty poor so I decided I'd  just give up on that idea and let the pros do it for me.  

  

 Since then I bought an el-cheapo gun from  Wally-World to shoot the interior surfaces of the tailcone skins with epoxy  primer (I had until then been using rattle can stuff) and after shooting all of  those skins and associated bulkheads I'm coming back around to the thought of  shooting the paint myself.  

  

 It takes some time and experimentation to get the  gun set up right and to figure out all of the other variables in the process but  my guess is that by the time you've shot the tailcone and wings, you'll be much  more confident in your ability and you'll have made all of the mistakes you need  to make and figured out how to fix them.  

  

 It sounds like Rob is well beyond that point in his  build so I'm not sure what to suggest as far a practice.  Scrap aluminum  from the junkyard?  Old wheelbarrow?  Helpfully suggest to the wife  that the gargage doors need to be re-painted?

  

 One thing I'll say is that el-cheapo gun has a  TREMENDOUS amount of overspray.  I'd swear that every flat surface in my  garage has a 1/16" layer of grey dust on it.

  

  

 -Brian

  

  

 #40497

 Iowa City, IA

  

 [quote]   ---

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rvbuilder(at)sausen.net
Guest

Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 6:31 pm Post subject: Paint experience

Use SprayGunDepot.com.  I've used them a few times and never had a

problem.  Got the PPS from them about a month ago along with adapters

for my guns.  Haven't had a chance to use it yet though.



--

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