erichdtrombley(at)juno.co
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 Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 7:52 am Post subject: Painting |
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Below is a copy of the message I posted a few years back on the process and products I used on my Europa. Take it for what it is worth. This was my first painting project and I am very pleased with the results.
Regards,
Erich Trombley
The following is what I have
used on my Europa. The process and products were handed down to me from another
Europa Builder and painting guru (Lynn Elsner) whos Europa is eight years
old and looks as good today as it did the day he painted it. Lynn has been using
this combination of primer and paint for many years on a number of airplanes
and the products have been around for even longer with proven results.
Primer PPG K36 Acrylic Urethane Primer/Sealer.
This is really nice stuff to work with. It is a two part primer that can be rolled
on with ease (much to Lynn's surprise). I really love working with it. The
final rolled coat looks so smooth you would swear it was sprayed. The fiberglass substrate only needs
to be initially sanded to 80 grit as the primer can easily fill the sanding
marks (PPG recommends 80-150 grit for dry sanding between coats). Prior to painting,
the primer will need to be wet sanded with 320 then 400 grit.
Top coat Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings Acry-Glow Acrylic Urethane
This is a high quality aircraft paint that is chemically resistant to most, if
not all aircraft fluids. Although somewhat expensive it is well worth the cost
($150 gallon including reducers and thinners). This produce is sprayed with
a convention spray gun. I tried rolling it on to no avail (left millions of
tiny bubbles in the paint). The product can also be clear coated for additional
UV protection, which is what I have done. In addition to the UV protection
of the paint and hopefully the substrate, the plane has a professional looking
finish with great depth. Although many nay sayers cite substantial weight increase,I
disagree. When using a clear coat the objective is to apply just enough
color coat to cover the grey primer (usually one tack coat followed by two
full coats). The color coat is then wet sanded (1,000 grit), thus removing
even more weight and surface imperfections, prior to the application of the clear
coat. One tack coat followed by three heavy coats
of clear finishes the painting. Next, the clear coat is wet sanded with 1,000,
1,200 and finally 1,500 (again removing more weight and any surface imperfections).
Finally the surface is polished with a professional polisher and 3M
polishing compound.
Using the above process and never having painted before I have achieved results
that are very satisfactory. Some say great. I am very pleased with paint job
and I did it all my self. Very rewarding indeed!
I have since learned that Phoenix Composites (a builder assist shop in Arizona)
uses the same products without the clear coat. Certainly the clear coat is more
labor intensive; however I believe the additional UV protection and great
looks are worth the effort. One final note, the above products are very user
friendly and have a very steep learning curve. Most mistakes can be easily fixed.
I converted my garage into a spry booth with filtered inlet air and a couple
of box fans with filters for the exit air (didnt want overspray on the vehicles
parked in the driveway). You will need a breath air system such as the
Hobby Air since the paint contains nasty chemicals that a respirator is unable
to cope with.
Well I hope the above has been helpful.
Regards,
Erich Trombley
N28ET Classic Mono 914
Las Vegas, NV
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