REFLECTOR: Auto Marine or Airplane paints

[Joe Ewen]

Hi Terry,
I do not know if you are just researching at this point or are you ready to
shoot?  If you are a year or two away from painting you may want to wait.  A
friend of mine who has knowledge of industrial coatings and has ties to
automotive paints has mentioned that there is a new generation clear
automotive system being developed that is even more durable than the current
systems.  This system should be available in the next year or two.

What does your painter in the body shop next door think?  He is probably
your best reference, he has far more experience than the guy at the paint
counter or the paint manufacture rep.

Where in SC are you located, I am in Lancaster.

Joe


> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Terry Miles" <terrence_miles at hotmail.com>
> To: "'Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list'" <reflector at tvbf.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 8:32 AM
> Subject: REFLECTOR: Auto Marine or Airplane paints
>
>
> >
> > Geez,
> >
> > When I started on this project in earnest about a year ago now, I wasted
> > a lot of time reading tool catalogs.  If I was smart, I would have
> > signed up for a speed reading course instead.  What follows is a
> > rambling rant with this question to the Reflector...why did you guys
> > chose for or against auto paint over marine paint over airplane paint?
> > Sherman Williams, PPG, Akzo-Nobel they all have car, boat, and airplane
> > products.
> >
> > For tonight at least my inclination is a nothing exotic, mid priced,
> > run-the-mill automotive paint unless someone out there would caution
> > against it.  Reasons include cost and worries about the product
> > experience of the painter and the tools at his disposal. (I am using the
> > body shop next door to where I am building which will shoot anything I
> > want in a regular spray booth big enough to fit the fuselage section.).
> > I can use high VOC polyurethanes here in SC, and these products are said
> > to be more results friendly, so I could go with marine or airplane lines
> > if I saw the value to it.
> >
> > For the conversation, here's some terms I have learned recently.  "Top
> > coatings" are referred to in the auto world as base coat & clear coat
> > systems.  Sometimes these "top coatings" require a given type of
> > undercoating, sometimes 320 grit sandpaper is enuf to make any
> > undercoating compatible with a topcoat product. Obviously aftermarket
> > autobody repair products can't be fussy.  (Read the pdf's).
> > http://www.lesonalna.com/  Under the Akzo-Nobel auto line of products, I
> > used Utech for undercoating and anticipate using Lesonal products for
> > topcoatings.  I called the Lesonal product line and was told among other
> > things that (in general terms)  the higher up the price range in their
> > products (Sikens product line) the fancier the end result, but less
> > user-unfriendly regards application.  (OR) It could also mean that you
> > are looking at newer more environmentally friendly chemicals, which are
> > required in Europe as much as in the USA.  As a aside, clear coats do
> > have the UV properties at least in the Lesonal line.  The colored base
> > coating of their topcoat systems do not have the UV protection.
> > Airplane topcoats, JetGlo as example, can be applied without clear coats
> > so UV issues are different.
> >
> > Akzo-Nobel is a very big multi-national org, based in Holland somewhere.
> > Ronnie Brown used their marine Awlgrip on his bird.  I am looking at
> > Lesonal which is one of their auto paint lines.  Alumigrip is in their
> > airplane line, and it used extensively in GA certified stuff.
> > http://www.akzonobelaerospace.com/products/category_selection.aspx?id=Po
> > lyurethane%20Topcoats
> > Further I have learned that nobody's auto/boat/airplane paint sales
> > departments are not crossed trained, so we all are left to our collected
> > wisdom.
> >
> > Anybody have any thoughts on auto vs marine vs airplane?
> >
> > Terry
> >
> >
> > HISTORY
> > If I helps future generations, below is more detail on what we have done
> > to date.
> >
> > At Hangar 18 we started w/ a "primer-surfacer" and did the sand out and
> > patch fill routine, until one day we said "enuf is enuf."  (Actually I
> > got to that point way before M. Collier did.)  Then we sprayed on a
> > final "primer-sealer" coat.  All this was done just in the shop w/ good
> > ventilation, but no spray booth.  These are two different products and
> > both are referred to by Akzo-Nobel as "under coatings."
> > http://www.akzonobelcarrefinishes.net/default.asp?sid=65395&pid=420
> > This was good stuff.  Not too costly.  Hangar 18 has painted about 5
> > airplanes with it and had good success.  Here are the details.
> >
> > The first sanding of the exterior surfaces is w/ 40 to 80 grit.  Then we
> > rolled (not sprayed) on 2 coats of UTECH U2K1 Primer with stock
> > activator being A2K4.  Watch out, product labeling seemed to change.
> > Primer bought later just was labeled as 2K, but with a "product code" of
> > P2K1.  The web site had it as 2K100.   Rolling as opposed to spraying
> > this first coat forces the paint into all the little pin holes.  Then it
> > is guide coated, which is just a very light misting of diluted black
> > acrylic water/based artist paint.  This allows us to see undulations as
> > we sand.  We used long sanding boards now about 12 to 14 inches long.
> > The grit of the sandpaper gradually goes up to 180 at the end.  After
> > the roller coats are sanded out, we do it again.  This 2nd time just one
> > spray coat of the same stuff is sprayed on.  Guide coated again and
> > worked with 180 grit paper.  It helped that this first primer surfacer
> > had a slight coloring in it.so that the last "primer-sealer" coat (UTECH
> > E366 and the hardener is E375)which was white-white could be seen as a
> > dif color as it was sprayed on.  This helps the sprayer see what is
> > happening-at least for the first sealer coat.  Two coats of sealer were
> > applied.
> > End.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > To change your email address, visit
> http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/listinfo/reflector
> >
> > Visit the gallery!  www.tvbf.org/gallery
> > user:pw = tvbf:jamaicangoose
> > Check new archives: www.tvbf.org/pipermail
> > Check old archives: http://www.tvbf.org/archives/velocity/maillist.html
> >
>