REFLECTOR: Painting with Awlgrip

Wed Jul 13 14:08:39 CDT 2005

Thanks for checking Alan Shaw's notes on painting with AWLgrip and other
(polyester based, linear aliphatic) polyurethanes, Al!

I think Alan is basically correct -- AWLgrip is not even a paint that the
auto guys like to use, mainly because it's not buffable, and that means that
if you get a run, severe orange peel, or other defects in a coat, you've got
to re-sand the piece and paint it again -- you can't do local repair.

However, AWLgrip is NOT just for boats.  It's the paint used on the Airbus
and (some) Cessna airplanes.  The attraction is that if you can get it down
decently it is much more durable than acrylic urethanes, has excellent
resistance to chemicals, and it holds it's color and shine much longer than
the normal auto paints.  I believe a good AWLgrip paint job should last 15
years.

Another advantage to AWLgrip is that no clear topcoating is required, but
because of it's non-repairability, we have ended up generally putting down
three coats, letting them dry, sanding out any imperfections, and then
recoating with one more coat anyway -- so you may as well be putting down a
color coat and a clear top coat for all practical purposes from a number of
steps point of view (at least in our outside paint booth and with our rookie
painting skills).

Bob Jackson
N2XF  XLRG
  -----Original Message-----
  From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org]On
Behalf Of Al Gietzen
  Sent: Monday, July 11, 2005 1:19 PM
  To: 'Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list'
  Subject: RE: REFLECTOR: Painting with Awlgrip

  I was just reviewing some past notes on painting, and I came across this
from Alan Shaw.

  "Pure urethane final paints like Awlgrip are for boats.  These extremely
hard paints are difficult to make flow on nice and almost impossible to wet
sand or buff.  Acrylic urethanes with clear coat is what works for me."

  He talks about wet sanding out orange peel and runs with 600-1200 grit and
buffing out for great finish on PPG.

  I guess if you can get a good finish on Awlgrip you've worked to a high
skill level.

  FWIW,

  Al

  -----Original Message-----
  From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of Ron Brown
  Sent: Monday, July 04, 2005 3:56 AM
  To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
  Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Painting with Awlgrip

  Scott,

  Maybe it's not Orange Peel, but it sure is lumpy!  My HF HVLP gun had

  several of the tiny holes stopped up.  I cleaned them with MEK and a small

  piece of wire.  That helped but the droplets were still pretty large -

  instead of the desired fine mist.  Yesterday, I used some Aircraft Remover

  to clean the spray head.  Worked great - even cleaned the paint that had

  been building around the "fan" air nozzles.  Now I have a nice mist again.

  I have found out that just cleaning the nozzles with MEK or acetone is not

  enough.  Awlgrip as well as the 545 primer will dry on the spray head
during

  a paint session and just will not clean up with thinner.  The Aircraft

  Remover will clean the build up easily!!!

  Here's a good web page re adjusting HVLP guns.

  http://www.autobodystore.com/ms6.htm

  I am ordering some of the T0005 and will let you know if that improves the

  flow out.

  Ronnie

  ----- Original Message -----

  From: "Scott Derrick" <scott at tnstaafl.net>

  To: "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list" <reflector at tvbf.org>

  Sent: Sunday, July 03, 2005 11:37 PM

  Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Painting with Awlgrip

  > Ron,

  >

  > Orange peel is not caused by a sputtering gun...

  >

  > Did you get some T0005 reducer to slow down the flash off time?

  >

  > Scott

  >

  > Ron Brown wrote:

  >

  >> Hi Bob,

  >>

  >> Great info about the recoating.  Sure enough, the underside of my
canard

  >> came out with lots of orange peel due to the paint gun nozzle
sputtering

  >> from not being clean.

  >>

  >> I went to the parts store and got a can of Airplane Remover - paint

  >> stripper and soaked the air head/nozzle for 10 minutes.  Then rinsed it

  >> off with water and dried with air.  Just like new again.

  >>

  >> I will scuff the canard and reshoot it.  Glad to hear that I don't have

  >> to take all the paint off - just scuff and shoot another coat.

  >>

  >> Did you get to shoot your fuselage?

  >>

  >> Tuesday is supposed to be a lower humidity day so I'll be shooting the

  >> bottom of the left wing - first big area so I'm looking forward to
seeing

  >> if I am making any progress learning to shoot the Awlgrip.

  >>

  >> Ronnie

  >>

  >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob Jackson" <bobj at computer.org>

  >> To: "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list" <reflector at tvbf.org>

  >> Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2005 10:09 PM

  >> Subject: RE: REFLECTOR: Painting with Awlgrip

  >>

  >>

  >>> Scott -- can you get us a part # for that AWLgrip "Anti-orange peel"

  >>> additive you mentioned?

  >>>

  >>> Ronnie -- we use 320 and 400 grit Mirka Gold pads on a 5" random
orbital

  >>> sander to take out the orange peel bumps and runs.  We also tried

  >>> shaving

  >>> off the runs once and then painting over just the shaved runs with a

  >>> small

  >>> detail paint brush, but it's hard to do without also scratching the

  >>> surrounding area and you can still see where the run has been painted

  >>> over.

  >>>

  >>> We use 3M Softback Sanding Sponges (about 4x5 inches) for dulling the

  >>> AWLgrip in areas not sanded as above before the  final coats.  The

  >>> 'Fine'

  >>> grade foam is equivalent to 320-400 grit, and the 'Superfine' is

  >>> equivalent

  >>> to 500-600 grit paper.  Once we start painting with the AWLgrip, we

  >>> rarely

  >>> use anything coarser than 320.

  >>>

  >>> Whenever the spray gun starts sputtering you know you're in trouble
and

  >>> that

  >>> you're going to be doing to repair sanding later!  It teaches you the

  >>> importance of really getting your gun clean after each paint session.

  >>> We've

  >>> been using Klean Strip brand "Naked Gun" Spray Gun Cleaner (GSG-14)

  >>> which

  >>> comes in a square red can and really does a great job of cleaning
spray

  >>> guns.  You still have to do some scrubbing with a brush, but this
stuff

  >>> will

  >>> even loosen old paint dried in the gun after a while!  It can be
washed

  >>> out

  >>> with water, but I prefer to just whip it out and then before you store

  >>> your

  >>> gun away, run a little reducer (or T008 cleaner) through it to get out

  >>> any

  >>> remaining water.

  >>>

  >>> Bob

  >>>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/private/reflector/attachments/20050713/76f79594/attachment.htm