REFLECTOR: Paint

[Dave T Nelson]

Hi Dick,

No, I didn't clear coat... my plane was heavy enough as it was!

You can get the same clear coat "sheen" out of the normal paint by adding
plenty of elbow grease.  For me, that was starting at about 600 grit and
wet hand sanding the paint, followed by various grits ending at about 2200
grit.  I then ended with buffing with 3M coarse and then fine buffing
compound.  The shine really comes up at the end... be careful, though, not
to oversand and remove too much material at any stage.  It's really
important to have an extremely well lit shop when doing this... you won't
see the shadows indicating you've oversanded until it's too late if you
don't have lots of bright lights.  And... it's LOTS of work.  I'm sure I
spent over $500 on sandpaper - and that was AFTER I shot the paint onto the
airplane.  One other tip - I wrapped duct tape onto my fingertips - you
won't know you've sanded through your skin until it's too late.

But, thankfully, after all that, it turns out that the human species has
only a very limited ability to remember pain... and I did this many, many
years ago, so the memory of the pain is long gone... and it still looks
great.

Dave

Dave T. Nelson
T/L 553-4327, Voice 507-253-4327, Fax 507-253-3648
Program Director, ISC ECAT NPI & Test Engineering

----- Message from "Dick Harpster" <Dick-CentralSecurity at nc.rr.com> on Thu,
5 Sep 2013 07:55:49 -0400 -----
                                                             
      To: "'Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list'"     
          <reflector at tvbf.org>                               
                                                             
 Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Paint                               
                                                             

Dave, did you use a clear coat on your paint or just the paint?
Dick

From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of Dave T Nelson
Sent: Thursday, September 05, 2013 7:59 AM
To: reflector at tvbf.org
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Paint



I painted my plane in 1998 with PPG Concept.  I now have 1100+ hours on it
- and it still looks absolutely great.  I get complements all the time.
- It's readily available, at supply stores all over the country, and it's
relatively cheap
- It's something that many body shops & many paint guys have used and are
familiar with
- It's easy to touch up... I've touched up numerous areas through the
years, and I defy you to spot them
- It has held up exceptionally well

One other comment - I chose to use the base (white) paint with no tint, and
to buff the paint to get the shine.  The advantage being, I never have to
worry about matching a tint color.

Dave

Dave T. Nelson
T/L 553-4327, Voice 507-253-4327, Fax 507-253-3648
Program Director, ISC ECAT NPI & Test Engineering


                               
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 Subject:       REFLECTOR:     
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I am getting ready to paint my plane. I would like to get some feedback as
to what type of paint to use. The body shop I am working with says he is
willing to use whatever I would like. I have looked at Stewart Systems at
Air Venture and like what they had to say. My body man thinks I should just
use a regular automotive paint. He has used it many times on Corvettes and
doesn’t see a difference. Then the question came up on clear coating. It’s
more money, but he thinks it worth it. Is there a difference between
automotive paints and aviation paints? What have you guys used? I would
love some input.
Thanks,
Dick Harpster N585V
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