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Painting with PPG products: pretty comprehensive

Awesome and thank you. I have been reading and asking about painting process as I am, so far, planning on painting my RV myself. This will give me a head start in my education part.

Cheers
 
I'm just finishing painting my airplane with PPG Aerospace Desothane. I used their epoxy primer formulated for Wipaire. It sprays really really nice. I set my HLVP at 20 psi at the gun with a 1.4 nozzle and it is wonderful. They have a series of thinners that set up at different rates. I use a fast one for small parts and a slower one for the bigger parts. Compare that to a black Imron stripe I painted two days ago and am still waiting for it to dry.

I will admit I've become addicted to the 3M PPS cups. They are expensive, but allow you to paint upside down and make cleaning really easy. There's no going back.

Jerry
 
PPG/DESOTHANE..good stuff

My day job is in the heavy aircraft overhaul industry, and Desothane is one of the most widely used finishes on the market. During a lease return "scuff and paint" of a 737, I was given a 4 gallon kit of pure white Desothane that was left over..I was just getting ready to paint my newly minted RV-4, and the planned P-51 scheme was abandoned and simplified to what is now known as "Casper"..all white. My paint is now 10 years old, and doesn't have a single scratch in it. The paint is tough as nails, and was developed with duarability and high UV tolerance. I used an old school 2 quart pressure pot gun and applied 2 coats over PPG DP40 primer. Can't go wrong with PPG in my book.
 
....

... and simplified to what is now known as "Casper"..all white. My paint is now 10 years old, and doesn't have a single scratch in it. The paint is tough as nails, and was developed with duarability and high UV tolerance.

.....


It looks outstanding from the air. Over Carolinas I spotted a white RV couple thousand feet below. A quick call on local frequency confirmed it was Casper... :)
 
Another PPG white paint job

Single stage PPG cut and buffed per DanH instructions, 10ft paint job but not bad. Nice thing about single stage and PPG is that you can get an aerosol for about $30 for touch up jobs (stone chips on from prop blasts etc.)

view

Figs
 
Thanks for the link. Half way thru cowl work and thinking hard about doing fly off in primer then later full paint in my own hangar (after moving to 7MD1 - yeah baby!)
 
I was set of doing a base/clear on my project and all the raving on this type of paint, I may change my mind. Of course I know next to nothing when it comes to paint only have the understanding/impression that base/clear is shinier and more durable.

Are PPG Desothane available in any color/custom color or just some basic colors. A quick search on Internet did not show many places that sells them to ordinary customers. Are they widely available?

I would like to hear more if my thinking is not correct and perhaps some pros/cons if possible.
 
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I was set of doing a base/clear on my project and all the raving on this type of paint, I may change my mind. Of course I know next to nothing when it comes to paint only have the understanding/impression that base/clear is shinier and more durable.

Base/Clear is not really shinier, though you can get much better depth to the gloss. This depth can be impressive and when you see a car/plane really "pop" it is usually the clear depth that does it. However, that comes from numerous coats of clear, which you want to avoid for weight reasons on a plane. I put five coats of clear on my Cobra project and it looks gorgeous. That said, most single stage paints won't take much cut and buff, so that could impact "shinyness."

On the durability front, you'll find single-stage more durable. The weak link, from a durability standpoint, in base/clear is the base. The primer adheres very well, as does the clear coat. The base, on the other hand, does not have that strong of a grip. This is why you see more rock chips on modern base/clear painted car than you did on the old lacquer paint jobs. You'll notice that the chip takes out the clear and base (adhered well together) and leaves primer. This is due to the relatively weak bond between the base and primer, as well as the softness of the base coat.

Surface durability is similar and varies for either based upon how the manufacturer tweaks the polyurethane formula (both Clear and single-stage are polyurethane based - avoid the cheap Acrylic Singe-stage paint) and the additives used. They range from soft to hard, based upon the trade off in attributes they are looking for. Hardness helps in durability but makes buffing difficult. This should be considered for anybody painting themselves in a hanger or garage. UV protection comes from an additive and applies equally to both paint styles. All pigments are susceptible to sun fading and require UV protection.

Single-stage is really just clear coat with pigment mixed in therefore it has a strong grip with no weak link. However, only a small amount of pigment-free clear ends up at the top and you need to be cautious on cut and buff. Some paints, like what i used, use Polyurethane pigments and you can cut/buff into the pigments without impacting the shine.

The primary benefit of base/clear and why it is so commonly used today is that is more tolerant of user technique than other painting methods, especially for effects, such as pearls and metallics. That said, straight color SS's are really no harder than base/clear with the exception that runs are more problematic.

Larry
 
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Base/Clear is not really shinier, though you can get much better depth to the gloss. This depth can be impressive and when you see a car/plane really "pop" it is usually the clear depth that does it. However, that comes from numerous coats of clear, which you want to avoid for weight reasons on a plane. I put five coats of clear on my Cobra project and it looks gorgeous. That said, most single stage paints won't take much cut and buff, so that could impact "shinyness."

On the durability front, you'll find single-stage more durable. The weak link, from a durability standpoint, in base/clear is the base. The primer adheres very well, as does the clear coat. The base, on the other hand, does not have that strong of a grip. This is why you see more rock chips on modern base/clear painted car than you did on the old lacquer paint jobs. You'll notice that the chip takes out the clear and base (adhered well together) and leaves primer. This is due to the relatively weak bond between the base and primer, as well as the softness of the base coat.

Surface durability is similar and varies for either based upon how the manufacturer tweaks the polyurethane formula (both Clear and single-stage are polyurethane based - avoid the cheap Acrylic Singe-stage paint) and the additives used. They range from soft to hard, based upon the trade off in attributes they are looking for. Hardness helps in durability but makes buffing difficult. This should be considered for anybody painting themselves in a hanger or garage. UV protection comes from an additive and applies equally to both paint styles. All pigments are susceptible to sun fading and require UV protection.

Single-stage is really just clear coat with pigment mixed in therefore it has a strong grip with no weak link. However, only a small amount of pigment-free clear ends up at the top and you need to be cautious on cut and buff. Some paints, like what i used, use Polyurethane pigments and you can cut/buff into the pigments without impacting the shine.

The primary benefit of base/clear and why it is so commonly used today is that is more tolerant of user technique than other painting methods, especially for effects, such as pearls and metallics. That said, straight color SS's are really no harder than base/clear with the exception that runs are more problematic.

Larry

Excellent and easy to understand explanation, thank you Larry.
Perhaps one last question, with painting a RV in mind, an epoxy primer is required or a poly primer surfacer will be good for adhesion and rust protection?
 
Single-stage is really just clear coat with pigment mixed in therefore it has a strong grip with no weak link. However, only a small amount of pigment-free clear ends up at the top and you need to be cautious on cut and buff. Some paints, like what i used, use Polyurethane pigments and you can cut/buff into the pigments without impacting the shine.

Admitted total paint noob here, so I will just ask: Is there a "single-stage" (combined pigment+clear as you described) that you can apply additional clear coat on? Probably a stupid question, but wondering if there's some sort of available hybrid approach.
 
Admitted total paint noob here, so I will just ask: Is there a "single-stage" (combined pigment+clear as you described) that you can apply additional clear coat on? Probably a stupid question, but wondering if there's some sort of available hybrid approach.
Greg,
If you go thru that link in the first post, they do talk about a single stage and clear (pigment+clear) and the pros and cons.
 
PPG Availability

Problem with PPG is availability. Ordering from PPG is onerous. At Oshkosh, the rep directed me to Randy at Cooper Color in Arnold, MO. He caters to the corporate market and fills many of the general aviation orders. He can ship within 24 hours. I live near enough I simply drove down and met with him. He can mix any color you want.
 
Excellent and easy to understand explanation, thank you Larry.
Perhaps one last question, with painting a RV in mind, an epoxy primer is required or a poly primer surfacer will be good for adhesion and rust protection?

I recommend the epoxy primer due to their good adhesion and corrossion protection. While epoxy primers are best, any two stage primer that is promoted as a base primer, providing sealing and preventing corrossion should be fine. Primers designed for sanding should not be used as a base primer, as they are not designed for protecting the base metal.

Most paint systems will have a base primer and sandable primers for levelling and scratch hiding. Don't skip the base primer.

Larry
 
Admitted total paint noob here, so I will just ask: Is there a "single-stage" (combined pigment+clear as you described) that you can apply additional clear coat on? Probably a stupid question, but wondering if there's some sort of available hybrid approach.

Yes, you can apply clear coat over single-stage. Talk to your paint rep about applying it though. They may want it to go on before the SS fully kicks off or after curing for a few hours. When using different chemistries, you typically want to apply after a few hours.

I used an unfamiliar paint for my white and had problems with the texture. I shot two coats of clear over it and block sanded it back down.

As I mentioned PU clear will stick to anything, even without cross-linking, though cross-linking is preferred.

Larry
 
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PPG paint availability

May be different across the country (and I guess the particular type of PPG paint) but I used the PPG DCC concept series which includes self etching primers, accelerators etc and it was all available from a local auto paint supplier (English Color & Supply).

I also painted my plane in a metal hangar in the dead of winter and the paint supply store was very helpful in figuring out the right mix of accelerator to flash off based on the temperature I was able to maintain the hangar at during painting:
DCC Concept info http://www.myrv10.com/N104CD/paint/p-168.pdf

I will say however that the painting was not an easy job (at least for me :rolleyes:)

Figs
 
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