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Paint Rookie

T

togaflyer

Well Known Member
I have always hated painting, but worse, I do not like it when people act like they can paint, charge a lot, and do a lousy job. Thats the problem Im running into where I live. No one has any good responses about the local shops. So Im gonna do it. I have watched several videos and with some practice I know I can get it down. Not painting the outside, just inside the doors, inside cabin, and some trim. So what should I buy. I know I need a HVLP spray gun. Would like something that has disposable cups for cleaning, and want to minimize the expense. Any recommendations?
 
I would PM "g zero" ( space between g and the zero)

Tom paintd his -8 and it came out perfect!

He is up in Flagler if you wanted to see it in person.
 
For that application, my opinion is that you don't need an expensive gun or other apparatus. I've used both of these guns successfully painting the interior of my airplane:

http://www.harborfreight.com/adjustable-detail-spray-gun-92126.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-47016.html

And I used the (relatively) inexpensive Acrylic Urethane paint from Summit racing, and was pleased with the results.

https://www.summitracing.com/search...&SortOrder=Ascending&keyword=acrylic urethane

You'll have to dig around on the Summit site for the color(s) you want, reducer, activator, etc., but the paint works and the price is right.

You'll need PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) as well. Summit sells that stuff too.
 
Painting .......

Scott: just downloaded/reviewed your document (want to call it a priMMer, not priiiimer:D, or how about a primer on primer/color coat/clear coat). Excellent!!! Very complete, humorous too. Thanks much for going to such an effort to help out the rest of us!

Doug
Seattle area
 
Paint preparation is the absolute most important part. Getting and entire surface clean and degreased is the hardest part.

I not an expert painter, but I've done enough to know that scuffing the surface followed by a through, meticulous cleaning is hard work, but very rewarding.

Painting with a paint gun really isnt hard, just takes a couple practice passes on scrap metal, make adjustments to the gun as necessary and you'll figure it out pretty quick.
 
In addition to the HVLP gun and supplies, you will need a good sized air compressor, hoses, and moisture traps. Most of the compressors you should consider require 220vac.
 
togaflyer said:
I have always hated painting, but worse, I do not like it when people act like they can paint, charge a lot, and do a lousy job. Thats the problem Im running into where I live. No one has any good responses about the local shops. ...
Click to expand...
I went to Hawk Aviation at Tampa Exec (KVDF) with my -12 because a number of folks had recommended him. He did a real nice job with mine too. You might check him out when you start looking for the outside work ...
 
togaflyer said:
I have always hated painting, but worse, I do not like it when people act like they can paint, charge a lot, and do a lousy job. Thats the problem Im running into where I live. No one has any good responses about the local shops. So Im gonna do it. I have watched several videos and with some practice I know I can get it down. Not painting the outside, just inside the doors, inside cabin, and some trim. So what should I buy. I know I need a HVLP spray gun. Would like something that has disposable cups for cleaning, and want to minimize the expense. Any recommendations?
Click to expand...

I sent you a text.

I use the 3m pps system.

Let me know when you are ready
 
My Two Cents...

I too do not paint well.

My son found on some website a Sherwin Williams acrylic LATEX paint (B66 W 211 6505-17538) recommended for painting aluminum. I used it on the interior. It is great paint and very tough. It is a semi gloss paint but has low gloss and matches the interior panels exactly.

We primed all the aluminum interior with a Sherwin Williams primer recommended by Vans. I primed the Aerosport overhead console, center console and instrument panel with some special primer recommended for carbon fiber.

My interior has Aerosport Products light tan interior panels. I took the Aerosport products cargo door panel into the Sherwin Williams store and they matched the color exactly.

I bought a $12 Harbor Freight HVLP gun. You can touch it up and you can't see the touch up after it dries.

It has very low vapor problems which you would expect with a latex paint. Easy to clean up the gun. I did have to buy a second gun when the first one started spitting paint (another $12). The aluminum primer is much worse and you need to apply that outside. I used a hardware spray can primer for the fiberglass parts.

It looks great and I have had many compliments on the interior.
 
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Hi JackinMichigan,

Could you please post some pictures here so we can take a look? Glad to hear you found what sounds like a very nice solution...and at a very reasonable cost!
 
Thanks so much JackinMichigan. I'll be painting my interior in the next few weeks and your suggested paint sounds like a great choice.

Question: The Aerosport Products page says that their "RV-10 Interior Panels will be shipped with no finish. The color of the Kydex may vary." Since it sounds like you ordered their panels in the light tan color (vs. the dark gray), did you find they were of uniform color, or did you have to paint them with the Sherwin Williams paint?

Thanks
Dave M.
RV-10 under construction
Finishing Kit Ordered
 
So far I have left my interior panels with no paint and wondering if they lose the texture after painting ?
 
Did Not Paint My panels

I did not paint my panels. I have talked to Aerosport many times, and don't remember the subject coming up.

If you are supposed to paint them yourself, why would they offer them in different colors?

Everything color matched except the interior door handle covers. I called them about it, and they said that these are injected molded plastic, and kinda get what you get out of the mold. After looking at them for a year or so, I no longer notice it.

I attached a link of the interior door and handle.

https://pix.sfly.com/2izXjB
 
DRMA said:
Thanks so much JackinMichigan. I'll be painting my interior in the next few weeks and your suggested paint sounds like a great choice.

....
Click to expand...

The paint almost sounds like a commercial equivalent of the S-W WR JetFlex...
 
My 5 gallon Home Depot compressor does not have the CFM for the HVLP gun, so am I SOL. The compressor is 6.4 and the guns need around 12. Is there anyway around this other than a 1,000 dollar compressor.
 
togaflyer said:
My 5 gallon Home Depot compressor does not have the CFM for the HVLP gun, so am I SOL. The compressor is 6.4 and the guns need around 12. Is there anyway around this other than a 1,000 dollar compressor.
Click to expand...

Yes.

With careful planning and execution, your current compressor may be adequate for everything but the wings and fuselage. The control surfaces, cowl, wheel pants, tips, HS, VS, etc. are all relatively small and shouldn't require crazy amounts of air.

There are a couple of ways to do the bigger pieces. One - add a supplemental tank for extra storage capacity. Two - add a second compressor to run in parallel with your existing compressor.

With the supplemental tank (from Harbor Freight, Amazon, etc), you plumb it in alongside your current tank to add storage capacity to your system so you can spray longer before the pressure drops below whatever level you need to spray effectively.

Then, when you paint, paint the top surface of the wing, allow the system to refill while you flip the wing, spray the bottom, wait, lather, rinse, repeat. Applying a coat of paint to one side of an RV-sized wing isn't a killer.

Alternately, buy or borrow another "small" compressor to run in parallel with your existing compressor.

There are other workarounds (like masking to allow you to paint a wing or fuse in sections), but the two suggestions I laid out are the ones I'd feel most comfortable with.
 
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