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Painting my 9A

Lyle

Member
Patron
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Can't seem to get the picture to link from any of the suggested sites. Anyone have any suggestions?


Lyle
 
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Lyle - sorry to say the image hasn't come through... Patience, patience and more patience! :)

Just out of curiosity, what paint are you using and how are you applying it? Are you satisfied with the outcome? And one last question... Not really of importance to me, but very helpful to others in your local area. Where are you sourcing your paint? It's sometimes hard to find a vendor that will work with a newbie, especially one that's not painting a car!
 
I am using House of Kolor base coat clear coat. I live in Medicine Hat, Alberta and have the paint shipped from Calgary overnight. It looks fantastic, I get many compliments. I am going to try to get some images on here. I read the insert pics part on here and have linked to Flickr. No joy yet, but soon I hope.

Lyle
 
H o K???

that's some pricey paint, last time i used it, a 1 oz. tin was $10+++?!?!:eek:

definitely nice stuff...I assume you got John Koslowski's bible on the stuff....great reading in there.

I did some trial and error airbrushing and pinstriping with it, but it's tricky with any urethane.... i
if you post the link to Flickr, perhaps I or someone smart can help?

....can't wait to see it!
 
Do you know the Ellis family?

I am using House of Kolor base coat clear coat. I live in Medicine Hat, Alberta and have the paint shipped from Calgary overnight. It looks fantastic, I get many compliments. I am going to try to get some images on here. I read the insert pics part on here and have linked to Flickr. No joy yet, but soon I hope.

Lyle

They live on the 99 Ranch north of Medicine Hat near Old Channel Lake and the river.

My Dad was raised there and most of my relatives on his side are still there. Doug was an auctioneer at the cattle auctions.

Sorry to hijack the thread.
 
Yes, I am aware of the Ellis family, they have been part of Medicine Hat all my life. Good people.

Lyle
 
Another picture

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Yes, Hose of Kolor is expensive, but after talking to my local supplier at Global, he said there paint is not far off on price. I am finishing my second wing and should havw a photo of that one by tomorrow night. HOK paint sprays very nice, something you get used the more you spray.


Lyle
 
Cowl Bottom

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This was the first piece painted. I was very nervous but it turned out good.

Lyle
 
Paint

That really looks nice.I use a hammer to get rid of the ruins to.Just kidding but I thought about it a few times.
Bob
 
Today's work

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This is the state of the wing I am about to work on today. It has been primed, sealed, 3 coats of white base, then 2 coats clear. Why you ask??? The cand burgandy I am using blead when doing my test pieces. I called Valspar (maker of HOK) and they told me to give 2 light coats of clear to seal it before spraying the burgandy.

Lyle
 
Mask

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So this is the mask I will be putting on the wing to get the design. This took me many drawings to finalze. Many of my friends think I'm a bit anal but I tell them all, it's a one shot deal. I tried doing the curves on the wing with me and my wife. There was no way that the curves would ever look good. So I went to see Derek at Speed Pro here in Medicine Hat. I showed him a picture of my design and he said "easy peasy". So he made me the vinyl masks. They work very well. I use 3M fine line tape around all of the edges, this has worked out very well, all of my stripes and edges have very nice edges.
I will spray 4 coats of burgandy this afternoon and let it dry overnight. Then my wife and I will mask for the black accent stripes. By tomorrow afternoon it will get 2 more coats of clear, one medium coat, and then the finish coat which turns it all into something beautiful. I will post the finished wing on Friday.

Lyle
P.S. I know the weight Police are watching!!
 
Wow!

Lyle, you look ( and have become) a real pro.....ever think of setting up shop to paint RV's? :)

yes, one of the things I found with HoK was that they recommended a never-ending list of intercoat clears, sealers, base coats, and such to avoid bleeding etc. Some could be sanded, some not.
I just found the whole process overwhelming....and costly.
but you are 100% right...you have one shot at it, why not do it right?

Boy that design is great.....really shortens the long wing doesn't it!?
....and I'm glad you found a good shop to help with the layout/stencils/ mask. Kudos to SpeedPro!

I want to see this fly over! :)
 
That looks awesome! And it re-affirms my position to NOT try to paint my airplane myself, that's a learning curve I don't wish to endure.
 
I am very interested in your booth. I used a similar setup for my Taylorcraft What size is the booth and what type of lights are those on the side.

My then had problems with dust control but I have good one similar to yours wit a one piece top.

Are you using positive or negative pressure. You work looks really great.
 
Answer Questions

Hi Luis and Laz, here are the answers to your questions.

Painting experience- In the 70's I use to drive concrete mixer. One winter when there was't much work I painted 6 trucks. That was with a single stage paint. Basecoat-clearcoat is much nicer and the shine you can achieve is fantastic. Since then I have done a couple of vehicles and a golf cart. I have learned everything from talking with people that paint and a lot of research on the internet. I also have kept in touch with the Teck rep at Valspar, he has been a big help.

Booth size- I am using a 10 X 20 Shelter Logic tent garage. If I were to do it again I would buy a 12 X 20. It can get a little tight. I know I will have limited room when I paint the fuselage.

Lights- 6 Old salvaged lights my son in-law had lying around, plus 3 dual light on the ceiling. I use a dual halogen light which also helps keep the tent warm. I am buying another one of the halogen's. You just can't have enough light. I have a real problem spraying the clearcoat on the white, it's very hard seeing the surface get wet and that is something that you need to see.

My booth is positive pressure, it could use some improvement. I need more exhaust. One thing you do a lot is change filters on the booth. I buy them from Home Depot in a package of 3 for $4.94, they are fiberglass. They get dirty and plug off quickly.

Safety Equipment- I buy desposible breathing masks from Global here in town. They only cost $17.00, are approved for painting and work well. They will only last for one complete spray from primer to clearcoat. You know when they are done, clearcoat clogs them quickly.

Would I advise anyone to paint a plane?? It is a lot of work, it's like painting 2 big cars. Not saying you couldn't do it but it's not for the light of heart. Spaying the HOK Candy Brandy base is very tricky, but I seem to have it turning out fairly well. Is the paint job perfect? No, there are a few small things. But for a guy who had a 35 year career with Canada Post, it looks awesome.

Lyle
 
I can't count the number of times at OSH that the first question of someone walking by is "Did you paint this yourself?!". I say "No", because I've been there, done that. But, dude, you're going to be able to say "Yes, of course I did!". Good work.
 
Lyle, why didn't you use a single stage paint?

What gun did you or recommend?

thanks for the response!! I'm looking forward on painting my plane when the time comes...some 10 years down the road? i have plenty of time to practice on lawn mowers......
 
Spray guns

Luis,
I bought the Devilbiss Silverline set. You get 2 guns, one for primer and one for finish ( base & clear) The primer gun comes with a 1.8 tip, and the finish gun has a 1.3 and a 1.5 tip. I use the 1.3. I think the set is around $200.00 in the U.S.
I used basecoat clearcoat because of the finish and it seems to be easier to fix rock chips and things you may encounter on the paint job. If you look on you tube there are many excellent painter's that can give you great info on how to spray, set up your gun. They also show how to get award winning finishes you see in the car shows by cutting and buffing to get a perfect finish. Mind you, that is a lot of work and I would't want to do an entire aircraft.
I did some on a couple of pieces that were not that shiny because I was still getting the feel for the clearcoat and it came out nice.

Lyle
 
Thanks for sharing all you info about your painting process. I agree on the paint booth size. I painted my 1946 Tcraft inside a 10x20, the extra two feet of width would have helped. Because of the fabric process I was almost forced to do my own paint work. Painting is not for everyone and I really did not want to do another after the T-craft. That being said, the quotes from the paint shops in Ohio and some at Oshkosh( 14K to 17K) really made me rethink. Even with all the equipment, much I already own, and the cost of paint I can save from 8 to 10 K.

Please keep your updates coming
 
Stunning

Awesome job on that paint. I am in stony plain and building and intending to paint my own. I can only hope it turns out half as good. How did you mark out the stripping?
 
Painting

Bob- I watched all the info on John Kosmosky on you tube. He has some excellent tips on how to paint. He also has a number of videos showing how to mix different House of Kolor products.

Dave. When I am done spraying the burgandy, which I am doing today, I will strip back about 4 inches of the mask. Then I tape (with the 3M fine line tape), a 1 inch space on the white and then measure for the black stripe and again use the 3M fine line tape. If you watch some of the painters on you tube, they show that when you tape free hand, you keep about 2 feet of tape off the roll and steer the tape and press down with your finger as you go. works well. After the burgandy today, I will let it dry for 24 hours and then I will give it 2 coats of clearcoat. I will post a picture of the finished wing. Then I will do the vertical stabilizer and rudder, then the fuselage. I hope to be done painting some time in November.

Lyle
 
Second Wing Done!

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Well here is the second wing, It did not go as smooth as the first although it ended up turning out good. I had the brain child of switching to slow reducer because it was quite warm in my paint booth. WRONG choice, ended getting some runs on one of the spikes coming down. Had to sand all the burgandy off and re-do it. What a pain. I could have been done 2 days ago.
An interesting thing with this HOK Candy Burgandy is since I started painting 2 months ago, the finished parts have turned a dark burgandy which looks really nice but you can tell shade differences on when each piece started. In the end it should look all the same... I hope :^). Now onto the vertical stabilizer and rudder. Sorry for the crooked picture. Tinypic is a pain.


Lyle
 
I see you have lights above and at the side? Which are more important or do you need both?

Another question I have is - do you spray color, then clear, then the next color then clear as a general rule? I kind of thought that one would spray all the colors, then clearcoat the whole thing, but I have never used 2 stage before.

Thanks for the info and congratulations on a great job.
 
Lights

Hi Scott,
I have 8-4 tube fixtures down the sides and 3 dual fixtures on the ceiling of the booth, could actually use more. I also use 2 dual 1000 watt halogens which I can point across a surface when painting, these also add heat to the booth. As for painting, you want to see whatever you are spraying wet out as you are doing it, especially clearcoat. On many applications you are right, you can spray the basecoat colors then the clear to finish. Because I am using House of Kolor Brandy Wine Candy in a base, I have to give 2 coats of clear over the white to seal it, otherwise the brandy will bleed through the clearcoat.

Lyle
 
Wheel Pants Done.

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Wheel pants done, working on fuselage. Should be all done painting this week.


Lyle
 
Finished Painting

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Finished painting all the parts. 3 months of work, big job. Now off to the airport, hope to do first flight in January 17.


Lyle
 
One more.

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Sorry for the sideways picture. Don't have thje time to figure it out this morning.

Lyle
 
Dang...you are one talented dude. Congratulations on a job well done, that is beautiful!
 
Great work

That was one part of the build I wasn't willing to do. My hats off to you sir, really nice job. Love the colors and the design.
 
Nice job.
Congratulations , im sure your glad thats over . Painting is no easy task , Now you can really start to appreciate your efforts.
 
Painting

Great job Lyle! I am close to this stage and seeing your paint booth. Can you tell me where you got it?
 
Paint Booth

Paint booth was bought from Canadian Tire. They are available from many suppliers. It's a car garage 10 X 20. If I were to do it again, I would buy a 12 X 20. Its a little tight with big parts.

Lyle
 
Nice Work!

Great paint job, I am going to do the same thing here in Stony Plain AB where I have a similiar Canadian Tire garage albeit it is on its last legs so i will repair to paint then get rid of it.

At any rate I was wondering what paint you have used. I was thinking of Edndura out of Edmonton but a little cautious on weight.

Thanks for your reply.
 
Paint

I used House of Kolor. It has a Burgandy Candy base coat, then clear coat that takes about 6 weeks to come to its full colour. Very strange, though looks very nice when done. The pictures you see are light and the colour gets much more burgandy and darker. If you haven't seen the price of auto paint, be prepared to be shocked!

Lyle
 
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