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Painting my RV-6A

WingsOnWheels

Well Known Member
I plan to add to this thread over the next month or so as I continue the saga of painting my RV-6A.

To start things off, I am in no way a professional painter. I have done bits and pieces here and there, but for the most part I am learning as I go, so take anything I say with a grain of salt. This is intended as information for amateurs like me with limited funds and equipment. Yes, there are better ways to do it, this is just how I have chosen to balance cost/quality.

Edit: Forgot to add - Assuming I have purchased enough paint, the total cost of this project including all hardware, supplies, safety equip, consumables, and paint is less than 2K.

Here are some basics of equipment and products I am using.

Hardware:

Paint Booth:
I built my makeshift paintbooth in my garage out of cheap 1x2x8' whitewood sticks. I stapled heavy 6mil clear plastic to the inside of the frame. The floor is also covered in the same plastic. The booth is 8x8x19. 8ft is wide enough, but just barely. 10' would be better. I have two 16" fans forcing air in though AC filters and 4 outflow filters at the opposite end. This seems to work well, but a third fan would be best. At first I mounted the filters on the outside (suction side) of the fans. They need to be on the inside, otherwise the fan recirculate a good portion of the air.

Air System:
I have a Husky 60Gal compressor purchased from home depot a number of years ago. So far it has had no problem keeping up. From the compressor I have 12ft of 5/8 3003 aluminum tube connected via standard AN flare fittings. That tube loops up the wall and into a 3gal secondary expansion tank. from there is goes through a standard filter/water separator/regulator. I have air plumbed in the garage, but for painting I ran a new hose directly to the filter. The hose is 50' 3/8 hybrid PVC/rubber. The setup flows plenty of air and I haven't had any moisture problems (even with near 100% humidity at times). I also have a last-chance filter at the gun.

Paint Guns:
I have two DevilBiss FLG-4 Finish-Line paint guns. So far they have worked well. Atomization is good, the spray pattern is a little small, but adequate. For the epoxy primer I have been using a 1.5mm tip for the topcoat a 1.3mm tip. I tried the 1.8mm for the primer, but it goes on to fast for my liking. I'm very happy with the 1.5mm. As for settings, after much experimentation, I found that pattern and flow wide-open worked best for both primer and topcoat. In most cases, the recommended 23psi inlet pressure worked fine. However, for the blue metallic I had a hard time eliminating tiger-stripes while preventing orange-peel. I ran the pressure up to about 30PSI and moved the gun a little farther away, that did the job.

Continued on the next post-
 
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PPE (Personal Protective Equipment):

I am using a full-face respirator with a forced/fresh air system. During mixing/gun cleaning (outside the booth) I switch to a half-mask with cartridges for comfort. I am also using Tyvek full-body suit with booties and hood. The 3M mask works great, it has removable eye-port shields so I swap those once it gets are to see. I have a 10-pack that was reasonably priced. The respirator is a filtered compressor-driven setup that uses 1/4" hose. I have a separate 5Gal compressor in the other (not connected) 1-car garage. it works, but the compressor can barely keep up. Really need a continuous 5cuft/min at 20-30PSI or some kind of low-pressure accumulator.

Metal Prep:

After removing the blue plastic (which came off fine with no corrosion problems underneath). I clean the surface with a wax and grease remover then rinse with water. I use POR-15 Metal-Prep along with a red scuff-pad to acid-etch the surface and scuff for paint then rinse and dry. The POR-15 is supposed to leave a zinc phosphate coating behind. I have no way to confirm this, but it does a god job cleaning and I have had zero fisheyes. I chose not to use alodine. I have to way to collect or dispose of the runoff and our storm drains go straight to the lake for drinking water, no thanks. A few minutes before painting (before I start mixing paint) I wipe the surface with a pre-pain wash (smells like kerosene or camping fuel). Then just before I spray I use a tack cloth to get any dust.

Primer / Paint:
I purchased all the paint from Summit Racing which is just rebranded Nason. This stuff is sold under many different brand names. Nason has a decent reputation not top of the line by any means, but a good value. Only time will tell here.
Primer
The primer is their (summit) grey DTM (direct to metal) epoxy. I have been very happy with the primer, it goes on well and can be sanded if needed. Window to topcoat is up to 4days without scuffing/sanding. The mix is 1:1 with the activator. Reducer is optional. After experimenting I added 10% reducer, but it is pretty hot around here still (or was at the time). I have been applying only 1 full-wet coat to keep weight down. I bought 2 gallons (which makes 4+ sprayable). I didn't think I would use all of it, but also thought 1 gallon was not enough. So far I think I will end up using just a little over the 1 gallon, maybe 1.5 tops - it goes a long ways.
Topcoat
I am using two colors Bright White and Ultra Blue Pearl. I purchased 2 gallons of the white and one of the blue. So far this still feels about right. I am a little concerned about running short on the blue due to waste caused by me over-estimating paint need when mixing. Don't want to run out halfway through either. I have about half a gallon left and still need to paint the vertical stand, rudder, horizontal stab, 1 elevator, wingtips, and canopy fairing. I'll do the wingtips last. If I have to buy more and the color is a little off, those are far enough away to not be noticeable.

The manuals suggests a mix of 4:1 with activator (activators vary with temp) with reducer being optional. For the temps here (around 90f) I have been mixing 4:1:1 (Paint: Slow Activator: Med Reducer). This has worked well so far. Most of my paining to date has been with the pearl blue. The fuselage is two-tone with the white. So far I have only done white on the fuselage. Once I do the wings will have a better feel.
 
Here are some pictures of work to-date:

Fuselage metal-prep complete:
20180902_134933.jpg


Fuselage in Primer:
20180903_000236.jpg


Fuselage Painted:
20180906_090541.jpg


Fuselage moving to the airport:
20180914_101945.jpg


Spinner (nice picture in the sun), this is raw paint, no post processing (polishing etc):
20180916_113621.jpg
 
Glad to see you are almost complete. It probably has been close to 2 years since I saw it at your house.
 
Adding a few more pictures. Painting has been a little slower than I like. It has been raining almost every weekend for the last month and a half, and now it just got cold. Just bad painting conditions all around. But it is done now. I just finished the second wing. Still have to do the wheel pants and gear leg fairings, but that will be down the road a bit. For now, it is time to start bolting this thing together.

Right wing
20181019-225926.jpg


Left wing
20181011-213201.jpg


20181005-224328.jpg


 
Awesome!

Thank you for the estimates on the cash outlay, in particular curious about the paint booth cost.

Any tips on construction? Was thinking of using 2x2 and then a thin strip of wood to hold the plastic in place.

Did you notice any places where the plastic was pulling loose from just the staples? Did the filters plug up with paint?

The spinner looks fantastic, overall really like the blue color you used.

Thanks for sharing the photos.

Best regards,
Mike Bauer
 
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Adding a few more pictures. Painting has been a little slower than I like. It has been raining almost every weekend for the last month and a half, and now it just got cold. Just bad painting conditions all around. But it is done now. I just finished the second wing. Still have to do the wheel pants and gear leg fairings, but that will be down the road a bit. For now, it is time to start bolting this thing together.

I feel your pain. I want to get my belly painted while the fuselage is upside down... but lots of rain, fog and high humidity have delayed it. Now it's getting cold in Michigan, and I had to devise a way to heat the incoming air to the booth without risking death. I think I might get it done in the next couple days, though. Wish me luck. Your paint work looks excellent!
 
Thank you for the estimates on the cash outlay, in particular curious about the paint booth cost.

Any tips on construction? Was thinking of using 2x2 and then a thin strip of wood to hold the plastic in place.

Did you notice any places where the plastic was pulling loose from just the staples? Did the filters plug up with paint?

The spinner looks fantastic, overall really like the blue color you used.

Thanks for sharing the photos.

Best regards,
Mike Bauer

Edit: to actually answer your question, the paintbooth was around $200-250 all said and done.

For the most part the paint booth has held up very well. A few staples have come out, but nothing significant. I have replaced the floor plastic a couple of times just to keep things clean. It only costs about $5 to do it, so cheap insurance.

For construction, just make the frame strong enough to hang mid-weight parts like the rudder, flaps...etc. Anything more than that is overkill. I like having only plastic on the inside. I spray the floor down with water before painting and have washed the walls down on occasion. a wood strip inside seems like a dust source. If you have a lip at the front like I do, run the floor plastic over the lip and out. That way you can blow dust out without it getting caught.

For filters, I am using the cheap home depot woven poly type ($0.98 each). They do a good job cutting out the dust and not hurting the airflow too much. If I were to do it again, I would add a third or maybe forth fan. The filter cuts the flow down by a good 50-60%. I have replaced the filters once for both inlet and outlet, they do get very dusty (mostly the outlet), but you can vacuum them out.

My original plan was to use an old home HVAC blower, I still think that would be best if you can find one cheap. For me nothing popped up at the time. OSHA spray-booth minimum is supposed to be 1mph flow rate so for an 8'x8' cross section: 5280/60=88ft/min. 88x(8x8)=5,632 cuft/min. If I recall, the fans were rated at 3200cuft/min each, but I didn't realize just how great the loss would be with the filter. That is why I suggest more fans.
 
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BEAUTIFULLY! Would you please come paint my plane.

Robert

Just don't get to close before you make a lot of compliments...haha

The small parts are easy and came out really nice. The larger ones aren't quite as nice. A little orange peel and some dry spray here and there. The white can be cut and buffed so that helps.
 
Lessons Learned

Now that I am pretty much done, I just wanted to post a few more lessons-learned I am not going to rehash too much of what I already noted in prior posts.

1) Even though I read this myself a bunch of times and was told, metallics are very hard so shoot in single-stage! They are very prone to tiger-stripes and mottling. I was able to get it done, but it wasn't easy.

2) You cannot cut/buff single-stage metallics - even if they say you can, it doesn't work well. So plan on not doing it.

3) White is often harder to spray than the metallic. The first coat is easy, not the second coat. Just very hard to tell if you have a wet coat.

4) More light is not always better. I have overhead lights in my shop and I added 4 2200 lumen LED lights to the sides of the booth. It is too much, it just washes everything out. Most of the time I just turn on one or two of the extra lights. Ideally, you want the light around 70 degrees offset from to face of the part, so you see the reflection at and angle. Straight-on and you can't see a thing (more of a problem with the white).

5) Overall I am still pretty happy with the paint. For the topcoat a 4:1:1 mix worked well. I just switched between slow and medium activator depending on the temp. I used medium reducer for all. It is not as good as the PPG MTK I used for the interior, but it is a third of the cost.

6) If you are using the Van's pop-rivet static port, install them after paint. The paint builds up around the rivet head and may cause errors. I'll probably drill mine out and replace them. May need to touch up the paint around them.

7) Don't use plastic to mask anything (or put paper over the plastic). I wrapped my engine in plastic when painting the fuselage. The paint does not adhere to the plastic. When I went to topcoat, any primer that was on the plastic blew right off in large flakes (like quarter-size) and landed in the topcoat. A layer of masking paper over the plastic solved that problem.
 
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Great read Colin! Great work too.

All up, how much additional weight do you think you put on with the paint?
 
Great read Colin! Great work too.

All up, how much additional weight do you think you put on with the paint?

Sorry for the delayed response. for weight, I really have no idea. Being an amateur, it is probably a little heavier than if a pro had done it. I would guess less than #20 though. Used less than 3 gallons of paint (probably 40% waste with overmixing, overspray, and practice panels). Then how much of the gallon remains as solids when the paint cures 30%?...just a guess. 12 pound per gallon x 3=36 x 60%=21.6 x 20% = 6.5 Plus the primer, I used less than 2 gallons, less waste, say 25% and higher solids so 50% weight, so #9 is conservative. That is a total of 15.5 pounds. No idea if that is even close....but sounds good.
 
Thanks Colin! I've seen a few "after paint" aircraft according to the scales add about 15 to 20 pounds. Each paint scheme is different, different pigments and how thick and if yes or if not show quality... makes a difference. Sounds just about right, and your explanation is satisfyingly complete none the less :)
 
I used the summit racing brand expoxy primer. I have been very happy with the primer. The price is right and it has held up very well.
 
Just a quick follow-up, the plane is nearing completion. This is my first picture with the cowl and canopy on since paint.

Lighting is poor in the hangar, ill get a picture outside at some point

20190302-232928.jpg
 
Looking good Colin! I am about 6 months behind you.

Final assembly has taken longer than I had hoped, but with two little ones at home, it is hard to get to the airport. The reality is, the plane is almost ready, but the pilot is not. I havent even started brushing up. I think I will be the long pole.
 
Final assembly has taken longer than I had hoped, but with two little ones at home, it is hard to get to the airport. The reality is, the plane is almost ready, but the pilot is not. I havent even started brushing up. I think I will be the long pole.

I have been fortunate. There is a RV-7A not far from me that I get to fly. Over the past four years, I have acquired 35 hours. I even got to fly to Oshkosh this year in it.
 
I have been fortunate. There is a RV-7A not far from me that I get to fly. Over the past four years, I have acquired 35 hours. I even got to fly to Oshkosh this year in it.

Very nice! The local vans-approved trainer we had in the area has taken a hiatus. As of right now, I dont even have a plan for trasition training.
 
Good looking paint job! I'm just starting my first build (waiting for my first parts to be delivered) and am curious if you primed the internal structural components on the mating surfaces before final riveting? If so, what product did you use and would you recommend it for new builds? Thanks for any insight you could provide.
 
Good looking paint job! I'm just starting my first build (waiting for my first parts to be delivered) and am curious if you primed the internal structural components on the mating surfaces before final riveting? If so, what product did you use and would you recommend it for new builds? Thanks for any insight you could provide.

I primed everything for the most part. For all the pre-assembly priming, I just used a duplicolor rattle-can self-etch primer (except the spars, those are epoxy - but not a problem for a new anodized spar). For all the areas that are now painted, I primed those with epoxy and painted with acrylic urethane. The cockpit interior: it had rattle can primer from the pre-assembly priming. I cleaned and scuffed that before shooting the epoxy.

Edit: Forgot to add, welcome to the VAF
 
No, I have a slot in August with Glo, right near you. I have to admit that I am not a painter and will relinquish this task to others. Kudos to you for your skills.
 
Colin - Thanks for the info. I haven't decided yet, and as I'm just starting, actually just getting my first parts, I wanted to know what your suggestions were. I am inclined to prime as you did using a rattle can of self-etching primer.

Pete C.
RV-12
Camarillo, CA
 
Nason Paint

Looks excellent. I also painted with Nason paints and my RV-7A looks pretty good. Nason paints can be purchased at Auto Parts Stores. I wanted Sherwin Williams Aircraft Coatings but nobody stocked it. And the TDS (Technical Data Sheets) looks like the single stage urethane's are pretty similar.

2019-03-29%2009.09.42.jpg
 
Looks excellent. I also painted with Nason paints and my RV-7A looks pretty good. Nason paints can be purchased at Auto Parts Stores. I wanted Sherwin Williams Aircraft Coatings but nobody stocked it. And the TDS (Technical Data Sheets) looks like the single stage urethane's are pretty similar.

2019-03-29%2009.09.42.jpg

Your paint looks great!. That scheme is similarto what I was going to do initially, but after trying to lay it out i switch to simple straight lines..haha
 
Surfaces flat or vertical?

Colin,

Did you mostly hang parts to paint them or lay them out flat? I'm getting ready to paint and I'm thinking about ailerons, flaps, elevators and the like. It would be much easier just to hang them all from the hinge points than to figure a way to support them horizontally, but pain runs much easier on vertical surfaces than on flat surfaces.
What did you do?

And thanks for posting. It's been very helpful to me!
-Ivan
 
Colin,

Did you mostly hang parts to paint them or lay them out flat? I'm getting ready to paint and I'm thinking about ailerons, flaps, elevators and the like. It would be much easier just to hang them all from the hinge points than to figure a way to support them horizontally, but pain runs much easier on vertical surfaces than on flat surfaces.
What did you do?

And thanks for posting. It's been very helpful to me!
-Ivan

I tried to get them flat whenever possible, but most of the smaller parts were hung. Parts that only get paint on one side (like the interior panels) were flat. Flaps and ailerons were hung. I suppose you could make a jig to hold the smaller parts as well though.
 
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