What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Recommendations - painting fuselage

mturnerb

Well Known Member
I'm looking for general recommendations on planning ahead to painting the interior portions of the fuselage.

In the empennage I used SEM self-etching rattle can primer on all the interior parts and on the skins (interior) only where metal touches metal (in some places, like bottom skins inside the tailcone I covered the entire skin, since this area will get some future traffic and might hold moisture).

I just received my fuselage kit and will start assembly in the next couple of days. If I continue to use SEM self-etch primer, will I be able to paint over this later (where Van's recommends painting interior)? Can I go over the area again with another coat of primer (epoxy primer) prior to painting? I'll probably go with either a fairly standard gray paint or maybe something a bit textured.

To this point I haven't invested in the cost or learning curve of spraying with a gun - I guess I'll need to do that. Would appreciate thoughts on the easiest way to do this - my biggest concern is managing overspray. I can work inside garage and have a respirator. Some of this work will take place mid-summer in Florida - my garage is air conditioned but I assume I'll need to open it up to do spray painting.

Thanks in advance
 
Hi Turner, its good that your'e thinking ahead about this! Most primer manufacturers seem to advise that for maximum adhesion the primer should be overcoated within 48hrs. Even if the primer does not recommend this it appears to be accepted good practice. Many builders have not thought ahead and then found themselves having to remove old primer.

So there are a couple of ways to go about this. Firstly when you get to the interior parts you could carefully mask and prime only the faying surfaces, leaving the rest as bare alclad for prep and priming later.

Or you could paint interior parts right after priming them, then rivet. The unpainted rivets actually look pretty cool. This is the way I went. I took the time to mask off some of the rivet lines and other areas that won't be visible, just to save a little weight and ensure thick paint buildup did not affect the fit of parts.

Depending on the kind of finish you want, some guys have been very happy with textured rattle can jobs here. High gloss is not whats needed. Rustoleum textured rattle cans seem quite popular, I'm sure you'll find a few threads if you search. Here's one http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=58946[/URL[URL=http://s560.photobucket.com/user/edfleming/media/IMG_4339.jpg.html]
 
Hi Turner, its good that your'e thinking ahead about this! Most primer manufacturers seem to advise that for maximum adhesion the primer should be overcoated within 48hrs. Even if the primer does not recommend this it appears to be accepted good practice. Many builders have not thought ahead and then found themselves having to remove old primer.

So there are a couple of ways to go about this. Firstly when you get to the interior parts you could carefully mask and prime only the faying surfaces, leaving the rest as bare alclad for prep and priming later.

Or you could paint interior parts right after priming them, then rivet. The unpainted rivets actually look pretty cool. This is the way I went. I took the time to mask off some of the rivet lines and other areas that won't be visible, just to save a little weight and ensure thick paint buildup did not affect the fit of parts.

Depending on the kind of finish you want, some guys have been very happy with textured rattle can jobs here. High gloss is not whats needed. Rustoleum textured rattle cans seem quite popular, I'm sure you'll find a few threads if you search. Here's one http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=58946[/URL[URL=http://s560.photobucket.com/user/edfleming/media/IMG_4339.jpg.html]

Ed - great suggestions! Thank you very much. I may experiment with some of the rattle can products. I kept pieces of a very large skin I had to replace, would be perfect for that.
 
My recommendation: During construction, spray the faying surfaces only. Later, when the canoe is ready to paint, prime the entire interior and paint.

I did mine in the back yard with Imron over Vari-prime. Dust/dirt/bugs were not a problem. ( I think I tossed a tarp over it between coats). It has been practically scratch free over its 16 year life. The point is, you can do it outdoors if you have an appropriate space and if you do, you won't need to deal with the fumes inside your house.
 
Turner.........you're smart to be thinking about interior painting at this point.

I'm well into the finish kit on my RV12 project and finally made myself stop and tackle the interior painting. I've been using Mar-Hyde 5111 self etching primer, followed by Val-Spar Stone texture paint, followed by a matte finish clear coat (all rattle cans). We'll see how it holds up, but so far it seems fairly tough.

Were I to do a build like this again, I would definitely completely paint the pieces before assembly. I feel that I could of done a much better prepping the parts for painting that way and, I too, don't mind the look of bare rivets (pop rivets in my case).

Jim
 
Prime and paint

I also masked and primed then painted before assembly. Rivets look cool.
P60G2 followed by Jet flex SB within 30 minutes.
 
I painted all the interior skins with stewart systems waterborne primer, then once it was riveted together it was a pretty straightforward job to top coat it.
 
During the build I noticed that the rattle can primer was just ok for those small pieces but was not very durable for wear and tear traffic areas, so, all the internal fuse parts got epoxy primer and gloss white acrylic enamel before final asembly. The reflective lighting is a big bonus when working inside the fuse installing all the components, wiring, avionics ect. weight was a non issue, I am still nose heavy, 308 Lb.
 
I like the idea of painting before assembly. However, I've noticed that driving rivets sometimes leaves marks on the primer (Not to mention risk of a slip with bucking bar) - is this an issue with paint?
 
I painted all the interior skins with stewart systems waterborne primer, then once it was riveted together it was a pretty straightforward job to top coat it.

Does the Stewart systems primer work if you paint weeks/months later? I'm 99.99% sure I won't be painting for a while after prep/assembly.

Thanks
 
Paint over primer

Does the Stewart systems primer work if you paint weeks/months later? I'm 99.99% sure I won't be painting for a while after prep/assembly.

Thanks

Check with the paint manufacturer but most likely scuffing with 400 will provide adequate tooth for paint to adhere. Ideally you want paint applied before primer harderns for maximum checmical adhesion.

I've had no issues with marring from riveting painted or primed parts.
 
Back
Top