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High Gloss, Satin, or Matte?

TXFlyGuy

Well Known Member
As a matte finish is becoming more popular on high end cars, and flat is the period correct choice for Warbird paint (WWII), have any of you chosen a paint other than high gloss?

If not, why not?

Just curious as so many RV?s are painted in 1940?s military paint schemes.
What are the pros and cons of the various finishes?
 
I suppose the Go Fast crowd may say non-gloss surfaces may be less slippery. I'm unsure if the paint durability would be less or if porosity would be more.
My only operational concern is when flying and scanning for traffic, I usually see the sun glint in the distance before I see the airplane form in the sky, this would be lost with satin/flat paint/vinyl. Maybe that will be a non-issue when everyone has full up ADSB.
 
It is my understanding that a non-gloss, low reflective paint, especially on the wings and upper cowl, would enhance your seeing ability. Like the flat OD used on fighters, so the pilot would not have to deal with the sunlight reflecting off his paint.
 
Top of the wings & cowl, yes. But what a mess the day some helper accidentally applys polish or wax to those areas.
The glare back off wings on polished planes really make you squint, even gloss grey would be better. Flat stripes or military markings won't soften the glare that much. I guess gloss paint/vinyl will glare back at you, but not as intense.
I thought your original inquiry was directed at a full body wrap sort of thing like the high end satin grey Audi down the street. I think street racers do this so they aren't as blatently visible ripping down the street (just kidding).
 
satin is a good choice

I have to admit, I'm a crappy painter. So, when we painted my current ride, we had to sand due to 'some' orange peel. Got thru that problem and saw a nice even satin sheen. WHOA it was perfect. So we stopped there - in 2010. Paint is still great, even where my Reno crew put wax on the dang thing.

I did add wing stripes so the thing cold be seen from above - believe me whan OD green is put over trees etc, the ship will be almost invisible - so do consider SOME light color stripes.

I'd post a picture. but danged if I can figure that out these days...but I think you can see a tiny pic in my signature.
 
I agree on satin. I have been looking at some cars painted with this finish, and they are very nice. Guess I am bored with all of the ?pretty? paint finishes. Something about satin and matte that looks more military.
 
You are probably going to have your plane a lot longer than your car.

Be careful when picking your paint scheme and colors that they will not age off before your plane does.

Think like Vlad, unpainted aluminum seems to be timeless.
 
You are probably going to have your plane a lot longer than your car.

Be careful when picking your paint scheme and colors that they will not age off before your plane does.

Think like Vlad, unpainted aluminum seems to be timeless.

My paint scheme is 3rd FG, 3rd FS, 5th AF, Mindoro, P.I., 1944-46.

A simple scheme, don't think I will get tired of it! Our daily driver is a 1999 Ford Explorer.
 
I don?t think there?s an aerodynamic advantage to matte or satin finish. All three finishes protect the underlying surface. The only question that is relevant after that, is ?what do you like?? I think if you are trying to sneak in low behind enemy lines without being shot down, then a camouflage matte finish is great idea. And it looks cool at flyins and such. But for me, I prefer a shiny finish on my pride and joy. It?s why they make chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla - do what makes you happy. I just picked up my new RV8 from GLO today and its pretty shiny...... I?d say it?s my prettiest one so far - out of 4 RV?s. Some people might not like a pretty shiny airplane, but I don?t care, and neither should you. If you like the satin or matte look, I say go for it. In the unlikely event that through some aerodynamic anomaly it makes your airplane faster, I think the difference would be so small that it wouldn?t be measurable. So the reason for your choice should probably be a personal aesthetic preference.
 
You are probably going to have your plane a lot longer than your car.

Be careful when picking your paint scheme and colors that they will not age off before your plane does.

Think like Vlad, unpainted aluminum seems to be timeless.

And that's why I like the idea of using vinyl for graphics....if you don't like it or get tied of looking at it, peel it off and apply a new scheme. I'm going to paint my -7 a solid white and then sparsely apply vinyl graphics to give it a little pop. I love simplicity and as usual, less is more.

Mark
 
Yes, I do like shiny. Looks cool. I'm just trying for something that is closer to the 1944 time frame for cosmetic reasons.

Yes, GLO does great work. They were going to paint my plane, but it turns out that it will be painted by the factory. The logistics work better for me this way.
 
My paint scheme is 3rd FG, 3rd FS, 5th AF, Mindoro, P.I., 1944-46.

A simple scheme, don't think I will get tired of it! Our daily driver is a 1999 Ford Explorer.
A military paint scheme is always timeless. (And I thought I was bad driving my 2004 Nissan Titan with 332,000+ miles on it!)

And that's why I like the idea of using vinyl for graphics....if you don't like it or get tied of looking at it, peel it off and apply a new scheme. I'm going to paint my -7 a solid white and then sparsely apply vinyl graphics to give it a little pop. I love simplicity and as usual, less is more.

Mark
That is not a bad idea. Unfortunately, the vinyl revolution came along after I painted my plane.
 
And that's why I like the idea of using vinyl for graphics....if you don't like it or get tied of looking at it, peel it off and apply a new scheme. I'm going to paint my -7 a solid white and then sparsely apply vinyl graphics to give it a little pop. I love simplicity and as usual, less is more.

Mark

Aero Graphics is doing our squadron patch, and the lettering for the aircraft name "Texas Toye".

Tried to find someone who could do real custom nose art in a vinyl decal, but it was out of my price range. Victory Girl quoted about $900 to do this.
 
PPG claims their satin, and matte clear coats will last as long as clear.

Another question...we will use Blue Angels Blue, and Blue Angels Yellow for our trim colors.

I know a number of RV's are painted with this paint. Did anyone ever get an accurate paint code for the blue and yellow? We will be using PPG auto paints, base coat / top coat.
 
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