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RV12 Interior paint.

LUKLA

Active Member
Folks,
I am in stage of interior painting. I am not a painter but I am going to do it by myself. Any suggestion which paint/Brand /Type/ spray gun/ paint booth/process ETC.

Would appreciate your guidance.

Thanks
Lukla
RV12 Building.
 
There is a lot of information on painting in the archives.

As far as paint brand goes, I'd look around your local town for an auto body supply store and get their recommendations on which of their products to use on aluminum. Then, I'd come back to this space to verify their advice. Buying product locally makes life much easier for you - if you run out of reducer on Thursday, you can run by the store on Friday and grab more so you can paint over the weekend. If you're mail ordering stuff, that doesn't work as well. Also, if you buy from the local supplier, they will be able to help you when you have problems.

If you have an outdoor space, there is no reason you cannot rig one of those little $50 pop-up beach shelters and paint under it while wearing appropriate personal protective equipment. That generally means a forced air breathing system or an appropriate filtered mask, a full Tyvek suit (cheap at the paint store), protective glasses, and gloves.

Note - there are plenty of people with nice rattle can interior paint jobs. Rustoleum seems to be a preferred brand, and I've had good luck with it. Once it dries (and it seems to dry slower than others), it is pretty tough.
 
To expand on what Kyle said.

I primed with Mar-Hyde 5111 Self Etching Primer (a couple of coats), then a coat of spatter paint (if you have a good base of light gray primer it doesn't take much spatter paint), then a couple of coats of Krylon Matte clear coat. Seems pretty tough and should be easy to touch up any wear spots.

You'll find that folks are all over the board when it comes to painting the interior.

Jim
 
Lukla ... for interior paint I used the water reducible version of JetFlex and had very good results after figuring out how to spray it. It was sprayed onto parts primed with AKZO.

The water reducible version has a lot going for it except for one thing .... although it dries quick enough to the touch, to get to full hardness it will take a couple of weeks. Once fully cured, it is quite durable.

Happy building,
 
There is a lot of information on painting in the archives.

As far as paint brand goes, I'd look around your local town for an auto body supply store and get their recommendations on which of their products to use on aluminum. Then, I'd come back to this space to verify their advice. Buying product locally makes life much easier for you - if you run out of reducer on Thursday, you can run by the store on Friday and grab more so you can paint over the weekend. If you're mail ordering stuff, that doesn't work as well. Also, if you buy from the local supplier, they will be able to help you when you have problems.

If you have an outdoor space, there is no reason you cannot rig one of those little $50 pop-up beach shelters and paint under it while wearing appropriate personal protective equipment. That generally means a forced air breathing system or an appropriate filtered mask, a full Tyvek suit (cheap at the paint store), protective glasses, and gloves.

Note - there are plenty of people with nice rattle can interior paint jobs. Rustoleum seems to be a preferred brand, and I've had good luck with it. Once it dries (and it seems to dry slower than others), it is pretty tough.

Thanks a lot
Appriciated
 
Lukla ... for interior paint I used the water reducible version of JetFlex and had very good results after figuring out how to spray it. It was sprayed onto parts primed with AKZO.

The water reducible version has a lot going for it except for one thing .... although it dries quick enough to the touch, to get to full hardness it will take a couple of weeks. Once fully cured, it is quite durable.

Happy building,

Jet Flex W/R version sounds pretty nice. Dos it has to be with AKZO primer or can go with something else.
I got self etching if I can still use it.

Thanks for info.
Lukla
 
Jet Flex W/R version sounds pretty nice. Dos it has to be with AKZO primer or can go with something else.
I got self etching if I can still use it.

Lukla, the JetFlex W/R paint does NOT have to be used with AKZO. I just mentioned that because it is a popular primer with builders that is super easy to spray. Suggest spraying test pieces to determine primer compatibility with the JetFlex.

Below are a few write-ups from my builder's Blog that cover my experiences spraying the W/R JetFlex.

http://www.dogaviation.com/2013/08/sherwin-williams-jetflex-first.html

http://www.dogaviation.com/2013/09/jetflex-revisited-ammonia-better-cleanup.html

http://www.dogaviation.com/2013/09/jetflex-third-time-charm-almost.html

Happy Building,
 
Interior Paint

Interior primer: Rust-Oleum Self-Etching Primer: Dark Green, Aerosol Can, 30 min, 10 to 15 sq ft, ~$4 per can.

Interior paint: Rust-Oleum Ultra Touch 2x Flat Grey, Aerosol Can, 30 min, 10 to 15 sq ft ~$5 per can.

5 cans of paint used. Low cost. Easy with the "360º" spray nozzle. Good coverage. Good finish.

I will do this again.
 
I'd suggest the following if going for spray rather than rattle can.

1) Find a local painter or paint supplier and going to speak to them to see what they recommend (if already primed take the spec sheet with you)
2) Post here to see if anyone of issues you might have with the system/paint they are suggesting.
3) Buy a small amount (maybe 1/2ltr) and try it out on some scrap or anything flat (with the same primer on it)
4) if all goes well go for it :D

The reason I suggest the above is having a local supply gives you local knowledge (does the temp/humidity where you are mean you need different settings/paints etc). Talk to any painters in the shop while there and ask their advice as well (best to go visit the shop rather than phone for this very reason). Remember that what works for me might not be any good for your Environment so a local supplier will help in that area.

I believe modern car paints are more than good enough for the kind of flying we do (no long term periods at high level and most cars are left outside in all weathers) so the UV protection should be fine. Given the top aviation product or car paint from a local supplier I personally would chose the latter for the support.

For painting I go for a torch in one hand and the gun in the other, I constantly check I have a full wet looking coat (by shining the torch at an angle so I can see it's reflection) but at the same time applying the minimum paint to get to that gloss look.
A professional will know just by feel how the paint is going on, first time you will need to check as you go.
If anyone says use x, y and z settings great, but only take them as a starting point. Those settings will work great if you are setting up their spray gun for them to use. You will probably need to tune them to your own style and environment.

If it is your first time with a spray gun I'd suggest investing in at least half a litre and trying out different settings to see what they do, then tune it in to get a decent finish. Also do separate sessions and compare what it looks like while painting to how it dries (ie does it run, or does it go patchy/rough). Whatever you use this is most important step to get a decent finish.

I found the interior harder to paint than the rest so far as trying to get an even coat is hard due to all the corners and pieces to paint around meaning that some parts are overlapped several times getting into the corners. Best to go around all the tricky nooks and crannies first and let that flash off (dry for a while) so you can just do a final coat over the top without them running.
I also found my main gun too big to get into some places so I opted for a cheap touch-up gun as they are much smaller.
Spend plenty of time going over how you are going to paint beforehand, as you are going to need to lean in/over/under parts. With the clothing/paint gun and airlines etc you want to avoid leaning over/near painted areas (dust will fall from you onto paint underneath) so have a clear plan before starting.

I opted to have the fuselage at forty five degrees which seemed to work ok, it might be easier on it's side but then you are painting one side from underneath.

Remember that if you are using 2k (two pack) paints then you really do want to be using a fresh air mask.

Painting can be incredibly rewarding or frustrating depending on the results but it is something I'm really glad I chose to do.

Best of luck with whatever method you chose.
 
Thanks folks.
This is lots of info and it helps me a lot to make decision.

I appreciate all the inputs.

lukla
 
Interior primer: Rust-Oleum Self-Etching Primer: Dark Green, Aerosol Can, 30 min, 10 to 15 sq ft, ~$4 per can.

Interior paint: Rust-Oleum Ultra Touch 2x Flat Grey, Aerosol Can, 30 min, 10 to 15 sq ft ~$5 per can.

5 cans of paint used. Low cost. Easy with the "360?" spray nozzle. Good coverage. Good finish.

I will do this again.

I could not find any ultra touch . they have painters touch only. Are this both same or different. Painters touch and ultra touch.

Lukla
 
I also used the Rust-Oleum Self-Etching Primer: Dark Green, but used their smoke gray gloss protective enamel. Used on my 9, 7 and now 12. cheap, easy to spray and repair. No problem after 7 years on the 9. Easy nick repair by spraying some in can, let start to thicken and then apply with artist brush. Have never had good luck with the Mar-Hyde 5111 Self Etching Primer. It does not seem to stick well and will crack and flake off. If not now, when you remove a screw or otherwise cause some slight stress or movement.
 
I've yet to try mine out (still building) but I've heard gloss may cause issues with reflections if taking photos so I used a satin finish just in case, although I then used a gloss clear coat on the panel without thinking about it.

People with a flying aircraft will give a better answer but when I asked previously the advice was to go satin/flat. I chose satin as should be easier to clean than flat.
 
Did u used gloss or flat.

Lukla

I used flat with the purpose to minimize glare in the cockpit. I personally haven't found any difference in cleaning flat vs gloss enamel paint.

The full name of the Rustoleum paint I used is "PAINTER'S TOUCH® ULTRA COVER 2X". It works very well. And for an aerosol can, they have a great nozzle setup that allows you to paint at pretty much any angle.
 
Rustoleum Self Etching Primer

When using the Rustoleum Self etching primer on the interior, is there any prep that needs to be done to the aluminum first? Thanks.
Regards,
Damien
 
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