What kind of paint did you use ?

I have to buy my paint and primer this week. I pricedDupont Imron $$$.

I'm wondering if there are other high quality, less expensive options that people were happy with ?

Hi Paul,
I went with Stewart Systems...it was my first time painting a large project and it's about a 2 foot paint job in most places. It was a simple paint scheme, so I didnt have to mask very much.
No clear coat, but the gloss is very good anyway.
Made sure to use the gun they recommend, and follow thier instructions to the letter. I think I spent about 1500 to get everything I needed for the 8. Cleaner, Etch, Primer and Colour.
Ask Mark how he thinks it looks for a 2nd opinion.

Paullie,

The guys at my school like DuPont Nason. I used it on my interior and it works well.

They also instructed me to increase the amount of reducer (it is an 8-1-2 but I used 8-1-3) and it made things easier for a novice like me.

. CJ

There are two types of Imron that I know of. While I have no idea what the differences are, I know I had my 9A painted with the better (at least more expensive) version, and our RV-12, Eagle's Nest One, painted with the cheaper grade. I can't tell the difference, except in price. The painter on our field uses the cheaper grade, and it looks great and is very tough. It costs about 1/3rd what the other does. I think it is Imron 501 and it may be the marine version. All I know is that it looks good and saves money. I can check into it next week if you like...

Bob

Search the forum for Kirker paint. Good stuff, low cost.

Paint

I'm not a big fan of base coat/clear coat, so I decided on Sherwin Wiliams Acry-glo.

My friend who did the painting said that it went on and flowed out better than any other single stage paint that he'd used. (Maybe he just had a lucky day!) So far it seems as tough as nails.

Maybe not the cheapest, but nowhere near as expensive as some.

PPG Concept

Simple paint scheme, PPG single stage paint. Nice thing about it is that if you get orange peel or runs you can cut and buff per Dan Horton's excellent guide on the forum. Also easy to get from local auto paint store and easy to fix if you need to make some changes or repairs in the future (cracked wingtip gel coat in my case).

Kirker primer works well

On Bob's recommendation(thanks!), I got the Kirker Enduro Primer for my empennage parts. I had filled over the rivets and wanted to get it all primed. In my opinion, it worked very well. It was easy to spray and I didn't have any runs. It filled well at the standard mix ratio in one coat. It was very good in showing me the places I needed to use a bit more glazing putty and blend in. I sprayed outside with a respirator, but will consider a fresh air supply and hood for the rest of the plane. That would go for almost all the paints.

I got a small rock chip on my car last week and went to Napa to get the paint made in factory colors. They had the small container with the weird application tip and they had it in a spray can. One thing I will consider VERY carefully is picking colors that are factory car colors so I can get touch up paint easily. I think it will make keeping my plane looking good into the future much easier.

One thing I will consider VERY carefully is picking colors that are factory car colors so I can get touch up paint easily.

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If you want to use a custom mix, simply have the paint shop write down the exact formula they used. Save it in a safe spot. You can then always get an exact match. Well, as good as ordering a "factory" color. Factory or custom, the paint shop simply looks up the formula and dispenses the right dose of mix colors in the mixing machine. You just have to hope that the paint shops mixing machine scale has been calibrated recently.

Red, white and blue

If you pick a factory color, the touch up paint is right in the store. I understand about having a sample mixed, but having it available for less than $4.00 is a pretty good way to go.

Ted Johns said:

If you want to use a custom mix, simply have the paint shop write down the exact formula they used. Save it in a safe spot. You can then always get an exact match. Well, as good as ordering a "factory" color. Factory or custom, the paint shop simply looks up the formula and dispenses the right dose of mix colors in the mixing machine. You just have to hope that the paint shops mixing machine scale has been calibrated recently.

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