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Painting 001?

digidocs

Well Known Member
I have no clue about paint, not even 101 level, this is the basement--- painting 001.

I'm getting close to the point where I need to paint the interior of my RV-10. I've read all sorts of suggestions--- appliance paint, Rustoleum Professional, Jetflex WR, Polane 700R. Some use epoxy primer, some rattle can self-etching, some none at all. What I could really use is some help with the basics so I can begin to parse all of this information.

Question 1:
I'd at least like to consider a mostly painted interior (as opposed to panels/upholstery). Can one do a good long term job with a spray can products? There's a lot of interior to see in an RV-10, what will it look like after 10 years of wear and tear?

Question 2:
Crazy as it may sound, my entire workshop is 18x11 feet. I can't even get the fuselage outside without knocking down my neighbor's fence. I do have great lighting, the ability to hang plastic from the ceiling, and a compressor that will do 6.5 cfm at 40psi. It seems like I could (just) spray Jetflex WR or similar with this setup. Does that seem accurate? Would I need some sort of water removal device and a respirator, too? Can I use one of the low cost HF guns?

Question 3:
What else should I be asking here? I am at the point where I don't know what I don't know.

Thanks for the help,
David
 
I can't help with the paint types, since my RV-12 has minimal interior that will show after the interior panels are installed. So I used a self-etching (NAPA) primer, then top-coated with a gloss white appliance epoxy paint, via rattle can.

But I can tell you that the HVLP HF guns work fantastic. I have used them for many other projects, where I needed an actual paint gun. I have NEVER had a problem with a HF gun, and have always achieved great results. I don't know how they'd do for an exterior final paint scheme, but for the interior? An inexpensive HF gun would be very sufficient if you go with a sprayable paint (other than via rattle can).
 
Jet Flex is easy to apply and the HF spray gun will work great for it. When you spray Jet Flex it may not look great right after you spray but give it a little time and it will lay down and look nice.

Nothing good comes out of a spray can.
 
Jet Flex

I second the Jet Flex..water based, good durability, and easy touch up with small foam roller. Just dont try to apply any petroleum/solvent based paint over it. My RV-4 side panels and floor have taken a beating.
 
Amazing timing!

I just finished my first paint session a few minutes ago, and am waiting for it to dry as I write this. Same story, shooting interior. Bruce Hill is one of the builders on this forum and may elect to chime in. He convinced me to use the JetFlex WR with an HVLP gun from Harbor Freight. That's how he did his 9A and it looks excellent in every way. I decided to use the same in order to bias the odds in my favor as much as possible.

All I can do at this point is echo the others who've already said both the paint and the gun are simple and easy to use. HF item number is 69705. The paint instructions say to use DI water but distilled will work just the same. Try to shoot at around 70 to 75 F, medium humidity.

I started with a test piece first. Bought some inexpensive Rustoleum primer for it. It served the dual purpose of allowing me to fiddle with thinning using cheap paint so I could get the right viscosity for the gun by trial and error. Having done that, I reduced the Jet Flex to the same thickness.

If there's anyone in your local EAA chapter who is competent painter, I'd suggest getting in touch with him.

Best of luck, David!
 
On mine I did epoxy primer and acrylic enamel on the interior. 100 X tougher than rattle can. From all the crawling around working in the fuse It is holding up very well, still shinny glossy white.
 
Jet Flex

I also did Jet Flex, very easy to work with and very durable. Like others said it levels out very nice overnight.
 
Yes, please wear a respirator. If you go to a polyurethane you'll want a fresh air hood.
Be prepared for overspray to make a mess of your workspace, unless you can fab a paint booth.
Anything will stick to the fiberglass roof. Painting metal needs more prep work.
 
Yes, please wear a respirator. If you go to a polyurethane you'll want a fresh air hood.
Be prepared for overspray to make a mess of your workspace, unless you can fab a paint booth.
Anything will stick to the fiberglass roof. Painting metal needs more prep work.

+ 1 on the respirator protection. ISOs are a sensitizer, as in making your body shut down and close up. Anaphylactic shock has and will kill you. Reports of the wife walking into the garage seeing the husband dead from painting!

The nose only respirator has a protection factor of 10. The full face has a PF of 50. Look at the MSDS and calculate how long you can be in that environment.

I am not giving any advise. but this is how I did my paint with the BAD stuff. Full paint suit, nitrel gloves, full face 3M mask with organic filters, hood, full ventilated paint booth. If you are doing clear, you will be in a cloud of bad stuff that wants to kill you! The best method would to have a fresh air hood, but I survived with the above mentioned method. YMMV!
 
I want to thank everyone who has responded so far. I was really hoping that I could get away with something easier than Jetflex, but it sounds that's the way to go.

Here goes nothing!
 
Probably not any eiser than jet-flex, but maybe easier to get; I used PPG Omni MTK single-stage Urethane on all my interior parts. I put the topcoat over their epoxy primer. I was very happy with the results and the paint is tough as nails. I used the same paint for my panel along with a 2K matt clear over the labels and it looks spectacular.

All was done with a HF HVLP gun with 1.4mm tip. The gun did a great job. The gun I am using is from the two-peice "professional" gun kit that is a Knockoff of the Devilbiss Starting-line set.

I used the same safety setup as Bret: full suit w hood, full-face res, nitrile gloves and out the door as soon as done shooting.

I was a bit unsure about going through all the effort to use a mixed paint as well. It is actually much easier to do than I expected. The paint coverage is far better than rattle-can and will really last. I'm glad I decided to go this route.
 
David,

Let me answer your question from a different angle. What are you are your plans for your interior?

For example, I have the Aerosport Products instrument panel, center arm console, interior panels, and carpet.

There is very little of my interior that can still be seen after all these are installed.

The interior panels, which are made of Kydex, you need to use SEM, to color the panels and protect them from UV.

I used Rustoleum on my interior. The carbon fiber pieces and the doors are about all you can see after the interior is installed. You do need to ensure that the pieces are prepped properly for best adhesion, but that is true with all the products.

I wanted something simple and easy to use. I painted most of the interior on a part by part basis. I also believe that JetFlex and the other products are probably a more rugid solution. I also didn't have a good place to spray paint properly.

I plan on covering the doors later in the year, so really the only painted parts visible with be the instrument panel and arm rest.

I'm not necessarily recommending my choices, just helping to provide some data points so that you can make your decision. The more interior parts that are visible, probably the more reasons to go with a higher quality paint.

bob
 
...and a compressor that will do 6.5 cfm at 40psi.

David,

Another vote for JetFlex. I used the solvent based and I'm happy with it. My first time painting anything with lots of study and no good single source to gather information.

Check the cfm requirements of your spray gun carefully and make sure you have enough. I'm using a popular DeVilbiss Finish Line 3 HVLP gun that needs around 13 cfm. I have two 110 air compressors that combine to give me about 14 cfm and any less would cause problems with inconsistent air flow.

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JetFlex

Larry
Do you plan on a full interior because that looks really nice?
Sold me on the product.
 
Larry
Do you plan on a full interior because that looks really nice?

Yes, the full Classic Aero interior with the new Sportsman 2 side panels. Really great fit and finish. Only had a minor problem with one armrest attachment stud breaking as the fit is tight and I forced it. I have yet to call Luke about buying a replacement as I've thought about nothing but the canopy for the last couple of months.

IMG_6079.JPG
 
Bob,

I think you're exactly right that more context would be helpful. I'm shooting to keep my RV-10 towards the lighter end of the scale and thus am planning on a more minimalist interior.

Geoff's interior panels do have a nice look and aren't too heavy (10 lbs if I remember). However, would the front panels work with something like the stock metal panel? It looks like the shape of the Aerosport front panels is tailored to their carbon panel offering.

Thanks for all of the input,
David
 
Bob,

I think you're exactly right that more context would be helpful. I'm shooting to keep my RV-10 towards the lighter end of the scale and thus am planning on a more minimalist interior.

Geoff's interior panels do have a nice look and aren't too heavy (10 lbs if I remember). However, would the front panels work with something like the stock metal panel? It looks like the shape of the Aerosport front panels is tailored to their carbon panel offering.

Thanks for all of the input,
David

Hmm, I don't think they're that heavy, but I also haven't weighed them individually. Just didn't feel like 10lbs when I carried them.

Actually, the front panels work well with either the Aerosport Products instrument panel or the stock Van's panel. Only the area above the longeron is exposed. It really depends on what you do for a glare shield covering that would need to be altered. Abby (Flightline) has versions of her's to accomodate all the various panels. There is a flap of material that is adhered underneath the glare shield and on the side of theupper fuselage assembly that tucks under the Aerosport Products front interior panel. I can't speak to the other vendors.

With more paint showing, I would probably go with a more mainline paint and not rattle cans.

bob
 
I don't want to spread any mis-information the weight, here's the full details:

Our full interior panel set with rear air vents and large map pockets weighs less than 8 Lbs. If you add the baggage door kit including the door strut it all equals about 9 Lbs exactly. If you added 2 cup holders it would only add 3/4 Lb more. Basically the full interior set plus a baggage door kit and 2 cup holders is about 10 Lbs.

Bob,
I thought the issue with the stock panel might come from where the front side panels seem to curve to accommodate the air vents on the bottom of the Aerosport panel. It's hard to tell without seeing things in person, but it looked like there would be gaps between the edge of the stock panel and these curved portions. You obviously have more experience with these panels, what say you?

David
 
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Something to think about for an RV-10. Use Zolatone for upper part of the cabin. It has a textured finish and hides the fiberglass well (saves on prep time).
 
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