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Panel paint color

M

maus92

Well Known Member
Anybody have thoughts on the proper paint color for the panel in a G3X Touch system in a RV-8A? Should I match the Garmin bezel color (black,) or go for some shade of gray? There will be very few, if any, legends The current color of the panel is black.
 
I used a light grey for my RV-8 panel. It made labeling easier for me and it was my personal preference.

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I used Rustoleum Flat Black. Since everything on my panel is back lit I did not want anything reflecting or distracting me from the screens which had all the information. Labels with white lettering stand out against the flat black background. This picture shows the view in direct sunlight. The instruments are not on but when they are, even in direct sunlight there is no reflection on any of the screens and the clarity is fantastic.

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This is a terrible picture I took with the phone but you can see what my panel looks like with everything lit up. Believe me, all of your focus is on the information when flying. Everything else in black is just background that disappears the instant the screens are lit up.

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A better shot of the pilot side instruments in flight in direct sunlight.

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No Black or Grey for Me

I painted my panel in a flat color to go with the interior color. I have noticed absolutely no reflection problems so far (67 flight hours). Paint is JetFlex.


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In the RV-8, reflection is not much of an issue since - unless you are very short - you look downward to the panel.
 
I use PPG DP-50 if I want a grey panel, DP-90 if I want black.
Pittsburg Paint DP epoxy primer finishes smooth and hard. It's very resistant to those screwdriver digs and other abuse, so it looks good for a long time.
I give the panel the full treatment, I acid wash it with aluma-clean, and alodine it before I spray on the DP primer. This is a surface you will look at for many hours to come. May as well get it the way you want it.
 
That's an interesting idea, re: the 3M contact vinyl. Do you know the source? Michael (craft store) or an automotive speed shop?
 
I painted my panel with Rust-Oleum gray textured paint and baked it in the oven (when my wife wasn't around) at 200*F for two hours. After 650 hours it is still holding up very well!

The challenge finding some way to make labels that would stick to the textured surface. For that, I used the Decal Pro. The learning curve is a big one but once you master it, the results are great!
 
Bill_H said:
Instead of paint, you should consider high quality 3M peel-and-stick carbon-fiber-look vinyl. Comes in different colors and patterns. Easy to apply and looks REALLY sharp. I have silver on my RV-12. That's a tip up canopy and I have seen no reflection issues.
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I also like the carbon look.

The easiest finish I have done is to sand blast the panel and then clear coat with a matte varnish. Comes to a nice-looking gray with a nice texture.

For labels, I get a local trophy shop to make placques with engraved lettering. The placques come out black with gray letters. Look really sharp.
 
If you do the vinyl, be sure any flush rivets on your panel are really flush. Better too deep than proud - that will show. If too deep, use a little filler.
 
I'm sort of surprised about the number of builders using spray can paint vs. powder coating. For me though, I'm not going to have very much panel space that is not covered by a display, so I'm thinking I can get away with it. The main panel has two G3Xs and an A/P controller; the two side "wings" are probably the largest "open" spaces, and there's only enough room on both for a few switches. Since there are already holes from former switches, I'm going to cover them over with new panel pieces and engraved with legends - or if I go with carbon vinyl - decals. For color, I think a very dark gray / charcoal, matte finish.
 
I actually usually use a matte black powder coat, but if you don't have the equipment, the 2 ways I listed are easier. I prefer to have the panel not stand out. I think matte black looks the best because the panel "disappears" and you can focus on what you should focus on. That's just my preference, though.
 
Here is how I did my panel on the rocket. Nearly 50 hours on it now, most of those in sunshine and glare has never been an issue. Nor is focus - when flying and looking at the panel everything but the instruments fades from my consciousness, I don't notice any of the rest of it.

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Here is another panel treatment I like, this was in my RV-4. Easily done with a conical wire brush in a drill press. Put 100 hours or so on that plane and again glare was not an issue. You'd think if anything was going to cause a glare problem this would.

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I'm having mine powdercoated as we speak. I'm having Front Panel Express cut and powdercoat mine. I wanted a dark grey color so I picked a custom color. They use RAL color codes. I went with RAL7026, its a nice dark grey. I thought black was just a little too dark for my taste.

What I did was to order some powdercoat sample chips of various colors from http://www.lowvolumepowder.com/ at $0.70/ea. These are actual powdercoat applied on sheet metal, not some paper paint chip. This isn't the exact powder that they use but its good for checking the color.
 
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