So I am getting a new paint job and curious what you think the main concerns are prior?

I am getting new glass and fixing any obvious issues (wrinkles, etc.).

What else would or do you consider prior to paint?

Is Emron the way to go? I have some choice there...Jet glow?

I have seen a number of really good paint jobs coming out of the paint shop in Yerington.

Just curious what else you would consider prior to paint??

Thnx...

AK

Resale. Don't get to wild.

Rob

aktahoe1 wrote:So I am getting a new paint job and curious what you think the main concerns are prior?

I am getting new glass and fixing any obvious issues (wrinkles, etc.).

What else would or do you consider prior to paint?

Is Emron the way to go? I have some choice there...Jet glow?

I have seen a number of really good paint jobs coming out of the paint shop in Yerington.

Just curious what else you would consider prior to paint??

Thnx...

AK

Jet-Glo is a Sherwin Williams product and is used on all the corporate jets in our hangar. Its very good paint so that would be my choice. Imron is the standard and works well too but the big OEM's like Jet-Glo.

I would ask the shop how much repair time is built into the quote. I know my cowlings will need a bunch of fiberglass work when the time comes.

And.. make sure the flight controls are balanced by a competent A&P and not a pencilwhipper....

If it were 1970, I'd use Imron. We use Jet Glo. It's simply the best paint there is. Guess what the Thunderbirds, Blue Angles, Airforce One and new Thrush crop dusters have in common?
This airplane doesn't have fabric right?
On edit, it's being disassembled, stripped, alodine washed, primed with Jet Glow primer, hand sanded and then painted with Jet Glow, right? Then control surfaces re-balanced, re-assembled with new hardware, (now's the time for new control cables).
Maybe consider a simple solid color, and then apply vinyl applique? I've seen that on new Maules and I think Cessna? Neat thing is, you can change the paint job later easily with new vinyl.

I've heard good things about Yerington too.

May want to check Williams aircraft here in Burns. They did one heck of a job on my 1954 Cessna 180 back in 1989. They do like a64pilot said, take all the control surfaces off, Chem strip, rebalance. Back then it cost me $4500 for 3 colors. Now who knows

Williams Aircraft 541-573-4223 Talk to Matt.

I've flown Burns to Reno quite a bit, 180 and 182 - 2 hours give or take on the winds.

Whoever does it, insist that they remove the inspection covers and fairings and paint separately, and change the hardware as pointed out earlier. Painted on covers and screws are a real pain in the ass when it's time for that first annual after paint. I've seen very high quality paint jobs at reputable shops done this way.

The Awlgrip system is my preferred choice. They use it on aluminum and steel boats that live in the saltwater. That's good enough for me.

gb

Make sure they prep it right. That means STRIP it!!! Don't let them just scuff it and paint over. As a64 says, go through all the steps.

Frankly, any good quality paint will work fine. The difference is the guy with the gun in his hand. And, that is HUGE. Ask them to see examples of their work. Go look at those examples, and REALLY look at them carefully. Look for orange peel, runs, junk in seams, etc.

DO NOT use vinyl decals or appliques.... I repeat, DO NOT use them. Cessna has stopped using them now. Maule uses the cheapest crap they can find, so.....

Cessna quit using them because they were coming off in weather.

So, pay the guy who does the job to stripe and paint trim as you desire. DON'T use vinyl or appliques.

I'd second the point of not getting too wild. Keep it simple, and it will appeal to the most people.

MTV

I kinda wondered about the vinyl too, but I thought since Cessna was using it,? I didn't know they stopped. Truth is, I don't look at any airplanes made in this century, out of my price range.

Never had any experience with Jet Glo, but in my earlier life I used DuPont Imron on all my race stuff, street rods and god only knows what else. I swore by it... till a few years back when I painted my 801 experimental. I picked the same colors as a Tide soap bottle. Turns out those colors are trademarked and the Utah supplier would not sell those shades. No biggie, I had them mix the next closest color which they did. Ya can't tell the difference. First issue. It had been 20+ years since I had shot Imron and the sticker shock was astounding. Paint that was 40 bucks a gallon plus 14 dollars for the activator was now 6 times that. !!! yuck, and red is used to make orange and red is the most expensive color... Long story short, paint cost 300 + a gallon including activator. The big issue was and still is... Dupont Imron was formulated to be an aircraft paint, you would figure they would make it impervious to aviation stuff. WRONG... ON my first flight the vented fuel caps leaked a small amount of 100 LL on the top surface of the wings because of the high lift design of the Zenith 801. Well, After I got out. kissed the ground and caught my breath about 30 minutes elapsed. I rolled the toy back in the hangar and took a very close look at everything. Low and behold here are some nasty blue stains coming from the fuel cap area. I tried everything to remove them but the paint was stained.... Pissed puts it mildly.. So that year when I went to Oshkosh I searched out the Dupont booth and asked very nicely how can I get the stains out. Their answer was, Dupont Imron will become permanently stained by the blue dye they use in 100 LL". Moral of the story, if ya wanna use Imron paint shoot the plane medium blue. <GGG>

I was at the airport today and talked to a guy flying through that has a 170B. He has done a real nice job on his plane . He did a full strip and he painted the plane himself with Shewrin Williams Actraglo. http://www.sherwinwilliams.com/aerospace/acryglo.asp

He said that it is cheaper than Jet Glow and is more forgiving. On one of his runs, he let it cure for a month then shaved it off with a razorblade and polished it out and you cannot tell the diference.

Not as duarble as Jet Glow but you will not be flying in all weather 40 hrs a week for 25 years. Cheaper too. If you selll the plane, you will not get a dime more for a more expensive paint. Oh and by the way, he did not put any clear on it.

That 170 looked really nice.

Tim

I have a somewhat different take on the painting issue. I've painted most of my life and have used everything from nitrocellulous lacquers and the old two-part epoxies, to Imron, and the latest two-stage PPG stuff. I just used Superflite products for the first time to paint a tube and fabric plane, and had good results. I wasn't really comfortable with the Superflite until I was basically finished with the last finish coat. The thing is, every brand and type of paint seems to have particular properties and application needs that are often somewhat unique to only that product. The learning curve can be steep (and expensive).

I would suggest that you find a shop that is reputable, highly recommended and that you feel you can trust. Have them use the paint system that they are most experienced with and comfortable using. There is just no substitute for hands-on experience using with the specific product you are applying. All of the popular paints are very good, and they are all hideously expensive.

One last thought- I have come to believe that the actual final finish coat is almost the least important part of the painting process, and in many ways has the least affect on the finished product. The prep work, old paint removal, chemical preparation, primer quality and application and appropriate sanding really ultimately determine the quality of the final product. Don't be shy about talking about the prep work and primer process.

That's my two-cents worth (and probably over-priced at that!)

Mark

When 614 was painted this spring, I replaced all of the fiberglass fairings and ends. I would do that again if I had to get another plane painted.

Don

I have found PPG brand paint to be superior to IMron or perhaps I did a better job on the prep

Don't paint the same color as the prevailing background color that you fly over. A few years back we lost a yellow T cart in the cottonwoods in the fall, you couldn't see it until you bumped into it.

Give some thought to your usual range of temperatures. On the on hand, in hot climates, light colors make the plane far more enjoyable and less oven-like.

On the gripping hand, if your plane is painted white and you turn it into the sun to sublimate or melt the frost, it's a really slow process (if not a lost cause), while a dark color will soak enough sunlight to get the frost off and go flying.

AK,
The Yerington guys do a first class job and have a solid reputation. I'd drop in and talk with them to see if you like them.