Hey,
Has anyone stripped the paint off their plane and left it bare metal? I've been thinking about my old torn-up paint job and wondering if maybe just stripping and polishing it might be the way to go. It would save some weight, and since i don't have any painting skills, i could potentially do the stripping job myself.

The reality of a 10,000 dollar paint job is nowhere in the forseeable future

Chris

Yes. It is a dirty, nasty job that I personally will not likely repeat any time soon. you must take extreme care in masking all windows with aluminum tape and heavy aluminum foil. Twice. Also have to get all the plastic, tires, rubber seals, etc., either taken off (preferable) or well masked. If anyone has ever used any body filler on your airplane you will find it and get to replace that as well. Sometimes the paint falls right off, other times it's a real pain, depending on which process was last used on it. The newer epoxies and epoxy primers really stick. Then there is the matter of dealing with the paint chips and stripper residue, which can also be a serious issue depending on where you do it.

If you intend to leave it bare, then be ready for the onslaught of corrosion. You'll be polishing and waxing for the rest of your life if you are in the wet or salt country.

The last one we did we used some sort of peroxide based stripper. It worked well and didn't burn your skin like the regular aircraft stripper.

Paint jobs are expensive, no doubt about it. A good shop really does earn their money, though.

gb

Ya, i figured it would be a mess. i have re-finished enough furniture to have some experence there. And, no doubt the paint guys earn their money. Don't have the patients of talent for that line of work.

Are you flying one stripped in SE Alaska? I'm looking at moving back up there in the near future. wouldnt be on the coast, but close (White Mountain).

Hey slowhawk,

No, not flying a stripped one, but there are a few around. They sure are pretty when polished out and taken care of. I'm way too lazy for that, though.

The paint job on my current airplane is stripping itself. I figure in 4 or 5 more years I'll be ready for paint.

gb

Ya, mine's doing the same. Guess i should follow your example and let time and weather take care of it for me

I tend more to the lazy side also, but at times my cheapness comes out on top

Chris

I stripped and polished my plane...it was one of the most miserable things I have ever done, but I'd do it again. I haven't polished it in 5 years so it really needs it but I'd rather just fly the thing. That is the problem I see with a polished plane, you have to be willing to care for it. I wash mine fairly often to keep it clean but I don't keep it polished like I would like to. The plane had sat in a field for 20 years and the paint on the top surfaces was baked on and was a nightmare to get off, the rest was still tough but seemed easy in comparison.

Before,


After,

I've read that a wash mix of water and WD-40 can really help stave off the oxidation process on polished skins.

From the 170 Association forum:

http://cessna170.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=14380#p14380

Looks good Whee!

I guess i'm not looking for a stunning airplane, just a "utility" finish. It's not much of a problem here in Tx, but if i head back up to Alaska, it will be all dirt and gravel (and snow), where rock dings will be a constant problem. I know they will show up on bare metal too, but i guess it wouldn't be as noticeable.

About how many hours do you figure it took you to strip and polish?

Chris

I really don't know how long was spent working on the paint and polish. What I can say is that it took about three years to complete working nights and weekends; stripping and polishing was at least 75% of that. When I was rebuilding a Triumph TR6 in high school I got tired of the body work and my dad finished it for me. Same thing happened with the plane, we got it stripped and wings polished then I said "Dad you polish the fuselage and I'll work on other stuff" Maybe I should ask my dad if we will strip and polish another plane

I imagine he would Whee, though i don't know how much enthusiasm there would be I can think of a few "projects" my son was excited about, but needed "help" finishing. i expect i did the same to my dad.

Hey Zane, i had heard of something like that, but have never seen it done to know if it works. i had thought about wiping it down with corrosion-x every so often.

Chris

Chris,
Just a thought but you might consider just doing some touch up work on your existing paint. My plane looked like crap when I bought it with aome of the paint completely faded off etc. Its amazing how much better it looks after only a little touchup work. There is a auto body paint store near here and they can match your paint exactly if you can bring them a sample and then put it in spray cans if you want them to. $10,000 is a lot of gas money. And I think a major portion of that bill is for the stripping process. Just a little make up might be the ticket. John

i know you can pay ten but I've also seen it done for a LOT less and still decent paint jobs....in fact there is a guy in Mena, Arkansas who does for 3000 if you just want a scuff and paint..... personally I like the look of the polish but the upkeep is just to much. I wish I had the guys name for you but I don't remember it. There are about 6 paint shops in Mena though so if you call them all you might find a deal. Also consider painting it yourself. If you are going to strip the paint doesn't cost a fortune just a few hundred for the good stuff and the supplies to paint aren't that bad either....just practice on something you don't care about first.... try you're wife's car

Good luck

d

Whee, you say you would do it again, and looking at your pictures I agree.
You did a good job

I wanted a polished plane, but after looking at two and trying to invision polishing, we opted for paint.
Looked at a polished 170A and the owner said he would try to polish a wing one month and the other wing
a month later. Over the course of a year he would do the whole plane. No thanks. I have too much work
the way it is, when I get the plane out I'm going to fly it, not polish. I haven't waxed the plane for a couple years
and will try this fall. Hard enough to take two days to wax compared to a week to polish.

But a good polish on a tail wheel plane is pretty!

Think long and hard before stripping paint yourself. What will it do to the value of your plane compared to
having a pro do it for say 8K? If the value of the paint job isn't worth that to you, then fly it the way it is
and put your money into a new GPS, interior, glass, gas, etc....

If you do it yourself, more power to ya. But show us the before and after pics so the critics can see.

Bill

Hey guys, thanks for the advice. probably just a hairbrained idea i had.

I've looked at the "touch-up" route but the problem is that when the plane was modified to the 0-360 and the horton wing mod was done, the prevous owner just primered those areas. He gave me the paint he had matched but never got around to having put on. So far in my search of local paint shops 5000.00 in the cheapest touch-up job i could find, and honestly, i'm not crazy about the paint job it has now. Not that i'm so concerned with how it looks, but if i'm going to spend the money, i would choose something else. So the decision comes down to doing nothing, paying 5000 for a touch-up of a paint job i don't care for, paying 10,000 for a new paint job (which ain't happening) or lots of work. How will i choose?

Maybe i can find the guy in Arkansas Electricsnail mentioned.

Hey Trent, love the Elko area! A good friend of mine runs a ranch south of Jiggs. I usually go out there once or twice a year to help work cattle. Beautiful area!

You might consider having it "soda blasted". There are a number of folks doing it now; much simpler and probably cheaper than all the stripper you would buy. It will not hurt the aluminum or plexi and leaves a surface perfect for your next step. There is an outfit on Thun field near Puyallup doing it. Look up soda blasting on the web or phone book.
Jim

I don't know if Conway, AR is in your neighborhood, but I have talked to these guys on the phone a number of times and they have been extremely helpful. Don't have any idea of their costs.

http://www.spava.com/

Hey Jim,

Just looked up a rental unit in Ft Worth; 220.00 a day, 550.00 a week, 1500.00 a month.

Any idea how quick this process goes?

Small world, used to pump gas out at Thun Field when i was in high school back in the late 70's

Chris

AK,AL,AR???

Never could keep all those codes apart.

Regarding Soda blasting. It goes very quickly. You can easily do it in a day; maybe half. I have done lots of stuff with one. Its a really great system.
Jim