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aeroschmitz
11-15-2015, 07:55 PM
Has anyone had good results rolling on latex paint on ultralights? I am interested repaintng the Fuselage on my CH1 with this process.
It would be great to see photo results of paint rolled on and not sanded or buffed.

rwanttaja
11-15-2015, 09:19 PM
Has anyone had good results rolling on latex paint on ultralights? I am interested repaintng the Fuselage on my CH1 with this process.
It would be great to see photo results of paint rolled on and not sanded or buffed.

It's not an ultralight, but Drew's Fly Baby latex paint article (http://www.bowersflybaby.com/tech/latex.html) should give you some insight.

Ron Wanttaja

Sam Buchanan
11-16-2015, 08:03 AM
Has anyone had good results rolling on latex paint on ultralights? I am interested repaintng the Fuselage on my CH1 with this process.
It would be great to see photo results of paint rolled on and not sanded or buffed.


Just now finishing up painting my Fokker D.VII with rolled on acrylic house paint:

http://fokkerd7.com/paint-1.html

Previously used acrylic on my Legal Eagle:

http://eaglexl-58.com/assembly-3.htm (http://home.hiwaay.net/~sbuc/legaleagleXL/assembly-3.htm)

Jim Heffelfinger
11-17-2015, 01:20 PM
Much info is on this site..... also offered forum at the last several AirVentures
http://eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=2735032127001
http://dawnpatrol.org/latex.html
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=23a4a535-d737-43f9-944e-fd6d4c4896fe
http://eaaforums.org/showthread.php?4394-Latex-Paint-for-Your-Homebuilt/page3
http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/finishing-techniques/2239-latex-paint-fabric-covering.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhlxE3EFcCQ
Find yahoo groups - cheapaircraftcovering .... https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Cheapaircraft_Covering/info
Much on this topic - far more than 6 years ago.
Google for more info.....
I wish to add... there is no Latex in modern "latex" paint. The name is a carry over ( like tin foil) Lets call it what it is - acrylic based exterior house paint

flyrgreen
11-22-2015, 11:37 AM
I know you asked about Latex paint (water-based); I have no experience with it but do have with rattle-can oil-based acrylic. If you are painting fabric -- like many UL's are -- the fabric expands & contracts a bit with heat & cold. Just enough to crack the paint in spiral swirls. Many of them....... My comment here is about rattle-can variety paints, even the better brands. Obviously there are paints that are formulated to stretch a bit, so if you're painting fabric make sure your paint choice has this feature.

1600vw
11-23-2015, 08:30 AM
I did some repairs on my airplane and needed to repaint. I used auto paint. I did this 5 years ago. This looks today as it did the day I did the repair. Not one crack or swirl marks at anywhere.

dusterpilot
11-24-2015, 06:03 AM
I am in the process of painting an experimental right now using latex paint. I'm using a mixture of a cup of washer fluid and ½ cup of Floetrol blended with a quart of paint using a 4-inch foam roller and a 2-inch foam brush where the roller doesn't reach. The paint is going on very smoothly with no brush marks showing. The paint mixture goes a very long way (I think the entire aircraft may take about a gallon) and it is drying very quickly. It won't be the quality of a $3,000 paint job but it will look great from 25 feet, will cost only about $300, saves LOTS of time, and may be lighter weight than a standard paint covering. It will be easy to touch up, if needed in the future. What will the quality and looks be like in 10-15 years? I don't know. Ask me then.

Jim Heffelfinger
11-27-2015, 06:39 PM
Well, the moderators are watching the numbers and with nearly 1300 views this appears to be a hot topic. Perhaps some focus for a SA article.
There is a lot of old info around whether to use a black undercoat (do you black undercoat your house when you paint?) using window washer fluids ( is it really compatible with the paint?) roller or spray, foam brush v quality bristle brush. And my hot button - the name of the stuff we are talking about. There is no doubt that for the smaller UL/EAB planes throwing $2K+ and 20 gallons of coatings may not be the best use of our $$ and time. Malcolm mentions this clearly in his webinar. If working in wood ( Fisher, TEAM, etc) being able to peel the covering for a very careful inspection every 10 years makes sense. If working in household paints and uncertified fabrics you can get a recover and a new paint scheme for under $300. How likely would most people be in pulling off a $2K covering job? Just to do it over.

Jim Heffelfinger
11-27-2015, 06:46 PM
It's not an ultralight, but Drew's Fly Baby latex paint article (http://www.bowersflybaby.com/tech/latex.html) should give you some insight.

Ron Wanttaja

Drew did not date his articles or any of the counter comments. Does anyone have that information? Much of the old info is 20 years old and paints have continued to advance in longevity/quality.

Jim Heffelfinger
11-27-2015, 06:55 PM
Just now finishing up painting my Fokker D.VII with rolled on acrylic house paint:

http://fokkerd7.com/paint-1.html

Previously used acrylic on my Legal Eagle:

http://eaglexl-58.com/assembly-3.htm (http://home.hiwaay.net/~sbuc/legaleagleXL/assembly-3.htm)

I note a number of the projects are using "Stitts" undercoatings for the acrylic paint jobs - one of the BIG cautions in all the finishing methods manuals is to use compatible products. A finish that fails to live up to expectations may not be the fault of the topcoat. When using water base topcoats - use the Stewart products as they are also acrylic based.

rwanttaja
11-27-2015, 07:21 PM
Drew did not date his articles or any of the counter comments. Does anyone have that information? Much of the old info is 20 years old and paints have continued to advance in longevity/quality.

IIRC, Drew completed his painting about eight years ago.

Ron Wanttaja

Jim Heffelfinger
11-28-2015, 01:34 AM
IIRC, Drew completed his painting about eight years ago.

Ron Wanttaja
Thanks Ron - good to know info.

Sam Buchanan
11-28-2015, 10:58 AM
I note a number of the projects are using "Stitts" undercoatings for the acrylic paint jobs - one of the BIG cautions in all the finishing methods manuals is to use compatible products. A finish that fails to live up to expectations may not be the fault of the topcoat. When using water base topcoats - use the Stewart products as they are also acrylic based.


Just for clarification because my original post was quoted in the above message, the Legal Eagle had a secondary acrylic color added
to the original Polyfiber silver coat. Acrylic primer was applied prior to the topcoat and there was excellent adhesion as proved by tests conducted a couple of years after the topcoat was added. The acrylic primer appears to adhere tenaciously to whatever surface it is applied to and I don't anticipate any future issues with the acrylic paint over the PolyFiber silver.

By the way, there are no "Stitts" coatings anymore, the system is under the PolyFiber label and STC.

The Fokker D.VII has a total acrylic finish, primer followed by topcoat, no PolyFiber or Stewart finish products were used. The admonitions about not mixing systems is primarily for certificated aircraft because their finish must meet TSO specifications. Within the experimental/ultralight community we are free to apply/experiment with whatever finishes common sense permits.

On two earlier projects I used "experimental" finishes with good results. One had latex (as it was called back then...) base followed with automotive enamel. The other had latex base topcoated with Rustoleum enamel sprayed with a gun. There are several ways to achieve satisfactory results on light, slow aircraft without spending a ton of $$$$$s. Both of those aircraft had PolyFiber fabric adhesive.

Jim Heffelfinger
11-28-2015, 04:43 PM
Sam, Excellent clarification on your finish work. Thanks for your input.

flyrgreen
11-28-2015, 07:28 PM
Some clarification about my previous post that mentioned swirl-cracks from rattle-can paint. This was on standard modern fabric on an UL built in the late 80's. The builder applied the full list of PolyFiber coatings. The trim paint I applied in 2002 was RustOleum acrylic; so oil-based paint over oil-based PolyFiber, sanded a bit. Swirl cracks only appeared on the wings, nowhere on vertical surfaces. I didn't know the reason at first, so painted it again awhile later-- same thing. In asking around, several lads confirmed the cause to be expansion/contraction of the fabric. On tail surfaces there isn't enough square area to make it stretch enough. I'm sure wood, fiberglass or metal surfaces don't have this problem.

Docrob
12-05-2015, 07:24 PM
I am in the process of painting an experimental right now using latex paint. I'm using a mixture of a cup of washer fluid and ½ cup of Floetrol blended with a quart of paint using a 4-inch foam roller and a 2-inch foam brush where the roller doesn't reach. The paint is going on very smoothly with no brush marks showing. The paint mixture goes a very long way (I think the entire aircraft may take about a gallon) and it is drying very quickly. It won't be the quality of a $3,000 paint job but it will look great from 25 feet, will cost only about $300, saves LOTS of time, and may be lighter weight than a standard paint covering. It will be easy to touch up, if needed in the future. What will the quality and looks be like in 10-15 years? I don't know. Ask me then.

I used this process on my Little Wing gyroplane with very satisfactory results. The paint has been on the plane for a couple of years now, and I'm satisfied. As you say, not a $3000 paint job, but it serves the purpose. Had to replace a small piece of fabric after the initial application, and the repair can't be distinguished from the original part.