Originally Posted by
Sam Buchanan
Let me begin by saying that I find the insinuation that what I have posted is "completely careless and dangerous" personally offensive and insulting. Those that have used my services as an EAA Technical Counselor and friend to a multitude of builders would also be offended by that statement.
Now....having gotten that out of the way, here are some thoughts concerning the use of latex paint for EXPERIMENTAL aircraft:
We are indeed talking EXPERIMENTAL aviation on this forum. If a builder is not comfortable with the latex process, or it doesn't meet his personal risk management....then don't use it. Latex paint is not for every builder or every aircraft. It has been adopted primarily for inexpensive, slow aircraft where spending upwards of 25% of the airframe cost in finishing materials is not practical. If I was building a Bearhawk, J-3 clone, or other $30,000 airframe, or an airframe designed for high cruise speed, latex would not be my choice. Resale value of a more expensive airframe would be impacted by the use of latex paint because not all buyers would accept that finish.
My personal experience with latex paint on inexpensive and slow aircraft covers a span of twenty years. Latex was first introduced to the low-n-slow community a few years prior to my first project. There is a lot of field history on latex paint, and it has proven to have a good track record. But, it was controversial when first introduced to experimental aviation and remains a subject that generates opposing opinions.
The presenter of the webinar that began this thread, and my personal experience, does not drive anyone exclusively toward a particular brand but instead presents a process. I have used various brands of latex over twenty years and have found all of them to meet my expectations. I do, however, recommend buying the premium level of latex paint regardless of brand. A premium grade of primer is also important for UV protection and adhesion. These recommendations are apparent to those who actually watched the webinar.
I have not seen any evidence of incompatibility of latex with PolyTac adhesive. The few times I have had opportunity to remove lightweight latex-finished fabric that was attached with PolyTac has resulted in the fabric tearing instead of the glue joints failing.
So....there is considerable field history to support the use of latex paint. But if a builder doesn't want to use it for whatever reason...use something else. But please don't denigrate the users of latex just because it doesn't meet your personal standards.