Has anyone had good results rolling on latex paint on ultralights?

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Originally Posted by Jim Heffelfinger

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.

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IIRC, Drew completed his painting about eight years ago.

Ron Wanttaja

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Originally Posted by rwanttaja

IIRC, Drew completed his painting about eight years ago.

Ron Wanttaja

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Thanks Ron - good to know info.

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Originally Posted by Jim Heffelfinger

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.

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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.

Sam, Excellent clarification on your finish work. Thanks for your input.

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.

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Originally Posted by dusterpilot

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.

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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.