Paint Repair

[1600vw]

Here are some pics of how she turned out. Video to come.

[Frank Giger]

Very nice.

Masking for crisp lines is an art form in its own right!

[1600vw]

Very nice.

Masking for crisp lines is an art form in its own right!

Thanks. It took some time to do that right. I even redid the fuselage. It all started because I wanted to touch up a couple small brackets. By the time I was done I had done this, and I am still not done.

[RCS]

Back to the original question. 40 years on Ceconite? Are you sure it's Ceconite? The OP says cracking and lifting of paint. You need to apply silver to protect the fabric. That's more important than any cosmetic color coat. At 40 years that fabric is well past it's life expectancy and exposing it to UV now is the worst thing you can do. Spraying it with a rattle can top coat is not the place to start. ALL dacron fabrics require UV shielding under the top coat. Get off the internet and go talk to your mechanic about how to repair your fabric correctly.

I appreciate your comment and I do not intend to fly the airplane if it is not airworthy. However my decision is to either make a proper repair to the fabric or to scrap the airplane. I am not going to recover it, at least not now. I have two other restoration projects I am working on and I purchased the airplane in question to have something to fly, not to have another project. I had an A&P perform a pre-buy inspection and he gave the fabric a clean bill of health. A while after I bought the plane I became concerned about the cracks in the paint which prompted me to start seeking some advice on this forum. If the fabric can be repaired legally and result in a couple more years of airworthiness, then this is what I want to do while I finish my other projects. If not, then I really have no one to blame except myself for failing to inspect the fabric more thoroughly before the purchase. I will go out and find another airplane to buy and take considerable more time with a pre-purchase inspection. If I do proceed with repairs I would of certainly build up the UV silver before any top coat would be applied. The feedback I have received on the forum has been very helpful, but of course I need to have a trusted A&P agree with whatever course of action is indicated. Unfortunately not all A&P mechanics are qualified or knowledgeable about fabric airplanes and this was my initial mistake. Really appreciate all of the good feedback!

[1600vw]

RCS find yourself an A&P that does condition inspections on experimental airplanes. he will know more about this then an A&P who only works on GA airplanes.

The steward system is compatible with any other system. I myself like this system better then any other. I am in no way an expert but have done a lot of research on this subject before I repaired my airplane as you see. I found the ecko-fill used in the steward system is applied to the fabric in very thin layers. By the time you are done you can not see the weave of the fabric. You are then painting onto the ecko-fill and not onto the fabric weave. Because of this you will not have the paint peel or lift off as you see with other systems. It can't for its attached to the ecko-fill. No way NEVER the ecko-fill will peel away from the fabric. It can't, it's in the weave not on top of said weave. It takes many coats to start to cover the weave using this ecko-fill. Its not brushed onto said fabric but brushed into said fabric. As you see in a lot of airplanes were the paint peeled. The system used did not fill the weave but was applied over said fabric and never into said fabric. It then peels away leaving nice clean fabric behind. This will NEVER happen with the steward system. You will never again see that nice clean fabric. The ecko-fill is into it and not on top of it.

[1600vw]

Very nice.

Masking for crisp lines is an art form in its own right!

While I would like to take credit for the masking. My son did most of the masking. He did the wings and tail feathers. I did the fuselage. Thanks again for the comment.