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Welcome to Mickey's RV8 Site
Mon, Sep 06 2010 @ 14:51 in Switzerland

Montmollin Painting dudes

Wed, Dec 15 2004 @ 06:29 in Switzerland
Contributed by: Mick
Views: 1,344

Here's a picture of the guy that runs the paint shop I used here in Montmollin. He's done all my priming and the interior. The exterior will probably be done at a regular aviation paint shop in either Prague or Lezignan-Corbieres

Another shot of the paint booth. These are apparently pretty standard in this business. I thought they "burned" the fumes before they are ejected into the atmosphere, but no, they just filter. Kind of strange, and dangerous, if you ask me.

Here is a picture of my "paint window" in my workshop. I have two windows, and with the heaters on, and both windows open, there is a lot of air flowing out this window. I put on the respirator, shake up the cans, and start spraying. About 15 minute later, all the fumes are out. No filter here, either. Bad.

Notice the high tech piece of wood with wire to hold the parts.

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Polishing the airplane

Fri, Dec 10 2004 @ 06:00 in Switzerland
Contributed by: Mick
Views: 2,737

--> RV-List message posted by: "Amit Dagan"

Listers,

A few days ago I started a thread about polishing the aluminum skins of RVs.
I specifically requested reasons for and against it. Most responds were
unanimous about how beautiful a good polishing job looks, but warned about
the time consumed, and several warned of the blinding effect (the reflection
of light - and even worse - heat) on the pilot. One "I heard that" comment
was made as to a case of the heat actually melting a canopy!!

While on the subject, I e-mailed some Air Stream trailer folks about their
experience with polishing (Alclad aluminum). These guys (and gals) usually
start with a badly corroded 40-old project, and finish with
better-than-mirror skins. Moreover, some need to remove the clear coat that
was originally applied to the skins at the Air Stream factory. A good
polishing story may be found at the links at the bottom of this post.

I also e-mailed a gentleman that has recently completed an RV-8 and has it
partially polished and part painted. He had no problem with light
reflection, and he lives in California. It took him 4 days to polish, how
long does it take to paint?!!

The more I look into it, the more I am surprised that RV sheet metal
builders are not more proud to show their metal work. The Sonex guys seem to
enjoy showing their bird's skins much more. It might be an interesting topic
for sociological research: Are builders of more and more complete kits more
prone to just having someone professional do parts of the project FOR them
(panel, paint, aftermarket fiberglass fairings)?
Is paint vs. polish just a fashion thing, i.e. is the "retro look" of the
Temco Swift or the early airliners bound to make a comeback shortly, or not?

I am sending this post to the request of those who wanted to know what I
found out, definitely not for the naysayer, who believes a painted airplane
is more practical (if you want practical, are you sure you are in the right
hobby?!! ;)

A few Notes of interest:
The compounding chemicals from the Nuvite company (nuvitechemical.com) will
cost less than $100 for the project. And Nuvite probably has the most
expensive line of compounds. My research has shown Nuvite to be the most
popular rout, and some that have switched to it from other lines of products
(e.g. Rolite) have not switched back.

For the tools, a $50 1/2" chuck drill that turns ~ 1000RPM is recommended
for the "compounding" stage, or you could use a $25 car polisher from Harbor
Freight.
For the fine polishing, a random orbit dual head tool called the "Cyclo
model 5" is recommended. A new one is $270, but you can find them used on
e-bay for less, or you can get a new one with accessories (pads, bonnets,
etc) for a bargain $335. Both pneumatic and electrical models are out there.

Wool bonnets, buffing pads, polishing cloth etc. - for a small plane will be
around $150 if you buy plenty.

You'll need some mineral spirits for cleaning, and a few miscellaneous items
I probably am not aware of, but you can see that it will be less than $1000
easily.

As far as up-keep, the better the first polishing job is, the longer it will
last, the less work you will have at the yearly or 6-month touch up polish,
and from year to year it will be longer and longer between polishes. You
don't do the whole compounding and polishing deal, only the last stage of
fine polishing at those times. Hangaring your RV (which pretty much
everybody is doing anyway) will help a lot, as well as hand drying it after
it gets wet.

As for waxing - it is actually not recommended nor needed. Of course every
body that has ever polished anything (or hasn't!) has an opinion (or more
than one) on one or more of the subjects I touched on.

Links of interest:
http://www.irinfo.com/polish/html/polish.html
http://www.russellw.com/planes/ryan/polishing.htm
http://www.tompatterson.com/Trailers/Polish/Compounding.html
http://www.tompatterson.com/Trailers/Polish/Nuvite.html
http://www.nuvitechemical.com/Prod%20Pages/Aircraft%20Page.htm
http://www.perfectpolish.com/AirstreamProject.htm
http://globetrotter64.home.att.net/complete.htm
http://www.perfectpolish.com/Quick%20Guide.htm

One tip you wont find in these links the ambient temperature needs to be
above 65F for the polisher to do its thing. I suppose humidity will also be
important, this should be covered in the material instructions.

So, am I going to polish my -7?
At this point I am undecided, but you can guess what I think about it. You
can always go and paint a polished skin, just etch it and paint. Polishing a
painted surface involves stripping the paint, but that too can be done.

And finally, for the sake of educating the masses, from the owner of a
polished airplane:
Maybe the biggest problem with a polished AC is that everyone who sees
it wants to touch it, then they make a scratch by rubbing their hands over
it and continue to "FIX" the scratches by taking their shirt sleeve and make
matters worse.

So, the next time you see a polished skin, PLEASE don't give in to the urge
of touching it!

Happy holidays,
Amit.

===

--> RV-List message posted by: "Amit Dagan"

One more link, and a few pictures:

I added a few pictures of polished aluminum aircraft to the Yahoo RV7/7a
group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RV7and7A/ click on Photo Albums > Polished
Aluminum.

And, I forgot to mention this link for polishing aluminum reference:

http://www.aircraftpolish.com/

Amit.

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paint tips

Fri, Aug 06 2004 @ 20:16 in Switzerland
Contributed by: Mick
Views: 1,351

I will give you my favorite finish/paint system that I know gives excellent results. This certainly isn't the only good way but is one used on many beautiful RV's.
Fiberglass Parts:
1) Contour and repair with "micro" (epoxy and microballoons) mixed to Peanut butter consistency
2) Sand repaired area and lightly scuff rest of piece
3) Squeegee "micro" mixed to molasses consistency over entire surface. Use an appropriate size rubber squeegee (I use a 8" one made for cleaning auto windshields on the cowling) Scrape the micro off the squeegee and continue squeegeeing. If done correctly you'll only use about 3 oz. on the lower RV8 Cowl. (The Epoxy cures slow enough to give you time to really squeegee off the excess whereas any of the polyester glazes cure too fast for multiple direction squeegeeing.
4) Lightly sand off any nibs. (Heavy sanding at this point would open new pinholes)
5) Spray on two full wet coats of Dupont Uro or PPG K36 Primer. These are both High Build, Easy sanding Urethane Primers. Available in Buff or Gray.
6) Wetsand with 240 wet/dry and inspect for pinholes or imperfections
7) Use a flowable polyester glazing putty on any remaining pinholes or imperfections. (there won't be many)
8) Spray on a final coat of primer
9) Wetsand with 400, wipe with "Final Wipe" or acrylic enamel reducer, Tack Rag!
10) Spray with Dupont Imron or PPG Concept Paint.

Esten Spears, RV8A, 80922, N922ES (reserved), Leeward Air Ranch

Another great link to filling in pinholes is here:

http://www.maddyhome.com/canardpages/pages/waynehicks/chapter_25_skimcoating.htm

Al Malecha strongly recommends using UV Smooth Prime. I bought a can to try it.

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Royal Jordanian Falcons Aerobatic Team

Sun, Jun 27 2004 @ 06:31 in Switzerland
Contributed by: Mick
Views: 1,867

Just saw this aerobatic team from Jordan today at the Bern-Belp airshow. They were very good, and I got a few pictures of their airplanes, the Extra 300. The paint scheme is superb, with equally good execution. I didn't find out who actually painted the planes, but the scheme was designed by the Queen of the country, Queen Noor.

As with most paint schemes on airplanes, a photo does not really convey the beauty of the paint, or the richness of the colors. This is a rather stunning paint scheme!

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Akzo Nobel Aerospace Primer

Sun, Feb 22 2004 @ 01:00 in Switzerland
Contributed by: Mick
Views: 1,704

The primer finally showed up. I ordered it from Holland, since there was no one in Switzerland that could sell me all three, primer, hardener, and thinner in less than a 55 gallon drum. The price was ok, but the shipping kind of shocked me at 200 CHF.

This stuff looks pretty dangerous - I'll be careful not to spill it or breath it.

Here is what I've got:

Epoxy Primer 37035A
Hardener 92140
Thinner C 25/90S

It should be a nice yucky green. Now I just need to buy a spray gun, build a paint booth, and get a respirator hood so I don't poison myself.

Update: May 13, 2004

Since I have not yet been able to heat my shop over about 11c, I had to farm out my painting to a local body shop, Carrosserie de Montmollin, and they painted a few parts for my wings. The results were excellent. The color of the primer is not too nice, a strange shade of green, but it is really a good, hard surface. Nicely seals the surface, unlike the primer used on the rest of the QB.

Here are a couple of photos of the paint on some parts:

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PreKote Environment-Friendly Metal Preparation

Fri, Jan 09 2004 @ 16:01 in Switzerland
Contributed by: Mick
Views: 2,442

Promising new replacement for Alumiprep/Alodine metal preparation. From their web site: "PreKote™ is a non-chromated metal preparation chemical utilizing a safe, hazard-free process. PreKote offers off-the-chart adhesion, improved paint flexibility, and superior corrosion protection on painted surfaces. PreKote has passed stringent testing by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Boeing Company and other coating industry leaders. By eliminating the need for chromate conversion coatings, acid etches, solvent washes and other toxic processes, PreKote can reduce paint preparation time and costs by up to 40% achieving results superior to hazardous processes and products."

Also,

Biodegradable
Non-corrosive
Phenol-free
Non-toxic
Non-Ozone depleting
Phosphate-free
Non-flammable
Odor free
Heavy metal-free

http://www.pantheonchemical.com/prekote_product.htm

How to use alumiprep

Mon, Nov 10 2003 @ 18:41 in Switzerland
Contributed by: Mick
Views: 2,714

From: Dukeav8r@aol.com
Date: Jan 31, 1998
Subject: Re: How to use alumiprep??

I prefer Metalprep over Alumiprep for the reason that you can use it on steel also. I believe they cost the same.

To use either:
- Make sure part is clean before using; MEK,acetone, etc.
- Spray, brush or dip part with Metalprep / Alumiprep. Plant sprayers work well. Of course, do not reuse a sprayer for different products. Dedicate a sprayer for Metalprep / Alumiprep.
- Use rubber or plastic containers and synthetic brushes or sponges ( acid resistant ).
- Use minimum strength and duration recommended on label ( more is not better ).
- Rinse well with water to remove residual chemicals.
- If surface drys before rinse, rewet with Metalprep / Alumiprep.
- Finish the part soon therafter, alodine, prime.

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Priming and Preparation tips from ANAC

Fri, Oct 31 2003 @ 05:01 in Switzerland
Contributed by: Mick
Views: 1,434

"The simplest way to prep the aluminum is to wet abrade with scotch brite and water, followed by solvent cleaning with acetone, or MEK, or toluene. The alternative is alumiprep 33 acid plus alodine 1201 conversion coating. This is not preferred because of the hazardous chromates in alodine.

In either case, before priming, it is essential to remove the thin oxide layer that forms on aluminum. Scotch brite or acid etch will accomplish this.

Good luck.

John Griffin
Sales Manager
Akzo Nobel Aerospace Coatings
john.griffin@wau.akzonobel.com
PH: 502-721-8109
Fax: 502-721-8043
Mobile: 847-612-5157

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Interior Paint Tricks

Fri, Oct 17 2003 @ 20:19 in Switzerland
Contributed by: Mick
Views: 5,084

IMO, one of the best posts to the list regarding this is by Dan Ward
8/15/02. ref: list archives Keywords Ward, Krylon, cockpit color, Faux
Granite... What follows is my implementation of the process he "invented".

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paint weight and coats required

Tue, Sep 16 2003 @ 21:52 in Switzerland
Contributed by: Mick
Views: 2,275

I thought I'd offer some insight for those of you who are interested in saving
weight on your paint job. I have learned (again, the hard way) that for a given
color, certain paint brands cover (or "hide") better than others, and from
a weight/time/money standpoint, obviously the fewer coats it takes to cover the
plane the better.

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