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Painting as each kit is finished?

BTG1996

Active Member
Friend
First time builder here.

It looks like I'm gonna have significant downtime between kit deliveries. Is there any downside (other than setup/cleanup) to painting as I finish each kit? Does paint hold up if open/stored for a while (maybe a few months)? Any problem with consistency between gallons of paint?

I'm thinking of a simple one color silver/gray base with vinyl accents when the build is complete, so just shooting everything with one color- would not need to worry about lining anything up.

Thanks for any advice!
 
So you're planning on painting it the color of a hazy overcast day so it'll blend in and be hard to spot?

Dave
 
First time builder here.

It looks like I'm gonna have significant downtime between kit deliveries. Is there any downside (other than setup/cleanup) to painting as I finish each kit? Does paint hold up if open/stored for a while (maybe a few months)? Any problem with consistency between gallons of paint?

I'm thinking of a simple one color silver/gray base with vinyl accents when the build is complete, so just shooting everything with one color- would not need to worry about lining anything up.

Thanks for any advice!

You should be able to do that successfully with a couple of cautions.

Paint has a limited shelf life, especially once opened. I would think you could get away with a few months with no issues, as long as you sealed up your paint cans thoroughly. If it will be a couple of years, your left over paint will probably be bad and you will need to buy new. That leads to the second caution.

The color of paint may vary slightly from batch to batch, depending on what paint you use. This usually is not a problem with high end auto or aircraft paints. Particularly for automotive paints that are precisely mixed to order. They are in the business of color matching prior paint to a high degree to meet the needs of the auto repair business. If you are using some other paint, then you'll have less confidence that two cans of the "same" color will really be the same when applied.

I painted parts of our RV-7 at two different times and had good results using a base coat-clear coat automotive paint from Eastwood. There was most of a year between when I painted the fuselage and the cowl, both red, and they match very well (see photo). I was very careful to seal up the leftover color coat, and then shook the **** out of it to mix it super thoroughly before using it again.

Hope this helps, and good luck!
 

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You should be able to do that successfully with a couple of cautions.

Paint has a limited shelf life, especially once opened. I would think you could get away with a few months with no issues, as long as you sealed up your paint cans thoroughly. If it will be a couple of years, your left over paint will probably be bad and you will need to buy new. That leads to the second caution.

The color of paint may vary slightly from batch to batch, depending on what paint you use. This usually is not a problem with high end auto or aircraft paints. Particularly for automotive paints that are precisely mixed to order. They are in the business of color matching prior paint to a high degree to meet the needs of the auto repair business. If you are using some other paint, then you'll have less confidence that two cans of the "same" color will really be the same when applied.

I painted parts of our RV-7 at two different times and had good results using a base coat-clear coat automotive paint from Eastwood. There was most of a year between when I painted the fuselage and the cowl, both red, and they match very well (see photo). I was very careful to seal up the leftover color coat, and then shook the **** out of it to mix it super thoroughly before using it again.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

That helps- thanks! And kudos on your paint job- looks awesome.
 
That would work. Painting an airplane is a big job and your way would break it down some.

Thanks for the input!

I'll post pics if/when it happens. Sounds like Deltron auto paint is a popular option- might do that and break it up into two sesssions- tail/wings and fuselage/cowling to avoid having to store and reuse much of it versus opening a new gallon.
 
So you're planning on painting it the color of a hazy overcast day so it'll blend in and be hard to spot?

Dave

Thinking something like this with brighter accents (leaning toward green or red, but not sure). There are a couple similar at the airfield I fly out of and think it would look good on a vfr 12 and be fine against a blue sky.
 

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Paint

I would stick with premix colors. They are more likely to be closer to consistent color from one gallon to the next months apart. Even more likely if the color is neutral. White/Black, etc. Color will vary slightly from one batch to the next.
Eastwood and Summit are re-branded Kirker paints. All three are excellent paint.
Then there's the choice of 2K primer, single stage, two stage etc. Keep it simple.
 
Matching colors

Nowadays paint suppliers can get a reasonably good match between custom mixed batches if they have a sample to work with.
Unopened cans that are stored properly have a shelf life of at least 2-3 years, depending on the brand. Upend the can on the shelf every few months to prevent the solids from settling.
If there is a slight variation between colors it will be less noticeable between surfaces that meet at an angle, e.g. wings/fuse, whereas if the engine cowling is not the same as the fuselage then it may be more noticeable.
Spray painting technique and atmospheric conditions can affect the finished appearance too!
 
Your best chance of good color match between parts is to use “factory pack” colors. These are made in the factory in very large quantities. The worst for matching will be reds, yellows, oranges, and anything with metallic or pearl.

One thing to consider, there is no better wing holder than the fuselage.
 
Your best chance of good color match between parts is to use “factory pack” colors. These are made in the factory in very large quantities. The worst for matching will be reds, yellows, oranges, and anything with metallic or pearl.

One thing to consider, there is no better wing holder than the fuselage.

So true, nothing should remain in contact with paint until cured for a month. Maybe not then.
 
Paint

You might consider getting all your paint at the same time. Have your supplier mix the whole batch then divide into quart cans and you can use them as needed. When the time comes mix in the other ingredients as precisely as you can to match the other batches.

Don Broussard
RV9 Rebuild in Progress
57 Pacer
 
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You might consider getting all your paint at the same time. Have your supplier mix the whole batch then divide into quart cans and you can use them as needed. When the time comes mix in the other ingredients as precisely as you can to match the other batches.

Don Broussard
RV9 Rebuild in Progress
57 Pacer

@cajunwings New Iberia La. Now there is a place that I haven’t been to in forever. Painted a bunch of big jets there back in the 90’s.
 
I'm definitely going to stick with a standard color for simplicity/uniformity for a first project.

Great idea on having it split into quarts and rotating cans.

I appreciate all the advice!
 
I painted mine in chunks. It was very satisfying to see the parts in color for the first time. It was easier than I thought to assemble scratch free (or close)
 

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I painted mine in chunks. It was very satisfying to see the parts in color for the first time. It was easier than I thought to assemble scratch free (or close)

Beautiful shine on those Mikeyb- you've inspired me to give it a shot.

I don't think I'll have to worry about consistency over time as long as I use a common color from supplier mass producing. What paint did you use? Looks fantastic.

Thanks for the help!
 
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