In the spirit of keep calm and carry on I have started working on my fuselage. I do intend to paint the interior of my plane. I am looking for advice if painting parts before assembly is a better option and what challenges that brings with it. Thanks.
Painting before assembly will result in visible (unpainted) rivet heads and paint that gets dinged up in the assembly process. Most people prime, assemble, then paint. An alternate strategy might be to prime the faying surfaces, assemble, prime the whole interior, then paint.
You can also just assemble everything and then paint. The paint coating seals everything up so corrosion is not an issue.
I chose to prime parts and paint prior. Alliteration intended.
I love the look of the rivets. P60G2 primer was sprayed on everything. Then it gets complicated figuring out which surface shows. I chose no interior parts so those areas needed paint. I only sprayed the parts and areas that show. Bottoms of floors, for example, are P60G2 only.
I sprayed SW Jet Flex SB initially but found that Kirker Enduro Prime 2K epoxy was the same black, more durable and cheaper so I switched. Yes, I know. Primer can't be used as a top coat. Funny because the wheels on my 4x4 are sprayed white and going on five years in CO salty frozen roads.
I did see some wear on floor panels so I fixed those parts and made some cardboard covers. Hasn't happened again.
There are tiny gaps between riveted parts - think about fluted parts. The gaps are plenty big for moisture to get in. I don't believe you can count on paint applied after assembly to corrosion proof those areas (assuming that's the goal).
N8DAV8R;1730914 I used Rustoleum Self Etching primer on everything. All of my floor surfaces are also Rustoleum charcoal grey. In the locations where I expected contact and wear I also sprayed the textured stuff which should make for an easy and consistent re-spray down the line some day. The rest of it is Jetflex WR. .[/QUOTE said:I used the same approach, and was very please with the result, and when there has been the inevitable scuff and scrape, it was easy to grab a new can and touch it up.
Am I correct in that you used 2K epoxy w/o a top coat? A professional body shop owner told me that the 2K epoxy was durable enough to use w/o a top coat also. That's the direction I'm considering going as a time saver and I like the looks. Has the finish proven durable enough for typical use everywhere but the floors?Interior
I chose to prime parts and paint prior. Alliteration intended.
I love the look of the rivets. P60G2 primer was sprayed on everything. Then it gets complicated figuring out which surface shows. I chose no interior parts so those areas needed paint. I only sprayed the parts and areas that show. Bottoms of floors, for example, are P60G2 only.
I sprayed SW Jet Flex SB initially but found that Kirker Enduro Prime 2K epoxy was the same black, more durable and cheaper so I switched. Yes, I know. Primer can't be used as a top coat. Funny because the wheels on my 4x4 are sprayed white and going on five years in CO salty frozen roads.
I did see some wear on floor panels so I fixed those parts and made some cardboard covers. Hasn't happened again.
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2K primer is durable but it doesn't have a smooth surface. It will catch every dirty finger print and your interior will get dirty very fast.Am I correct in that you used 2K epoxy w/o a top coat? A professional body shop owner told me that the 2K epoxy was durable enough to use w/o a top coat also. That's the direction I'm considering going as a time saver and I like the looks. Has the finish proven durable enough for typical use everywhere but the floors?
Some 2K primers can be used as a sealer coat.2K primer is durable but it doesn't have a smooth surface. It will catch every dirty finger print and your interior will get dirty very fast.
Am I correct in that you used 2K epoxy w/o a top coat? A professional body shop owner told me that the 2K epoxy was durable enough to use w/o a top coat also. That's the direction I'm considering going as a time saver and I like the looks. Has the finish proven durable enough for typical use everywhere but the floors?
All the EnduroPrime colors (white, gray, black) are flat. Now that I think about it, primers are all flat. I think.Larry, is that a flat? Thought of using the gray.
I agree, I was pretty sure they are. The reason I asked the only photo of that paint in gray I could see on the internet was a gloss finish. I thought that was very strange.All the EnduroPrime colors (white, gray, black) are flat. Now that I think about it, primers are all flat. I think.
If you wanted some other neutral shade, you could mix. I recommend buying a quart, catalyst and slow reducer and playing. I prefer the 9085 slow reducer because it gives the paint a little more time to flow. I reduce about 15% by volume for spraying.
Look on my blog (signature below) for the Epoxy & Paint Calculator spreadsheet. It has formulas for all the paints I have used. Plug in dimensions and it spits out quantities. The formulas can be adjusted to suit your style.
Both of my planes interiors are coated only with epoxy primer. It is very durable and only needs to be top coated if exposed to UV. Because primer is not expected to see UV rays like the top coats do, the makers do not add UV inhibitors to the mix. I have almost no scratches or wearing, even on the floors (include the heel area in front of rudder pedals) and the 6 has 1100 hours on it. I once put some of this on a rust spot on one of my cars and never top coated. It took over 10 years before that started to change color and get hard from the UV exposure.Am I correct in that you used 2K epoxy w/o a top coat? A professional body shop owner told me that the 2K epoxy was durable enough to use w/o a top coat also. That's the direction I'm considering going as a time saver and I like the looks. Has the finish proven durable enough for typical use everywhere but the floors?
Sorry, but that is not a universal quality. I used SPI epoxy and it lays down just about as smooth as clear coat. It does not have as much gloss. More like a satin or egg shell, which I prefer for interiors to keep down light reflections on the panel. If I want the glossy look as well as UV protection, I shoot two coats of clear over it. I made a bumber with tire holder for my sons cherokee, as well as a front winch bumper. Shot both with black SPI epoxy primer and two coats of clear. Looks exactly like a top coat and 5 years later looks like the day I painted it. The weak link is the base coat to primer adhesion. EP with a CC top is much more resistant to chipping, by eliminating this weak link. Obviously you are seriously limited in color choice by doing this.2K primer is durable but it doesn't have a smooth surface. It will catch every dirty finger print and your interior will get dirty very fast.