Painting your Zenith Aircraft - Zenith Aircraft Builders and Flyers2024-03-29T12:23:17Zhttps://zenith.aero/forum/topics/painting?id=2606393%3ATopic%3A668418&feed=yes&xn_auth=noThanks for the confirmation,…tag:zenith.aero,2019-04-01:2606393:Comment:6722692019-04-01T16:50:03.006ZCarl Ortonhttps://zenith.aero/profile/CarlOrton
<p>Thanks for the confirmation, Stephen. I've been using the "good" foam rollers from WalMart, but just yesterday discovered the Home Depot foam. They seem denser, but otherwise the cell structure looks about the same. I washed (water only) the rollers and followed-up with rolling them on some tape to pick up any dandruff.</p>
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<p>I've just been using 4x6" test pieces, prepped and alodined. I'm using the Fire Red (!), and it covers VERY well. Used the Brush Ease as…</p>
<p>Thanks for the confirmation, Stephen. I've been using the "good" foam rollers from WalMart, but just yesterday discovered the Home Depot foam. They seem denser, but otherwise the cell structure looks about the same. I washed (water only) the rollers and followed-up with rolling them on some tape to pick up any dandruff.</p>
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<p>I've just been using 4x6" test pieces, prepped and alodined. I'm using the Fire Red (!), and it covers VERY well. Used the Brush Ease as well.</p>
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<p>Alodined two more test pieces last night and will paint later today. I had a "duh..." moment this AM when I realized that although I prepped the test subjects very well, I then laid them on an un-prepped surface; just slight roller movement off the test pieces *could* have picked up some trash, so I'm going to apply paint on a different support stand. Sheesh - if it was something that simple I'll be kicking myself!</p>
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<p>Thanks again;</p> Carl,
I used the 4" foam roll…tag:zenith.aero,2019-04-01:2606393:Comment:6722682019-04-01T16:26:04.610ZStephen Aupperlehttps://zenith.aero/profile/StephenAupperle
<p>Carl,</p>
<p>I used the 4" foam rollers from Home Depot and Lowes. They are usually in a plastic package of 4. Make sure you use a new roller each time you paint. I did not need to sand or use buffing compound between coats. Make sure your environment is clean so you don't get any debris on the roller. It took 3 coats before the surface really looked shiny. Also make sure you mix the Interlux 433 Brush Ease with the paint at about a 10% ratio which thins out the paint to almost a watery…</p>
<p>Carl,</p>
<p>I used the 4" foam rollers from Home Depot and Lowes. They are usually in a plastic package of 4. Make sure you use a new roller each time you paint. I did not need to sand or use buffing compound between coats. Make sure your environment is clean so you don't get any debris on the roller. It took 3 coats before the surface really looked shiny. Also make sure you mix the Interlux 433 Brush Ease with the paint at about a 10% ratio which thins out the paint to almost a watery texture. This helps with a smooth application. </p> Believe rebalancing after pai…tag:zenith.aero,2019-04-01:2606393:Comment:6721012019-04-01T15:39:38.459ZJoe Hopwoodhttps://zenith.aero/profile/JoeHopwood
<p>Believe rebalancing after painting whether any flight testing done or not.”</p>
<p>Believe rebalancing after painting whether any flight testing done or not.”</p> Keep in mind that the Cruzer…tag:zenith.aero,2019-04-01:2606393:Comment:6721672019-04-01T15:06:53.970ZGary Reedhttps://zenith.aero/profile/GaryReed
<p>Keep in mind that the Cruzer has balanced flaperons. If you do any flight testing before painting, you will need to Rebalance them after painting and then re-accomplish the high speed flight checks. Not complicated but something not to be overlooked.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the Cruzer has balanced flaperons. If you do any flight testing before painting, you will need to Rebalance them after painting and then re-accomplish the high speed flight checks. Not complicated but something not to be overlooked.</p> Stephen, what brand and model…tag:zenith.aero,2019-03-31:2606393:Comment:6721602019-03-31T23:53:25.582ZCarl Ortonhttps://zenith.aero/profile/CarlOrton
<p>Stephen, what brand and model rollers did you use? All the FOAM rollers I’ve found thus far are only marked good. They left a lot of (?) dandruff in the paint, so I washed them then used tape on them to pull off remaining stuff. Still looks like crud. </p>
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<p>Dud you use compound or other buffing compound once dry? Sand between coats?</p>
<p>Stephen, what brand and model rollers did you use? All the FOAM rollers I’ve found thus far are only marked good. They left a lot of (?) dandruff in the paint, so I washed them then used tape on them to pull off remaining stuff. Still looks like crud. </p>
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<p>Dud you use compound or other buffing compound once dry? Sand between coats?</p> I'm doing all of the painting…tag:zenith.aero,2019-03-28:2606393:Comment:6718152019-03-28T01:04:35.297ZMark Pensenstadlerhttps://zenith.aero/profile/MarkPensenstadler
<p>I'm doing all of the painting before flying. The only exception will be the cowl. I will paint after flying. I first want to make sure that I won't have to cut any additional cooling inlets or modify any part of it. So once I put some hours on it and see that the engine temps are fine, then I'll paint it.</p>
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<p>Here's my YouTube channel where I show a lot of my painting...…</p>
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<p>I'm doing all of the painting before flying. The only exception will be the cowl. I will paint after flying. I first want to make sure that I won't have to cut any additional cooling inlets or modify any part of it. So once I put some hours on it and see that the engine temps are fine, then I'll paint it.</p>
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<p>Here's my YouTube channel where I show a lot of my painting...</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/s10sakota" target="_blank">www.youtube.com/user/s10sakota</a></p>
<p><a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/s10sakotaBA" target="_blank"></a></p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1688728800?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1688728800?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p> Like some of the rest, I fitt…tag:zenith.aero,2019-03-26:2606393:Comment:6712862019-03-26T05:15:41.629ZJon Humberdhttps://zenith.aero/profile/JonHumberd
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1622313653?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Like some of the rest, I fitted everything up, disassembled, and then painted major components before final assembly.…<img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1622313653?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1622359624?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1622359624?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1622313653?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Like some of the rest, I fitted everything up, disassembled, and then painted major components before final assembly.<img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1622313653?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1622359624?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1622359624?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1622426513?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1622426513?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p> I am painting my 601XLB befor…tag:zenith.aero,2019-03-25:2606393:Comment:6714732019-03-25T18:42:32.280ZMark Stevenshttps://zenith.aero/profile/MarkStevens
<p>I am painting my 601XLB before I attach wings and tail. Mainly doing this so I can paint the edges between the aileron/wing, flaps/wing, tail/elevator etc. If you are not an experienced painter, have a professional do it. I have been struggling for months and invested a lot of cash for paint, spray gun, compressor, etc, and am achieving fair results. Using the Stewart Systems paint to avoid needing respirators and air systems. As far as vinyl goes, I have explored that and found some…</p>
<p>I am painting my 601XLB before I attach wings and tail. Mainly doing this so I can paint the edges between the aileron/wing, flaps/wing, tail/elevator etc. If you are not an experienced painter, have a professional do it. I have been struggling for months and invested a lot of cash for paint, spray gun, compressor, etc, and am achieving fair results. Using the Stewart Systems paint to avoid needing respirators and air systems. As far as vinyl goes, I have explored that and found some companies won’t do it anymore - they told me they were having trouble with delamination on some control surfaces. A partial wrap wasn’t cheap either. Hope this helps.</p>
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<p>Mark</p> Carl,
I really don't think yo…tag:zenith.aero,2019-03-14:2606393:Comment:6695932019-03-14T19:38:06.104ZStephen Aupperlehttps://zenith.aero/profile/StephenAupperle
<p>Carl,</p>
<p>I really don't think you will have any problems. I would paint the underside first to get the hang of how to do the process. That way if you have irregularities they won't be seen. Then rotate and complete the rest of it. It should be dry the next day in order to put on the saw horses. I applied Alodine on the whole airplane at one time since it was fully assembled. I then did the crevasses first, the underside the next day, the rest of the fuselage the day after and so on. The…</p>
<p>Carl,</p>
<p>I really don't think you will have any problems. I would paint the underside first to get the hang of how to do the process. That way if you have irregularities they won't be seen. Then rotate and complete the rest of it. It should be dry the next day in order to put on the saw horses. I applied Alodine on the whole airplane at one time since it was fully assembled. I then did the crevasses first, the underside the next day, the rest of the fuselage the day after and so on. The wings were done last and you saw the pictures, I think it came out pretty good. Like I said you may need 2-3 coats before it looks like it has completely covered the aluminum material. Make sure you clean up at the end of each day using lacquer thinner and throw away the foam rollers. Get a small 4" roller pan and use a smooth piece of plastic or metal inserted in the pan so that you can roll off the excess paint instead of the traditional ridges that are in the pan. This will give you a smooth look when rolling on the paint. Have a small detail brush handy along with a rag to wipe off any excess paint dripped on the floor or the plane. Make sure you mix about 10 per cent Interlux 433 Brush-Ease to the paint before painting. This will make the paint roll on smoother. The consistency will be close to almost water. Also use the Interlux 216 Special Thinner if you are spraying so that it flows through the nozzle ok. You may need to try different consistencies to get it right. Try it on some test pieces first to see what it looks like. Have fun.</p> BTW, a tip for scuffing the m…tag:zenith.aero,2019-03-14:2606393:Comment:6695922019-03-14T19:17:35.869ZJohn Austinhttps://zenith.aero/profile/JohnLAustin
<p>BTW, a tip for scuffing the metal before paint:</p>
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<p>Presta makes "<a href="http://www.prestaproducts.com/Scuff_Stuff__Surface_Prep-details.aspx" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Scuff Stuff</a>," which is an abrasive compound for surface prep. My painter was worried that just scuffing with a Scotchbrite pad would leave "halos" of unscuffed metal around the rivet heads. So, he used Scuff Stuff with a pad and it worked great! I was concerned it would get in the rivet mandrel holes…</p>
<p>BTW, a tip for scuffing the metal before paint:</p>
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<p>Presta makes "<a href="http://www.prestaproducts.com/Scuff_Stuff__Surface_Prep-details.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scuff Stuff</a>," which is an abrasive compound for surface prep. My painter was worried that just scuffing with a Scotchbrite pad would leave "halos" of unscuffed metal around the rivet heads. So, he used Scuff Stuff with a pad and it worked great! I was concerned it would get in the rivet mandrel holes and mess up the paint, but it washes out easily (and completely!) with water.</p>
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<p>John</p>