Regarding John Moran's observations on filling/painting --
I won't say I'm an expert on this stuff, but I have painted two planes and
several
autos in the past with various coatings. Most of what you wrote is very good,
especially concerning the techniques. Several comments, though:
>In an article in the LongEZ publication ( Central States Flyer ?) Ken
>Miller suggests, after completion of normal filling, adding 25% filler to the
>first coat of primer (called micro-primer), then sand most of this off thus
>filling minor scratches and defects and slight low spots. <snip>
I doubt the 25% filler in the primer does much, especially since you're
sanding
most of it away. I have added (more than 25%) filler to unthinned, lacquer,
primer-surfacer and it's cheap "spot putty." More important is that the
primer
is intended as a surfacer, as some primers may not feather well (more
noticeable
on metal surfaces, though).
>I have seen two EZ's finished with this technique and they were outstanding.
>I am unsure whether this is due to the technique or the skill of the
finisher.
>Is this a common technique? Has anyone used it on their Europa?
What you see as a final result isn't as much what's several coats underneath
(as
long as it is sanded smooth -- 400-600 grit wet), as the quality of the final
coating itself, spray technique, quality of the spray equipment, and how well
it flows out. Take any very smooth piece of anything, prime and paint it wet
with
discount-store spray enamel, and put it in a 150-degree over. Results should
be excellent, due to the flow-out facilitated by the heat. Plus, the fine
mist and
low pressure from a spray can is what you want out of a good spray gun.
>Nothing beats sunlight at an acute angle for finding surface defects in the
>filler. However, a flashlight works well for finding pinholes, etc. when used
>at a glancing angle. I rigged a wall supply to a cheap flashlight to
eliminate
>the expense of batteries.
Very true, but you might still miss bad spots. Cheap spray lacquer can be
applied
also, which misses nothing, and then wet sand it all away.
>The EZ drivers also mentioned a review in the Central States Flyer (?)
>critical of the System Three finish, which I had hoped to use. Has anyone on
>the Europa net seen this review?
Would like to read that too, as I would like to use the stuff. But one bad
review
by us non-pros in this business doesn't mean much, and I have seen many
positive ones.
The usual polyurethanes tend to be a bit translucent, requiring rather wet
coats to cover properly (though a white primer helps) and to flow out to the
gloss you see on some people's planes. If you look at enough professionally
applied poly's on airplanes, you often see no orange peel on the horizontal
surfaces where they lay it on real thick, and some peel on the vertical ones.
Translates to weight though (and cost!).
The System Three stuff is supposed to be easier to work with, and there's an
advantage to the two-step process (base coat and clear, gloss coat) when you
allow the base to dry first and then sand out any imperfections. You may even
wind
up with less total weight, as System three recommends relatively thin coats.
This
process is the same as the automotive "clear-coat" which produces excellent
gloss.
Regards --
Fred Fillinger, A063
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