OK, so I'm an old auto laquer, and or dope painter...So I need some "Modern" auto paint questions answered. (I'm a little slow, I guess)

Doug, I read your article on forward masking and...What is Base Coat Clear? Is it differant than clear top coat? Is it the base coat that you add the pigment/toner to to make color? What %'s? (I guess it's the change in language that's bamboozeling me!)

What's "Flash"? Am I reading that you are putting down masking tape on top of 20 minute old paint???

I'm asking these questions because I'm recovering from a bad "no pigment" episode from Randolph's Lemon Yellow. I was saved by a "famous model painter" mixing me a batch of toner and Brodak clear that will presumably cover my problems...

Appreciate any help received on this subject 


Ward-O

  Ward,
   I have also used clear buterate dope over base coat colors. It isn't as fuel proof as clear, but with my respitory problems it isn't as toxic either.
  Hope that this shed some "light" on your questions...

>>All the colors of PPG without the price.<<

Well, most of the colors, anyway. There are some that can be made with high end DuPont or Ditzler paints that can't be made with Omni. But not very many. The occaisional metallic or pearl based paint and most of the stuff that includes liquid carrier material. But for the most part, Doug is right. And Omni is a lot cheaper than the high end stuff and seems to work just fine.

Mark couldn't be more right on the money.  I found two really nice guys over at the local English Color near where I work and when I told them I was building a model plane they really got interested.  One guy said finally something different for a change.  They talked me into the higher urethane content clear as it will be more fuel resistant.  I am only building a plane every few years now and using 20% nitro, or higher, on this one I decided it was the right choice.  I could have gotten more acrylic based clear for my money, alot more, but I would never use it all before the hardener went bad so I didn't see the point.  If you got say 4 guys looking to finish up a plane a piece at the same time, pitching in a dividing it up would be a great way to get a killer clear coat for little cost.  You can get a gallon of the acrylic based clear and the matching hardener for under $100.  He told me it is not show car quality clear but since our models don't sit in the sun all day every day and sit in the rain and sit in the snow and get pressure washed and have layers of road grime on them the shine would last for years and years  That is a quart of clear per plane, you wont even need near that much I mean not even close.  I used about 1/3 of a quart total for my latest 700 sqr inch plane.  A clear coat for $25 or less is less that dope and will last way longer!  Plus you would have a bunch left over to work on the next one.  Like I said I didn't go with the acrylic based stuff because I wouldn't use it all and it would be a waste and I end up spending the same amount of money.  The stuff I used flowed out just like he said it would.  When you are talking with a paint guy about this stuff be sure to tell him you are working on a model plane, with area of about a front quarter panel  but with tight turns.  That way he will know which direction to point you in, plus most guys are interested in custom stuff.  For me the paints are the most forgiving.  The clear is a little more daunting.  I don't shoot it that often and it is one of those things you need to get right on the first try.  I shoot a one coat, you can have mistakes and over spray in this coat.  It sets up 24 hours and then wet sand it with 600 and shoot again only a tiny bit wetter and slower.  Seems to work really well.  Having that sanded coat seems to be a really nice base for the second coat to lay on and it wets out real nice.  Wetting out means it will flow out level like water does on a table but too much and you get a run.  A very fine line there! 

I used PPG Concept clear and matching hardener.  The DCU line.  Along with the matching clear reducer.  The reducer sure helps it wet out.  That is cheap, $10, way to get a real nice wet out and it helps it swallow over spray. 

Randy,
with that Sata jet, you should be able to lay it out so you dont have to polish at all, except the mosquitos and such,, but yes, HOK clear is real nice stuff, but I wont use it cause I use concept base colors,, something about having a mixing bench at my disposal or some such drivel,,,,,,

I have seen this stuff used over dope and it worked just fine but it was on the nose for protection and not over the whole plane.  I would think it would be fine.  I would say you should make a test panel for sure on something like that.

Yea, I've done both basecoat/clearcoat with all urethane (over a dope based substrate) and shot dope all the way up to clearcoat then used a urethane clear. The Shoestring I built was done this way and worked out really well.

Repair is OK if you are reasonably careful. You have to take the clear back (sanding) past the point of repair then shoot the new colors on the repair area making sure not to lay it on over the urethane (other than a a light dusting). Once that's done, you just need to blend it a bit then re-shoot the urethane over the whole repair area, feathering it out on to the undisturbed clear. Usually, if you've gotten the area really clear prior to starting and you shot a bit of urethane reducer along the area where the new urethane meets the old, it works out fine. The repairs on the Shoestring came out pretty well overall.