Mr.Tom,
Wow! She's a beauty. Can you go into detail on the finish?
Acrylic under the dope? Or dope to stick/seal the silk/tissue/covering with acrylic over the dope?
My curiosity is in regards to using acrylic paint, and how to fuel-proof it.
Thanks in advance,
Stuck in dope Jim
Thank you Jim for the nice comments
I am a care giver for my family and really have to watch what I spend . So a few years ago I started mixing paint and went thru trial and error. I come up with using Du-Pont 3608 lacquer thinner and craft paint from Wal-Mart that cost 50 cents for 2 ounces......One gallon of thinner last me to do three airplanes. I wish one day to use all dope.....LOL....but.....I have to do it this way. when spraying the paint the surface (this is super important) temperature has to be between 66 to 72 degrees to slow the drying process down so the thinner and acrylic can chemically bond to surface
I use non-taughen butyrate to seal the whole plane before coverings........then I use polyspan and silk span for coverings and apply them with taughten dope and put three coats on....then I use DC540 Napa primer paint which I sand off onto the floor
after all colors and details are on I clear coat three times with clear non- taughten dope
This works for me.....but ....this isn't for everyone I know.....but I get results to at least looks nice to the eye.....there is mistakes and it would probably get put on the back row of judging......
I just learned to spray clear coat before panel lines......next plane I will do that....never thought of doing that and nobody ever mention that to me.....so I have mistakes there
I got the kit from the beginner event that I placed third place in 2017 .......engine cost was 60 bucks (I had to jew for.....LOL) ........tank from old plane I had from a hand me down plane and the pushrod from Tom Morris which I will be able to do at least two planes ....maybe three.....wheels cost me 2 bucks from swap meet
All together I have 16 dollars for whole plane (not counting engine)
This is the fourth plane I have built since I got back into flying control line.......each plane gets better....so....I am on the right track
I am still a beginner pilot and hoping to win the Nats this year with the Hurricane