I decided to be brave and try out some automotive 2K clear on the Gieseke Nobler I have been working on for my brother.  I used SpeedoKote SMR-105P and the medium activator.  http://www.speedokote.com/smr-105-75-p-mobile-refinish-clear-coat-pint-kit/ 

Its wings, rudder, stab and open body areas were covered by the previous owner in Japanese tissue and painted with some variety of polyurethane, Minwax or some such. The combo of the poly finish and tissue made it so fragile that it was nearly impossible to be handled without shattering or puncturing the tissue.  It would just fracture like glass at the slightest touch.  To remedy this, I covered the wings, flaps, stab, rudder and the open body areas with .001" D&K polyester lamination film.  I didn't quite feel like trusting the fuel resistance of the mystery polyurethane clear on the fuselage, so I masked off the wings and hit the fuselage, stab and rudder with 2 thin coats of the 2K clear.  Shiny!

Why clear over balsa and no color?...The plane was already quite light so I didn't want to needlessly add additional weight and potentially kill the performance of the plane with more primer, color and clear.  As a novice finisher, I didn't feel confident that I could give the plane a solid color and still have it be light weight.  After the adding the film over the tissue and the toots of 2K clear, it now weighs right at 40oz including the Brodak 40, plastic 4oz tank, spinner, and prop.  It should be a great flying plane at that weight.

The Speedokote 2k clear is a product designed for the mobile dent and paint repair industry.  I mixed it 4:1 per the instructions and poured it straight into the cheapo Harbor Freight gravity feed hvlp detail gun running at 40psi.  It was sprayed low tech style,(out on my patio) and yes, I used a proper mask.

I am sold on 2K clear!  It sprayed very nicely and leveled out with great gloss.  Using a real paint gun gives so much control versus spray cans.  For a total novice at painting, I am very satisfied with the finish. 

If anyone needs encouragement to try using a 2k auto clear...just do it! 

At 40oz that Nobler should be a great flyer!

.001" D&K polyester lamination film.
What is source for this product ?

http://www.dkgroup.com/product/polyester/

"PET-LIT GS" is what I used.  It is treated to accept glue and ink and is described as "glueable and stampable." 
It advertised as 1.3 mil and measures around .001 - .0013-ish. 
Good stuff.  I have a lifetime supply...

In reality, probably just about any of the brands of polyester lamination films in the 1mil - 1.5mil range would be just fine for this application. 
Phil Cartier's SLC film is really great stuff as well, though it feels and looks different from the various varieties of lamination film. 

Dave, The paint was dry to the touch pretty quickly, but like all paint it was "tender" for a while.  It was still giving off some slight fumes for a few days, but was hard and dry. 

I mixed the clear in 3 very small batches for a total of about 4oz of paint.  I mixed the paint in a handy little Anchor brand 5oz mixing glass that I picked up at Walmart for $1.75.  The mixing glass has graduations printed in mL, teaspoons, tablespoons, and ounces which worked great for mixing small amounts of paint.  Instead of the multiple batches, i should have just mixed a single 4 or 5oz batch, which would have been preferable to running out of paint... twice...  live and learn.   

Hard to say how many oz of paint actually made it onto the plane as it was kinda windy when I sprayed and I also refinished the headlights on my car at the same time (which turned out really great I might add!).. 

I used only the components of the "medium" kit (SMR-105-75P).  No additional reducer was used.  The kit consists of the pint of SMR-105 urethane clear coat and four ounces of SMR-75 medium speed (65-80°F) activator.    I just poured it straight into the gun after mixing 4 parts paint and 1 part medium activator.   

There are 4 speeds of activator that can be used with this same "SMR-105" urethane base:
- SMR-95 extra slow speed (90+°F)
- SMR-85 slow speed (80-90°F)
- SMR-75 medium speed (65-80°F)
- SMR-60 fast speed (50-65°F)

And, just like every other brand of 2k clear on the market, there are fast, medium, and slow reducers available along with retarder if needed.


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https://www.harborfreight.com/4-oz-hvlp-touch-up-air-spray-gun-61473.html

I decided to be brave and try out some automotive 2K clear on the Gieseke Nobler I have been working on for my brother.  I used SpeedoKote SMR-105P and the medium activator.  http://www.speedokote.com/smr-105-75-p-mobile-refinish-clear-coat-pint-kit/ 

Its wings, rudder, stab and open body areas were covered by the previous owner in Japanese tissue and painted with some variety of polyurethane, Minwax or some such. The combo of the poly finish and tissue made it so fragile that it was nearly impossible to be handled without shattering or puncturing the tissue.  It would just fracture like glass at the slightest touch.  To remedy this, I covered the wings, flaps, stab, rudder and the open body areas with .001" D&K polyester lamination film.  I didn't quite feel like trusting the fuel resistance of the mystery polyurethane clear on the fuselage, so I masked off the wings and hit the fuselage, stab and rudder with 2 thin coats of the 2K clear.  Shiny!

Why clear over balsa and no color?...The plane was already quite light so I didn't want to needlessly add additional weight and potentially kill the performance of the plane with more primer, color and clear.  As a novice finisher, I didn't feel confident that I could give the plane a solid color and still have it be light weight.  After the adding the film over the tissue and the toots of 2K clear, it now weighs right at 40oz including the Brodak 40, plastic 4oz tank, spinner, and prop.  It should be a great flying plane at that weight.

The Speedokote 2k clear is a product designed for the mobile dent and paint repair industry.  I mixed it 4:1 per the instructions and poured it straight into the cheapo Harbor Freight gravity feed hvlp detail gun running at 40psi.  It was sprayed low tech style,(out on my patio) and yes, I used a proper mask.

I am sold on 2K clear!  It sprayed very nicely and leveled out with great gloss.  Using a real paint gun gives so much control versus spray cans.  For a total novice at painting, I am very satisfied with the finish. 

If anyone needs encouragement to try using a 2k auto clear...just do it!

Bitching! I may just try that. Looks great. Ship has a personality all its own.

Thank you, Jerry

And I like that spray gun and its price.

What compressor or  other equipment do you use for that setup?

I think I need a setup like that.

Well, this Speedokote clear seems to be plenty fuel proof.  I left a paper towel stuffed into the cowl over night that was dripping and soaked with 20%nitro fuel.  When I checked it this afternoon, the fuel had not affected the finish at all.  Can't say yet as to how it will react to hot exhaust, but it seems to be tough stuff. (Just as I expected a 2K automotive urethane to be)