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Author Topic: Looking for suggestions on covering/painting Starduster Too  (Read 475 times)

Offline Miotch

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Looking for suggestions on covering/painting Starduster Too
« on: February 16, 2023, 09:17:25 AM »
Getting close now.  I still need to put thin balsa on sides between cowling and front cockpit to mimic the sheet metal; put a couple of stringers down the sides behind that; fill, final shape and sand.  As of now, the top wing is still removable.  The "I" struts will be removable when finished, but I'm struggling with a decent way to make the entire wing removable. As of now, the cabane struts will be epoxied into the upper center section after everything is covered.  The sole reason I'd like a removable top wing is so I could play with the angle of incidence, if necessary.  But this isn't going to be a stunt machine, so it's probably fine as is.

I have both Koverall and heavy silkspan. My initial thoughts are to cover the fuselage and tail with silkspan and use Koverall on the wings.  Fill the weave with nitrate.  The only reason I'd use Koverall over silkspan on the wings is that I'm less likely to punch a hole in it.  I don't really care about mimicking fabric weave because this isn't a spot-on accurate reproduction of the plane my dad built (like Fred Cesquim's beautiful Smith Miniplane), but just the best I could do using a picture of the plane, set of calipers, my limited skills and judgement calls on realistic vs. buildable vs. flyable.  And the truth is, you couldn't see the weave on the real plane either, because I spent a hundred hours wet sanding coat after coat of silver as a kid.

After covering though, I'm stuck.  I absolutely cannot spend a ton of money on dope/paint/supplies because I answer to my other half.  And the paint scheme is fairly complex (see bottom picture of plane dad built).  I have some white Sig, but probably not enough.  I have some red Sig, but it is too light.  I have some dark red Brodak I had mixed from clear (darker than dad's plane, but close enough).  I have some black (if it isn't too thick by now, and I fear it is).  I could buy some additional dope if I go that direction.  OR, I thought about using spray can enamels.  But I'm fearful the fuel will make a mess of it.  And no matter how careful I am, I'm like Pigpen when it comes to fueling and starting an engine.  Another option is two-stage auto paint, but based on the stuff I bought 20 years ago, a three-color scheme would make that $150 minimum, so that's probably not in the cards.

If the plane flies and isn't destroyed, it probably won't be flown more than 20 times or so before it is hung from a ceiling near the N numbers cut out from the real plane when it was recovered a few years ago.  I could change my mind on that though.

Is spray enamel over nitrate OK ??  Is it fuel proof enough (fuel for Saito .56) ??  Is it pretty enough ??  I generally build 10 footers (I'm not capable of the finishes you guys are).  If I'm lucky, this will be a five footer.  The thought just warming up and shaking cans, and of not having to set up a spray rig, finding thinner/retarder is mighty attractive.  I haven't finished a plane in probably 18 years, so the easier and more fool-proof I can make it, the better.

Thanks for any suggestions/tips/advice.
« Last Edit: February 16, 2023, 09:47:47 AM by Miotch »

Offline Dave Hull

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Re: Looking for suggestions on covering/painting Starduster Too
« Reply #1 on: February 16, 2023, 11:22:16 PM »
Mio,

It is not easy to give advice on finishes. What some think is a nice looking, serviceable finish others might find unacceptable. I'm not a great finisher and don't claim to be. I can show you a plane that might support one of your listed options?

The plane in the pictures is a Fancy Pants. It was modified from the plans and built with some serious internal flaws--but for all that I thought it was kind of nice so when it was given to me I flew it maybe a half dozen times to figure out what it needed. Essentially, I had to build a new nose on it, fix the bellcrank setup and repaint. The paint originally was Rustoleum, and that is what I repaired it with. I believe the wings are covered in polyspan, probably doped(?) and then painted with Rustoleum. I haven't quite finished the new cowling (it was missing when I got it) but maybe someday soon...?

I have flown several planes with Rustoleum and it holds up fairly well, but as you say slopping raw fuel on it probably will take the external shine off of it fairly quickly. Once that external surface is breached, it will start to get gummy. I have painted 1/2A planes with it and it holds up better than I would have expected to 25% fuel. I assume that you will use 15% nitro for the Saito? Where the Rusto really falls apart on you and makes a mess is if the fuel can get under the topcoat, maybe into the primer layer and the whole finish starts to bubble and lift. If the entire plane is painted seamlessly this is much less likely. But don't seal your cowling for example with epoxy and then only paint the outside of it with Rustoleum. It will start to lift from the exposed edge and come off in sheets after significant use.

If you use Rustoleum, I would only use something mild like Windex to clean the plane. Do not use isopropyl alcohol!

Good luck with your beautiful Starduster project!

Dave
(A huge Starduster Too fan)

Offline Miotch

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Re: Looking for suggestions on covering/painting Starduster Too
« Reply #2 on: February 17, 2023, 08:15:50 PM »
Thanks.  Love that round cowl !!  Something else I've never really done is primer, which I should. And you're right that even on auto clear, where I usually start having problems is on the edge of a cowl,  I suspect the fuel gets under the finish.


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