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Building Tips and technical articles. => Paint and finishing => Topic started by: Randy Powell on September 11, 2008, 09:09:11 PM

Title: Stupid Paint Tricks
Post by: Randy Powell on September 11, 2008, 09:09:11 PM
Man, I am having one of those nights. Got the first trim color for the new plane on last night. Pulled tape and had to back mask one little area to re-shoot the base color (darned taped pulled up while I was shooting the trim color - sigh... It happens). So I get done and decide to tape off and shoot the canopy. The plan was to shoot a light coat of this blue I have so the base color would show through. Great. I tape and mask and mix up the paint. What's the first rule of painting? Alway shoot on a test panel before you shoot on the plane. Well, I didn't and shot the paint on the canopy ... and out comes a bunch of blops. Something in the gun. Man, and I just cleaned the darned thing.

So, plan one out the door. I guess we shoot it a solid color. That's OK, it should look pretty good. So I lay on 3 thin coats of the color and it looks OK. Now, the smart thing to do would have been to walk away right then. But NOOOOO. I had to screw with it. I thought I'd just pull the paper and mask off and leave the taping until tomorrow. Now, I won't go into all the gyrations of this, suffice it to say, I manage to put my finger into the wet paint, not once, or twice, but three times. I did it the first time and it was just a tiny spot. So I put the paper and mask back on and re-shot the one area. then managed to do it again when I was pulling off the mask. Fixed that and then on the third time, I managed to remind myself to just walk away. So the tape is still on, but I'll have to sand the area ( great big spot, right in the middle of the canopy), re-re-re-re-mask it and re-shoot it for, what? A fourth time?, tomorrow.

This is Randy screaming off into the night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Stupid Paint Tricks
Post by: Steve Helmick on September 11, 2008, 10:42:38 PM
Randy...you need to take a break and go fly in a contest. Hmmm. There's one this weekend, and it's not all that far away...weather forecast looks good, too. The Electric Meany will be there both days, tho.  y1 Steve
Title: Re: Stupid Paint Tricks
Post by: Randy Powell on September 12, 2008, 10:38:28 AM
Steve,


Yep, I'll be there. I was just frustrated with myself. I should have just let the darned thing alone. It will be fine, but I'm not going to mess with it for a few days. I'll be in Centraila around 10am on Saturday.

I should note that much of this happened because of the initial problem. I really wanted the blue that went on to just be a thin coat so that the color underneath showed through. The initial crap in the gun that cause splotches, just irritated me and I just wanted to get done. There's a lesson in that. Should have just walked away.

Sigh....

Live and hopefully learn.
Title: Re: Stupid Paint Tricks
Post by: Clint Ormosen on September 12, 2008, 06:43:56 PM
Sorry Randy, but I had to giggle just a bit at this. LL~
Title: Re: Stupid Paint Tricks
Post by: Randy Powell on September 14, 2008, 08:42:45 PM
Nope, I'm a safety man. Re-breather at all time when a paint can is open.

Hey, I need all the (few) brain cells I have.
Title: Re: Stupid Paint Tricks
Post by: Randy Powell on September 17, 2008, 11:36:58 AM
Just as an update, it's all fixed now and looks fine (except I didn't get the color I wanted...grrr!). I'm moving on to the next undercolor. Oh joy, I so love 3 nights running of tapings.   ;D