Does anyone know how many solids Poly Fiber actually has? It seems crazy to me that for a J3 sized plane you will need 11 gallons of poly spray and 10 gallons of top coat.
Does anyone know how many solids Poly Fiber actually has? It seems crazy to me that for a J3 sized plane you will need 11 gallons of poly spray and 10 gallons of top coat.
Yes. That seems an awful lot. Quantities quoted by the paint supplier?
I haven't done my wings yet, but I'd forecast I'll use 6 of each when finished. It's always better to have more than you need, but...
I find the estimate from PF very interesting. As I recall in the manual, they say that if you can't see the fabric weave, you have put on too much solids, as you phrase it. I did a IV a couple of times and if memory serves me, it was a couple of gallons of each - maybe three. But then again, I used the 1.8oz fabric.
I used 8 gal of Aerothane top coat and it was more than enough. You will need lots of Polyspray to get 3 full cross coats. Good luck Josh.
Scott
Here is basically what i used. I noticed 2 gallons of something else afterwords that wasnt in the pic. Ken
And that doesnt include the cowling or wing struts.
Hi Ken. Wow, that's a lot of paint. I used to paint hot rods and classics and never used that kind of volume. Now for the questions. Did you use a High Pressure gun like the 65p.s.i.? if so, most of what you buy goes up in smoke. I painted a 31ft. Sport Fishing boat with just under 3 gal. of poly urethane. It stayed brite white for over ten years. I used an HVLP. The paint came out great. Most of the product you buy will go onto the item you are painting if you use an HVLP system. I just ordered another one, due in Monday. Hope this helps -Tom (Lion8)
Just an FYI Josh, I think that I could have got away with 4 gallons of Aerothane if I wasn't a first time painter. I still have two gallons of the eight that I bought. I used an HPLV sprayer with the fresh air breathing system. Contact me if you want to chat about my experience.
Scott
I wonder how many of the builders it is the first time that they attempted painting something tha required more than a rattle can to shoot? I've painted two cars, and would be hesitant to paint another!
Paul Zimmermann
LSRM-A
Garland, Texas
I've recovered an Avid Flyer and a Kitfox 4 and in each case used about 3 gallons of each, poly brush, poly spray, and poly tone. I did put one less coat of poly spray on the bottom of the fuselage and wings and tail feathers. If I remember right, I used 2 cross coats of poly spray, and couldn't see a light bulb held inside the fuselage. One thing to bear in mind, is poly fibre system should last for many, many years on a plane that sits outside. I knew mine would always be in a hangar when it's not out flying, and so UV is far less of a problem in my case. Another thing is I wasn't worried about completely filling the weave, just getting a even paint job with no light spots. Here is the Avid Flyer. Jim Chuk