Chan Hughes
Well-known member
Fuselage is through 2cd coat of Colorado Red. N53844 is back on the map.
Stencils pull best after 2 hours. I tried taping over areas of stensil where there small bubbles to prevent them from running/creasing/growing which caused small overspray on my tail feathers. What I found was the taping on top of stensil "locked" the stensil and fabric tauntness underneath it in place. After pulling stensil, I could see an impression on the fabric. See picture below. After the several hour cure the tautness of the area evened and problem resided.
Ive recently changed spray guns from a 1.5mm gravity feed to a 2qt pressure pot system with a 1.7mm tip. I would recommend nothing smaller for recover jobs. Best 170$ ive spent so far. Found on amazon. Astro 2PG8S. Ive found my best settings to be 40-42psi at gun w 10-12 in pot. For a higher gloss Butyrate finish I mix colored dope 4:1 with J-3000. Then thinner 4:1 with reducer. Optimal temp is 65. Will polish with a 3M product "Perfect-it" then wax w Carnuba Wax when all is done then update.
Worth noting that I still see my brush marks from first coat of Nitrate in certain bays where I overlapped and around stubborn tapes. My thought was the silver phase was going to be my saving grace in that I could keep silvering and sanding until glass finish, then topcoat. That really isn't the case. Even though the surface is perfectly smooth from sanding, you mostly see the defect by a change in gloss/ depth. My extra strokes of Nitrate around tapes/ corners translates to a deeper and glossier topcoat finish. Looking back, more blending Nitrate passes around those areas would have helped.
Let me know if you have any questions about spraying/ stensil placement.
Next is localized repair on wings. Mostly around inspection panels. Stripping to base fabric for repairs.
(Approved jacking method)...
Change in tautness due to tape
Stencils pull best after 2 hours. I tried taping over areas of stensil where there small bubbles to prevent them from running/creasing/growing which caused small overspray on my tail feathers. What I found was the taping on top of stensil "locked" the stensil and fabric tauntness underneath it in place. After pulling stensil, I could see an impression on the fabric. See picture below. After the several hour cure the tautness of the area evened and problem resided.
Ive recently changed spray guns from a 1.5mm gravity feed to a 2qt pressure pot system with a 1.7mm tip. I would recommend nothing smaller for recover jobs. Best 170$ ive spent so far. Found on amazon. Astro 2PG8S. Ive found my best settings to be 40-42psi at gun w 10-12 in pot. For a higher gloss Butyrate finish I mix colored dope 4:1 with J-3000. Then thinner 4:1 with reducer. Optimal temp is 65. Will polish with a 3M product "Perfect-it" then wax w Carnuba Wax when all is done then update.
Worth noting that I still see my brush marks from first coat of Nitrate in certain bays where I overlapped and around stubborn tapes. My thought was the silver phase was going to be my saving grace in that I could keep silvering and sanding until glass finish, then topcoat. That really isn't the case. Even though the surface is perfectly smooth from sanding, you mostly see the defect by a change in gloss/ depth. My extra strokes of Nitrate around tapes/ corners translates to a deeper and glossier topcoat finish. Looking back, more blending Nitrate passes around those areas would have helped.
Let me know if you have any questions about spraying/ stensil placement.
Next is localized repair on wings. Mostly around inspection panels. Stripping to base fabric for repairs.
(Approved jacking method)...
Change in tautness due to tape
. Transitioned to multiple high build primer coats, sanding, then finish with Randolph Enamel in Insignia White.
