N number change

H

Helo pilot

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 7, 2020
Messages
65
Location
Florida
Just finished changing the N number on my Decathlon. Due to the pandemic it took a lot longer than I had anticipated. Two months to reserve the new number then two more months to get authorization to apply the new number to my aircraft. The only thing that didn’t take two months was obtaining a new airworthiness certificate. That only took two days and was completely done on line. My Decathlon had vinyl numbers so swapping them out was easy. I tried to order new vinyl numbers from ACA but they wanted $500. Aerographics wanted $80 and Sporty’s wanted $40.
 
That was the first thing I did. Who wants another "zero three echo" on the airport. Back in 2003 it took maybe three weeks start to finish. I made a stencil out of cardboard - total cost $2.38 for the white rattle can. And ten bucks for the FAA fee.
 
I'm about to rejuvenate my fuselage, which means I'll be repainting the (same) N numbers. Was going to trace and then make a stencil. Any suggestions on good stencil material that won't permit leakage? Which is better - hollow stencil or reverse (mask the letters and spray the background color over the mask, then peel off?)
 
Ed,

When I did mine I didn't sand the N-numbers off quite as much as the stripes and other stuff. They were visible enough through the new paint that I was able to mask them off and paint them almost exactly as they were before.
 
Yes - $40 is quite reasonable for those. Out here we can use 1" numbers and clean up the sides. Who wants to go to Mexico anymore?
 
One more thing. Aerographics had the best selection of styles. They were more money but you could get exactly what you want. Here is a link: aerographics.com
They also carry Bellanca graphics. It's worth taking a look.
 
I use Callie Graphics in Magdalena, New Mexico. She was suggested by a forumite on the J3 site, and has done Cub bears, a set of Colbert Eagles for my Decathlon, and a bunch of custom model train stuff.
Sent from my iPad
 
Here is the area I want to refinish initially. I am going to refinish the fuselage fabric top and sides from the front edge of the H-stab forward to the wrap-around cowl and skylight. Issues I need to fix:

The finish on top of the fuselage from v-stab to skylight roof is cracked pretty badly, with areas of exposed fabric.
A couple of tapes are lifting along the bottom edge, and a few spots around the door need to be reinforced.
The dope along the middle side stringers (the ones thru the middle of the N-numbers) is cracked and opened up to expose fabric.

My plan is to strip along the stringers and add 1" reinforcing tape, possibly add 2" reinforcing tapes along the upper longerons, and put 2" reinforcing tape over the areas with lifting tape and around the door. Then will sand all cracked areas, shoot rejuvenator on the whole area, wait a week, shoot 2 layers of silver on any areas where dope is broken, and then reshoot color over the whole area.

Any advice on how to streamline the color coat process would be helpful. I would like to have this done in 3 weeks so I can take it to Sun n Fun. That is also about the time that the weather turns hot and humid, which can be a major constraint when spraying dope. In particular, I don't want to spend a whole lot of time masking for complicated details.

The Ceconite process book recommends spraying a coat of white as base coat under yellow and red. So I was thinking I would shoot the whole fuselage area, then shoot the yellow top half and blue stripes on top of that. That raises an interesting question: should I mask the N-number before I shoot yellow, so when I peel off the tape the white base coat shows? Or should I shoot yellow, then reshoot the numbers with a conventional stencil?

Or should I just go with the vinyl?

Photo Jul 07, 17 19 29 (5).webp
 
Let's have a close-up of the worst cracked area?

We had one like that - the owner and I scuffed up the areas, glued surface tapes over the cracks using Stewarts glue, then Eko-fill and wet-sanding, then white Butyrate. Then she had a pro painter shoot the entire fuselage with Randthane.

Six years later no cracks, and it has been tied down outside the entire time. There is a legal problem mixing processes, but we regarded it as a minor alteration.

What you are proposing is likely to turn into a nightmare. Pulling tapes off cracks the paint, and smoothing that out will require more labor than a recovering job.
 
Not going to pull the tapes off. Going to strip the tape and the adjacent fabric bare, brush some Super Seam behind the loose tape, then glue a new 2" tape on top of the loose tape with a 1" overlap on either side of the loose tape edge.

Based on the repairs I have done so far, I'm pretty confident in the holding power of the new Super Seam. That crap is bulletproof if you apply it to bare fabric. The manual makes it very clear you gotta get to bare fabric though. I don't have any problem with that; stripping with butyrate thinner and a putty knife is fast and easy.

I'll start a new project thread and post pics when I dive in on Friday.
 
Big Ed said:
Here is the area I want to refinish initially. I am going to refinish the fuselage fabric top and sides from the front edge of the H-stab forward to the wrap-around cowl and skylight. Issues I need to fix:

The finish on top of the fuselage from v-stab to skylight roof is cracked pretty badly, with areas of exposed fabric.
A couple of tapes are lifting along the bottom edge, and a few spots around the door need to be reinforced.
The dope along the middle side stringers (the ones thru the middle of the N-numbers) is cracked and opened up to expose fabric.

My plan is to strip along the stringers and add 1" reinforcing tape, possibly add 2" reinforcing tapes along the upper longerons, and put 2" reinforcing tape over the areas with lifting tape and around the door. Then will sand all cracked areas, shoot rejuvenator on the whole area, wait a week, shoot 2 layers of silver on any areas where dope is broken, and then reshoot color over the whole area.

Any advice on how to streamline the color coat process would be helpful. I would like to have this done in 3 weeks so I can take it to Sun n Fun. That is also about the time that the weather turns hot and humid, which can be a major constraint when spraying dope. In particular, I don't want to spend a whole lot of time masking for complicated details.

The Ceconite process book recommends spraying a coat of white as base coat under yellow and red. So I was thinking I would shoot the whole fuselage area, then shoot the yellow top half and blue stripes on top of that. That raises an interesting question: should I mask the N-number before I shoot yellow, so when I peel off the tape the white base coat shows? Or should I shoot yellow, then reshoot the numbers with a conventional stencil?

Or should I just go with the vinyl?

View attachment 3432
Click to expand...
i forget, was that the airplane that Skywagons had for sale out in California?
 
Big Ed said:
Not going to pull the tapes off. Going to strip the tape and the adjacent fabric bare, brush some Super Seam behind the loose tape, then glue a new 2" tape on top of the loose tape with a 1" overlap on either side of the loose tape edge.

Based on the repairs I have done so far, I'm pretty confident in the holding power of the new Super Seam. That crap is bulletproof if you apply it to bare fabric. The manual makes it very clear you gotta get to bare fabric though. I don't have any problem with that; stripping with butyrate thinner and a putty knife is fast and easy.

I'll start a new project thread and post pics when I dive in on Friday.
Click to expand...

Bart like new project threads. :)
 
I am quite torqued off. Ordered a custom N-number stencil strip from Spruce last week. Website says it drop ships within 48 hours of order. I had hoped it would arrive today. No package yet, and no UPS tracking number, so I don't even know if it has been shipped yet, or where from.

I had hoped to get my refinish done by Saturday to fly to Sun 'n Fun with my youngest son. He has never flown with me before. I figured SnF would be an epic adventure for him. It's only a 20 minute drive, so I can easily go by car, but I really wanted to show for the Decathlon 50th Anniversary display.

All that is out the window if I can't shoot yellow tomorrow. My original plan was to mask off the letters, shoot yellow, then pull the tape to reveal white numbers.

Options now:
  1. Wait for the stencil and go to the airshow by car.
  2. Shoot yellow and then apply a temporary N-number in 2" white vinyl tape.
  3. Try to recreate the stencil with masking tape or stencil vinyl.
It's looking pretty good so far. That fresh clean dope does catch the eye. I really hate to screw it up at the last minute with a half assed N number job.

Thoughts?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top