mooneyflyer Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 Some paint dings on my lower cowling have built up over the years. I know nothing about touch up painting a Mooney. Can anyone share how to do a good job? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 There are a few existing posts on the subject... matching paint and rust/oxidation inhibitors are easy to do... https://mooneyspace.com/search/?q=Painting touch ups&sortby=relevancy&search_and_or=and I didn’t do an exhaustive search, but this is not too hard to do.., My old paint challenge was more... it takes more paint over the years until it was nearly all missing... visiting with a paint shop in California can be fun... see the shop that @mooneygirl is familiar with... Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DualRatedFlyer Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 Sounds like a comprehensive answer would make a great article for the Mooney flyer (publication) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Releew Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 I've been painting for a while.... Lacquers, Acrylics, Epoxy, Poly.....Color Coat/Clear Coat so you can take my advise or go to the next guy. First determine what is a touch up and what is a panel spray out. Sometime enough of the dings = painting the panel! For a novice you will be more successful painting a panel with a hard stop (a panel line or a separate part like a cowl. Remember a control surface requires balancing on a full spray out. I do not recommend color coating a control surface. Too heavy! On a chip, the paint needs to be feather edged. Meaning there is no HARD STOP to the edge of the paint. The can be done by water sanding with 320 Grit paper in a circular motion using a rubber sanding block. Once feathered, spray some primer to build the surface back and lightly sand again. If you do not see a dimple, chances are you did it correctly. With the chip feathered and filled with primer, wet sand the entire area with 600 Grit paper. Wipe the are clean with PrepSol to eliminate painting atop of any oil residue. Apply one light tack coat , wait 5 minutes followed but two additional consecutive coats sprayed in different directions. Why still tacky, lightly spray a chemical called Blend or FADE. This is a HIGH level reducer that will melt the edge of the new paint and the old paint together. Try to apply this product on the spray line between the wet and dry paint. If you apply too much too fast your new paint will run off the surface. When dry for 24 hours, wet sand again with 800 Grit paper then use a cutting compound and buffer to polish the entire surface. I recommend you use a polypropylene based two part paint. If you screw up it will be hard enough to sand smooth in 24 hours. If you need a verbal explanation you can email me and I will give you my contact information. Rick 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 Any advice for little dime-sized or smaller chips on the leading edges? Seems like spraying these is overkill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DualRatedFlyer Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 12 minutes ago, Releew said: I've been painting for a while.... Lacquers, Acrylics, Epoxy, Poly.....Color Coat/Clear Coat so you can take my advise or go to the next guy. First determine what is a touch up and what is a panel spray out. Sometime enough of the dings = painting the panel! For a novice you will be more successful painting a panel with a hard stop (a panel line or a separate part like a cowl. Remember a control surface requires balancing on a full spray out. I do not recommend color coating a control surface. Too heavy! On a chip, the paint needs to be feather edged. Meaning there is no HARD STOP to the edge of the paint. The can be done by water sanding with 320 Grit paper in a circular motion using a rubber sanding block. Once feathered, spray some primer to build the surface back and lightly sand again. If you do not see a dimple, chances are you did it correctly. With the chip feathered and filled with primer, wet sand the entire area with 600 Grit paper. Wipe the are clean with PrepSol to eliminate painting atop of any oil residue. Apply one light tack coat , wait 5 minutes followed but two additional consecutive coats sprayed in different directions. Why still tacky, lightly spray a chemical called Blend or FADE. This is a HIGH level reducer that will melt the edge of the new paint and the old paint together. Try to apply this product on the spray line between the wet and dry paint. If you apply too much too fast your new paint will run off the surface. When dry for 24 hours, wet sand again with 800 Grit paper then use a cutting compound and buffer to polish the entire surface. I recommend you use a polypropylene based two part paint. If you screw up it will be hard enough to sand smooth in 24 hours. If you need a verbal explanation you can email me and I will give you my contact information. Rick What kind of sprayer/paint/psi? What if I wanted to strip a belly panel and start from scratch? what about quarter size chip - still spray? total noob here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Releew Posted October 9, 2018 Report Share Posted October 9, 2018 Use a Harbor Freight HVLP feed. OK for a few jobs. By far not a good solution for multiple uses or to paint an entire plane Set for 40 PSI at the tip Use a filter at the gun Quarter size chip can be feathered and blended Removing the paint completely from the belly takes care, as it is fiberglass. Solvent stripping is not recommended. Remember painting on aluminum takes additional prep steps as in an etching primer on the raw aluminum then followed by a build primer for filling. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Releew Posted October 10, 2018 Report Share Posted October 10, 2018 For dime size leading edge opportunities I have successfully taped the surrounding area and filled the void with multiple coats of paint. When you have enough build up (chip filled) remove the tape, wet sand with 800 Grit then cut and buff. This ONLY works with solid colors, NO Metallics! A little trick I learned was to activate the paint and allow it to start to thicken. If you wait long enough you can use a plastic or rubber squeegee and literally spread it on. Remember you are trying to get the surfaces even. Don't worry too much about what it looks like because you are going to sand, cut and buff it...... Like I mentioned earlier, before making the decision to fill a lot of Dime Size chips it may be a good idea to paint to a panel. On my Mooney I had a lot of paint splintering. Too much flying in the rain!!! I taped a hard line to the second row of rivets and painted the entire leading edge. This worked very well. Almost looks like protective wing tape. I will look for some pictures.... Rick 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Releew Posted October 10, 2018 Report Share Posted October 10, 2018 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.