New-to-me.... How do I match the paint for touch-up?

[Glen Davis]

Hi Guys,

I pick up my new-to-me Mooney on Thursday of this week. It's a 1984 M20J. I've owned lots of aircraft during my 41 years of flying but never anything fast.  My fleet has consisted of PA28-140 (2), AA1A, AA5B, C-172, and about 20 Ercoupes. I've added a couple of pictures for you to see.  While some of you are removing the same equipment I have in my panel for new stuff, this is by far the best panel I have ever flown behind and I am really looking forward to it.  There might be a fancy engine monitor in my near future.

I would like to buy some touch-up paint to apply to the leading edges were there are some chips and blemishes.  Any suggestion on matching the color?  It has the original paint.  I suspect even if I could match it via paint code, it might not match due to fading over 36 years, and I don't know the paint code, anyway.  Thoughts?  Suggestions?

BTW, my options were a Piper Lance or a Mooney.  Money won.

Glen

[Glen Davis]

That last line was a Freudian slip.  It should have read "Mooney won"

[Davidv]

Welcome aboard Glen. You made the right move!

I’ve found the easiest thing to do is remove your avionics hatch and bring it to a finish masters so they can match the color.  They can sell you a higher quality two stage paint in a spray can for the touch up.  Your other option is to buy something like Imron AF400 from them, hardener, and use a spray gun but that’s going to be much more expensive if you are just looking for a touch up to protect exposed metal.

[skykrawler]

That's the identical paint scheme to my airplane ... that is a cruising machine.

Do what Davidv says.  It will be very close.  I use a two part urethane paint.  I have used small artist brushes to fix chips and where paint is popped off rivets.   I have used an airbrush on other places where the 38 year old paint has separated around edges like fuel ports.

I used static cling type window tint on the back windows and across the top of the front.  Cuts down on the heat from the sun and keeps sun of passengers in the back on longer trips.

I had to buy wheel covers for the nose gear.   Looks better and keeps the bearings cleaner.

[Glen Davis]

Thanks.  Can you share the wheel cover part numbers and where to buy them?

[GeeBee]

The auto paint store I go to can create a color match and bottle it with a brush and agitator in it. Works great for small jobs.  They can even load it in an aerosol can for you if you are doing larger jobs. Just tell them what you are doing.

 

[carusoam]

4 hours ago, Glen Davis said:

That last line was a Freudian slip.  It should have read "Mooney won"

you can find the edit button for the posts you write... it is a bit hidden, but it’s there...

-a-

[Lance Link]

As mentioned above, remove the battery compartment cover and take it to a good commercial auto paint supply store, and have them "shoot" an area with a camera-like device designed for this purpose, to match the color.  They will probably need a single-color area a little bigger than a business card to do this.  And, polish that section really well with scratch magic or something similar, perhaps even some 2500 grit abrasive fabric, to really get down to the base color.  Otherwise the paint they mix will be a little too dark.  Small chisel-end artist brushes work really well for small areas.  You can even paint false "rivets" with big drops of paint.  You can buy plastic syringes on Amazon like the ones used by dentist for water, and use them like little caulking guns (with paint in them though of course), to "float" paint into really big areas (I've done areas as 1" wide and a foot long).  Great for those chips around the gas caps, seams and the like.  If you do this, only suck up paint into the syringe about 1/2" at a time, that will give you good control and keep it from spurting out.  You can cut the tips to the size you want.  Whether you use brushes or the syringe, only dab or "float" the paint (don't use strokes) up level with the existing, don't let it crown.  If it crowns, it'll be really noticeable.  I found that the floated paint does not sink in, it stays at the applied level.  Clean the areas where you are going to apply the paint first with rubbing alcohol, just a little, that stuff will eat your existing paint.  This worked a lot better for me than an airbrush.  I found the airbrush hard to control.  I also had the paint supply store mix up some cans, and I also used a small sprayer on some areas.  This work pretty well, but the paint doesn't really blend that well, and then when you try to polish it in, it tends to show.  (Better to touch up spots if you can).  Unless you have whole areas you can mask off and paint.  I painted a whole flap for example and it worked well.  But remember, don't paint any control surfaces.  If you want to do steel parts like nose gear, brush the bad areas with pretty heavy synthetic steel wool, clean with alcohol, then use a "rust reformer".  Works like magic.  I have had really good luck with paint put on this way staying put.  I turned a 5 into a 7 this way.  Wish I could do that with my wife!  

[RobertGary1]

Not disagreeing with any of what was said. But it should be noted that the paint specified in the Mooney Maintenance Manual is actually the only paint that is legal. Shops get audited by the FAA to be sure they’re not using Piper paint on Cessnas. 
Just to be aware of if you have legal Eagles walking around while you are working. 
 

-Robert 

[jetdriven]

2 minutes ago, RobertGary1 said:

Not disagreeing with any of what was said. But it should be noted that the paint specified in the Mooney Maintenance Manual is actually the only paint that is legal. Shops get audited by the FAA to be sure they’re not using Piper paint on Cessnas. 
Just to be aware of if you have legal Eagles walking around while you are working. 
 

-Robert 

The only aircraft I have heard of that is Cirrus aircraft, since they are composite, its pretty strict. And for some reason, propellers specify Sherwin-williams Polane on the TCDS, so yes, it has to have that to conform.

[GeeBee]

14 minutes ago, RobertGary1 said:

Not disagreeing with any of what was said. But it should be noted that the paint specified in the Mooney Maintenance Manual is actually the only paint that is legal. Shops get audited by the FAA to be sure they’re not using Piper paint on Cessnas. 
Just to be aware of if you have legal Eagles walking around while you are working. 
 

-Robert 

So if I go to a paint shop and get the airplane repainted in Imron instead of Jet-Glo I am illegal?

 

 

[RobertGary1]

15 minutes ago, jetdriven said:

The only aircraft I have heard of that is Cirrus aircraft, since they are composite, its pretty strict. And for some reason, propellers specify Sherwin-williams Polane on the TCDS, so yes, it has to have that to conform.

The manual says acrylic enamel for the paint coat. Zinc Chromate for prep. . MEK T-657 for prep and even allows Cuz polyester filler #6372 for repairs.

 

-Robert

[jetdriven]

So youre saying all these Mooneys painted with Imron are not airworthy?  Thats urethane, and actually the M20J SMM says its painted with Enflex III urethane enamel. I imagine the  1967 M20C manual says it was painted with lacquer.  But you cant even buy that now.

[Papogator24]

Man, I was seriously looking into this one. Congrats on the buy. 

[RobertGary1]

13 minutes ago, jetdriven said:

So youre saying all these Mooneys painted with Imron are not airworthy?  Thats urethane, and actually the M20J SMM says its painted with Enflex III urethane enamel. I imagine the  1967 M20C manual says it was painted with lacquer.  But you cant even buy that now.

Axalta has an division for aviation Imron. Not sure what the approval basis of it is. Could be TSO'd, etc, so not sure what aircraft its approved for. But your local auto paint shop likely won't stock it.

 

-Robert

[GeeBee]

The manual says how it is painted, it does not say it has to be painted with that paint or process. As long a the paint shop's process is FAA approved, it can be used.

http://blog.duncanaviation.com/index/bid/13033/Aircraft-Paint-Alternatives-A-Tale-of-Two-Regulatory-Agencies

 

 

[RobertGary1]

14 minutes ago, GeeBee said:

The manual says how it is painted, it does not say it has to be painted with that paint or process. As long a the paint shop's process is FAA approved, it can be used.

 

But if you go that route, how many of those places exist in the United States? Its certainly not realistic for hometown paint repairs. Otherwise you're back to the manual or some other approval(TSO, etc) as noted in your link.

-Robert

[Rmag]

Paint shop owner here...  Most manuals do not specify a specific paint.  There are exceptions such as Cirrus as Byron pointed out.

@Glen Davis not sure what part of the country you are but if you are near KMQS, drop by and we can put our camera on your aircraft and generate a pint of touch up for you using Axalta aviation paint.  If you are just touching up leading edge nicks you can use an artist's brush.  Its not a perfect finish but it does the job for nicks...

[M20F-1968]

I do not know where you are located, but K&D Aircraft painting in Robbinsville-Trenton Airport NJ I am sure can do a great job for you and at a fair price.

John Breda