Rattle-can paint match?

[PeytonM]

1989 J. I am looking for recommendations for an “over-the-counter” paint for “Really White” base on my plane. Overall the paint is generally very good for a 30+ years old plane, except for some chafing on gear doors and a couple tail fairings. I’ve looked into custom aerosols, but there’s no paint code in my Airframe Logbook. The Illustrated Parts Manual has a Mooney Part# for Pratt & Lambert paint, but no paint code. I’ve reached out to Mooney, too.  
 

I just need it to be a closer match than the Rustoleum Gloss White I tried; it was too white!  Ideas, please, and thank you much!

[KB4]

Why over the counter.  Try a small cup of Matterhorn white from local aircraft paint shop.  Probably charge you nothing.  maybe $20   No shops around, good excuse to fly-in and do your touch ups. The SM does list the colors used each model covered in the SM.  Get some anti-chafe tape too.   

[Shadrach]

  On 2/22/2021 at 4:20 PM, KB4 said:

Why over the counter.  Try a small cup of Matterhorn white from local aircraft paint shop.  Probably charge you nothing.  maybe $20   No shops around, good excuse to fly-in and do your touch ups. The SM does list the colors used each model covered in the SM.  Get some anti-chafe tape too.   

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It’s not been my experience that a paint shop will do anything inexpensively. You'll likely have better luck pulling a gear door and taking it to a respected auto body shop for a pint of touch up.

Edited February 22, 2021 by Shadrach

[RobertGary1]

  On 2/22/2021 at 4:26 PM, Shadrach said:

It’s not been my experience that a paint shop will do anything inexpensive you. Better luck pullin a gear door and taking it to a respected auto body shop.

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Battery box access panel. 

[Hank]

@PeytonM, remove any easy panel that's the color you want to match. Go to a good auto paint shop and they can match it. It worked well for me. 

While you're going there anyway, take a panel with all of your colors and get everything matched.

[Shadrach]

  On 2/22/2021 at 4:30 PM, RobertGary1 said:

Battery box access panel. 

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Good idea.  Sad to say that in my case, the UV exposed paint on the top side of the fuselage is not as true to the original color as the underside. 

[PT20J]

Some NAPA auto parts stores have a paint dept. When matching, make sure that they have a camera device that comes up with an exact match. Some places use a color key for auto colors and come up with the closest match to a standard color which won’t be an exact match. Paint shops can put the paint in a rattle can. You will have to decide what kind of paint you want. The original is a 2K polyurethane which requires a hardener. (Actually, you can use it without the hardener, but it will not be nearly as durable). You can also get a one part enamel. It’s best to paint an entire panel as it’s very hard to get a good blend with polyurethanes since airplanes are not clear coated.

There are lots of MS threads about doing this if you search a bit.

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[EricJ]

On my airplane and a buddy's Cherokee we both found that the Ford "Oxford White" is a pretty close match.   On my airplane you can tell the touch-up spots don't match if you're really close, but from more than about twelve feet it's not noticable.   I get it at auto parts stores off the shelf in rattle cans.

The two airplanes in question:

 

 

[0TreeLemur]

Funny, my log book says my a/c was painted "Cessna White".  I guess that's a recognized color?  Based on a few poorly applied touch-ups, it looks like someone in the past found a rattle-can that matched it very closely.

[PT20J]

  On 2/22/2021 at 9:42 PM, 0TreeLemur said:

Funny, my log book says my a/c was painted "Cessna White".  I guess that's a recognized color?  Based on a few poorly applied touch-ups, it looks like someone in the past found a rattle-can that matched it very closely.

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For many years, Cessna used "Vestal White" and Piper used "Juneau White". Not sure what they are using now.

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[Ross Statham]

Perhaps try a can of “Betty White”.  It seems to hold up well with age.