Glassing and painting a wood fuselage

[Mike Hester]

Using masking tape, tape up the adjuster pins.

After the trim glass has cured, go back and trim up the edges. Trim it close with a razor blade, then use 220 grit paper to sand the glass flush. It sands VERY easily.

The best thing I've found for this step is getting a foam rubber mattress cover from Wal Mart, cost about $10. Spread this out on the table and it helps prevent the fuse from getting any last minute dings. be VERY careful at this point because you don't want to ruin all that hard work.

Lay the fuse on one side and drape a piece of .7 oz glass cloth over the fuse. Trim it larger than the fuse by a good bit; you will trim it to shape as the glass lays out. if you trim it close now, it WILL come up short somewhere.

At the rear adjuster, make a relief cut to pass the adjuster in through the glass. Spread out the glass working it down smoothly from this point outward. Now make a relief cut for the front adjuster. Don't make the cut for the stab adjuster pin yet.

[Mike Hester]

Now for all the marbles...make or break!

Mix up some resin, 25/5 and stir. Then mix 50/50 with axcetone. This mixture is CRUCIAL to the final weight of the plane.

Starting around the rear adjuster, brush down the glass working from the center outward. Move toward and around the nose first, then work your way to the tail. Don't worry about the edges yet.

Work as fast as you can, trying not to get too much resin down. You do not want any dry spots, but don't let it puddle too much. You have a lot of working time with this mixture but if it starts to thicken on you, simply add a little more acetone as it will evaporate during the process.

As you approach the tail, make the relief cut for the stab pin. Now lay down the glass all the way up the tail.

At this point use a foam roller and go all over the plane rolling out the mixture. This evens out the resin and soaks up any excess. if you have excess or any puddling, it will bubble up during curing and you ill have a mess. The roller garauntees it comes out as smooth as silk and as light as possible.

Drape the glass over the center line of the plane and cut the glass so it overlaps the center line about 1/4" or so. Go all the way around the plane. You may have to make a few cuts around the front of the fin to get it to drape across.

Now go around and paint down the edges of the glass and roll them out with the foam roller.

At this point, go over the entire fuse and check for any dry spots. Brush on a little resin and roll it out if you find any.

Let the fuse cure for a few hours. What you're looking for is the resin to 'kick". it will become very sticky and tacky, but the glass is stuck and won't move. The exact time varies, but it's usually between 3-5 hours depending on temperature etc.

When the fuse is sticky to the touch but kicked, spread out a LOT of micro baloons. Just throw them all over the fuse and then rub them inwith your hand (in a glove, NOT your bare hands!). As the micro baloons work themselves into the weave it will create a pasty like surface. You will know when the weave is saturated. this step helps to fill the weave and minimize weight. Rub out the whole plane and then let cure overnight.

[Mike Hester]

The next day, go over the overlapped area with 220 grit paper and sand it down a bit. Just sand it smooth and sand off the rough area.

Now flip the fuse to the other side and repeat the process.

That's all there is to it, you just glassed a 2 meter plane like a pro!!!

Let the fuse cure for a few days, the longer the better. Then sand smooth with 220 grit paper.

Using a sharp blade, trim out the openings for the wing tubes, stab tubes, and re-cut the rudder hinge slots. Trust me on this one, you'll hate yourself later if you don't

Now were ready to prep the plane for primer.

[Mike Hester]

I'm locking this thread so as to avoid chatter while I gather pics of the priming/painting process. if you have any questions/comments, please start a new thread. Just trying to keep this one clean and clear.

-M

[Mike Hester]

Gearing up for the finish

I thought I would use this opportunity to discuss equipment.

First, you need a decent compressor and sprayer. We'll discuss the compressor first.

A decent sized 110v compressor is a must for every shop. You need about a 20+ gallon tank and all the horsepower you can get. It should be capable of delivering at least 5cfm to the gun. Just shop around, they aren't all that expensive. The more compressor you can afford, the better.

At least as important as the compressor is the regulator and dryer. You need a good filter/dryer to keep moisture to a minimum. nothing sucks worse than having a kick ass finish laying down, you're spraying the clear, and suddenly a drop of water comes through. I use a dryer at the compressor and a dessicant filter at the end of the hose just before the short hose to the gun.

The regulator is mandatory. You need at least one for the compressor side. Most guns require between 19-45 psi depending on the model. Keep in mind that if you install a regulator at the compressor and have a long hose, the pressure will be much less at the gun. This can cause headaches.

What I do is set the compressor regulator at about 50-60psi, and install another regulator at the base of the spray guy. Pull the trigger on the gun and let it spray wide open. The pressure will drop, and THIS is the set pressure. Adjust this regulator to whatever your gun requires.

As for spray guns, well, you need a good one. How good is up to you and your wallet. I have an assortment of spray guns and air brushes, each having thier own purpose. However if you're doing a standard type of a finish, all you really need is one of the HVLP guns from Harbor Frieght.

This is my favorite low end gun: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46719

As you can see this one comes with the gun side regulator and it's only $60. This is the gun I use for primer. For the beginner, I would suggest just using this one for primer, base coat and clear. Make sure to clean it THOROUGHLY after spraying.

For colors I recommend a good high flow airbrush of decent quality. For the money there is no way you can beat the Iwata Eclipse BCS shown here. http://www.dixieart.com/Eclipse.html

Using a combination of these sprayers/brushes will greatly enhance the quality of the finish and the weight of the finish. The right tool for the job and all that.

Again, filter the air. Iwata makes a good pistol grip air filter for thier brushes.

Now these are all you really need, and you can do a HELL of a job with just the equipment mentioned. However if you really want to get set up and you find you really enjoy the process, I suggest a variety of guns and brushes. For instance, a Sata Minijet won't make you lay down a finish like Bryan Hebert, but it is the tool that can get you there with practice.

A more professional set up would look like this:

Primer-Harbor freight HVLP detail gun
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46719

Base color: Sata Minijet

Trim Colors: Iwata Eclipse BCS
http://www.dixieart.com/Eclipse.html

Clear coat: Sata Minijet

In a perfect world you'd have your very best HVLP gun set up to spray nothing but clear. No contaminants, no tinting, especially if you don't do a very good job of cleaning after spraying.

Now if you REALLY want the best money can buy, in addition to the items listed, get yourself an arsenal of super high quality air brushes. The very best is this set: http://www.dixieart.com/K9900_Kustom_Kit.htm

These will allow you to do all of the trickest, custom and unbelievably cool stuff your mind can imagine. if you plan to do a lot of airbrushing I also recommend this compressor: http://www.dixieart.com/Iwata_Power_...ompressor.html Either the power jet or the power jet pro. These are smaller compressors with regulators, airbrush holders etc built in.

So, you can do it as cheap or as wide open as you feel like. But be warned, if you ever do start playing with airbrushes and trick paints, it's very addictive.

One very important thing to mention is the respirator. Make SURE you have the right respirator for the paint you are using. Acrylic Urethanes can kill you, FAST. If you are spraying these paints your best bet is a fully rebreathing fresh air system, not just a face respirator. But it's your body, what's it worth?

The last thing you'll need equipment wise is a polisher. Do a search and find a good 3-4" buffer/polisher. Although optional, after using it I consider it mandatory. This thing can fix almost anything if you have the sack to do what is needed after all that work. I'll detail the process at the end. But you can find a full polisher kit with all the pads for less than $100.

You also need some form of a fixture to hold the part. I will take pics of what I use soon. You just need something to keep the part off the table in mid air. Use your imagination.

-M

[Mike Hester]

Paints, primers etc.

There are so many options here it's not even funny. The biggest thing you have to consider is, if you are painting a glow plane, will the paint hold up to the nitro. I STRONGY suggest a single stage paint like PPG Concept for the bottom of the plane, or any area which may be in direct contact with the exhaust or raw fuel.

For primer, there is nothing better than PPG K-36. This stuff is very light and sandable. It builds fast and dries relatively fast. There are other primers out there which may do our job better, like epoxy based white custom primer. But you have to buy a lot of this and it's not cheap. Stick with the K-36, you can get it from Radio South if you don't have a PPG dealer nearby. But get 2 10 ounce kits, one is never quite enough.

You have a few different ways you can go with the paint itself. I strongly suggest a single stage paint instead of base coat/clear. Although you may think the clear will seal the paint and protect it, all you need is the most minor of scratches or chip and your paint is ruied if fuel gets to it. Acrylic Urethanes are the best and the lightest, but realize they are also the most expensive. Radio South sells small amounts of PPG Concept in monokote matched colors. If you're only doing one plane, this is the only way to go.

Clear coat: This is a double edged sword. Clear coat makes your paint work SHINE. It helps give the finish that wet look. it's also very very heavy. My advise is avoid clear except where you absolutely need it. if a color goes down smooth, don't clear it...it's just dead weight. if you have a lot of defects and have to wet sand the crap out of your color, then a coat of clear is just the ticket.

On electrics, use of clear is taboo. Because it's just not needed at all. On my electrics I use clear on the canopies ONLY. the rest is just straight paint and maybe a quick polish to make it shine...nothing else.

Painting light

if there is one area that screws people up on the quality of thier finish, it has to be the reducer. You know those recommendations for the paint mixture? Follow them to the letter for the paint and activator. DOUBLE the amount of reducer they call for. Remember these formulations are meant for CARS, not small weight critical planes. Thier primary concern is a deep, wet looking finish...not weight.

Set your gun up to the proper pressure and then use the flow control to adjust the paint flow. Adjust it until you get a fine mist. it should take a few passes to get the paint to "flow" and look smooth. Light misted coats are the trick. As soon as the paint is opaque and has a decent coverage, walk away and DO NOT spray over it again! You're just adding weight.

As for the clear.....mix the clear and activator according to manufacturer's recommendations. Now, mix this 50/50 with reducer. Yep you heard me. It's about a 2-3 ounce difference on the VF3 vs mixing it according to their specs.

These are just a couple of things you need to keep in mind before you begin. And make sure you understand ALL of them before you put anything on your plane.

-Mike