Fiberglass Sailplane Refinishing with Polyurethane
IBlieden
I would like to hear from sailplane owners & repairers who have used
Polyurethane on gel coated fiberglass sailplanes, the products you used, the
process including the amount of gelcoat that was removed, and of course; the
outcome.
Thanks,
Ira Blieden
ibli...@aol.com
Rex & Noelle Mayes
Polyurethane, the first in 1986.
I currently prefer an acrylic urethane. The only
products I have used are by PPG, Durethane and
Concept. There are several different product numbers
for the paint, primer and reducers. The numbers seem
to vary depending on the VOC regulaions in your county.
The results vary considerably with the methods and
products I have used.
Some of the variables are:
1 how much gel coat you remove.
2 the condition of the gel coat that you paint over.
3 how much primer surfacer you apply and paint over.
4 climate control.
5 wet sanding and polishing techniques.
Most of the gliders I have refinished are stored out
side uncovered. They are in very poor shape before
the refinish and require a larger portion of the
gelcoat to be removed.
On an ASK-21 finished in 1986 and left out side since,
you can see evidence of the damaged gel coat that was
just sanded smooth and painted over. But as a whole
the glider shines up nicely and the paint is not
flaking off.
I am convinced that the urethane coatings are the way
to go.
Rex Mayes
Williams Soaring Center
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Greg
Expensive boats are commonly painted with linear polyurethane. My LS-3 was
refinished in 1991 with Imron, which I believe is a linear polyurethane.
Could you compare linear polyurethane with acrylic urethane, and explain why
you prefer acrylic urethane? What is the reasonable lifespan of acrylic
urethane if the sailplane is stored in a trailer? Is a coat of acrylic
urethane as thin and as hard to scratch as a coat of linear polyurethane?
Incidentally, the top surfaces of the wings on the ASH-25 (Dale Bush's) at
last year's SSA convention were refinished by you, and had the best finish I
have ever seen on a sailplane -- much better than the finish on any of the
new planes at the convention. What type of paint did you use on this plane?
Greg Arnold
Rex & Noelle Mayes wrote in message ...
Robert Perry
refinished the wings on my ASW-20 with water
based urethane. It was pretty hard to work with
because of the Pacific Northwest climate conditions.
Also, the old argument that gel-coat is easier to
repair simply is not there. The water based
urethane builds-up and sands like gel-coat and I
think that there are other urethanes that are easily
sanded. I have heard that Imron is not a good choice.
It was designed for automotive use and not post sanding
and polishing, Imron is very hard.
>
> I have refinished a number of sailplanes in
> Polyurethane, the first in 1986.
> I currently prefer an acrylic urethane. The only
> products I have used are by PPG, Durethane and
> Concept. There are several different product numbers
> for the paint, primer and reducers. The numbers seem
> to vary depending on the VOC regulaions in your county.
If I had to do it over I would have used PPG Durethane.
> The results vary considerably with the methods and
> products I have used.
> Some of the variables are:
> 1 how much gel coat you remove.
> 2 the condition of the gel coat that you paint over.
> 3 how much primer surfacer you apply and paint over.
> 4 climate control.
> 5 wet sanding and polishing techniques.
True, remove as much of the old gel-coat as you can
Rex Root
Greg <sbwr...@silcom.com> wrote:
>Rex:
>
>Expensive boats are commonly painted with linear polyurethane. My LS-3 was
>refinished in 1991 with Imron, which I believe is a linear polyurethane.
>
Comments from another Rex;
I would think that an Imron finish would not be suitable for an
aircraft with a lot of flex in the wings since Imron is harder than other
finishes. I have a sports car and a 1-26 both painted with Imron. Not a heck
of a lot of wing flex on a 1-26, except for the oil can effect :-) I'm
sure the finish on the sports car would just pop off if one of the surfaces
were pushed in.
-rex
Rex Root 1-26 #189
Robert Backer
imron. Flaking has not been a problem. However, imron is quite toxic to some
people so it should only be used with a professional type spray booth setup.
Bob Backer
JOE SERRANI
I vote for the PPG. I refinished a Pik 20 E in PPG Deltron Their top end
urethane. It came out perfect. Sanded nicely and buffed out like glass.
Remember one very important thing. Make sure the surface you are painting is
prepared properly. Also there is a bonding coat to be applied before the finish
coat made specifically for these materials. Let me know if you need any more
info.
Joe
Billevelyn
-- sanding and buffing etc. etc. etc.
Is PPG easier to apply than IMRON? If there is another medium please let me
know before I get started.
Bill Evelyn LS3A, WLE