Aiiiighhhh! My Paint Jobs Suck! Help!
Joe Pfeiffer
>
> For now I can tell you that I put the rockets on a bent-over
> close hanger mounted on the side of a cardboard box. I
> of course must spray bomb them outside where dust,
> bugs, and other crap ultimately gets in there. The jobs
> come out splotchy, and or drippy runny round the fins!
> I do use a balsa sealer (Balsa Right) but am not happy
> with it.
Don't spray on a windy day (where I live, that means don't spray
between February and May). That does a lot to keep the dust off.
If the paint drips, you put on too thick a coat. If you don't get
complete coverage you can always put on another coat; if it drips you
have to start sanding. Better too thin than too thick.
If it's blotchy, you stopped moving the can. Keep the can moving from
past the rocket on one side (or from above) to past the rocket on the
other side (or until you're past it on the bottom).
> I try not to overspray (when I catch myself doing it) and
> try to go top to bottom but -- still nothing great comes of it.
Overspray is your friend. Start spraying when you're not pointing at
the rocket, move in a steady arc, and keep going until you're past the
rocket. I'd be very surprised if half the paint I spray actually
lands on the rocket.
> The spray bomb usually leaves large clumps of paint in some
> spots. I've thus far learned when that can is empty -- pitch it!
> Also I've started using a a rust auto primer first
> underneath. All that does is show up more imperfections
> which I sand.. then go back to overcoat. Where, yah after
> all that work I go and botch it up again! DOH!
Exactly. Sandpaper is your friend. My current rocket has four coats
of primer on it so far; I sanded the first three down until the high
spots were bare and the primer was only down in the low spots. I
figure the body tube has about two coats to go, and the fins have
another half dozen.
> Is a hobby air compressor paint sprayer gonna help me
> at all in this area? Cost, mess and ease of use. What
> says you RMR?
No. Spray guns let you do things like mix custom colors, use paints
that don't come in spray form, and do custom effects. The cheapest
enamel you can buy at a hardware store will put a beautiful finish on
a rocket, if you:
1) use lots of coats of primer, and lots of sandpaper, to get the
surface smooth
2) spray evenly and thinly
3) have patience
--
Joseph J. Pfeiffer, Jr., Ph.D. Phone -- (505) 646-1605
Department of Computer Science FAX -- (505) 646-1002
New Mexico State University http://www.cs.nmsu.edu/~pfeiffer
bob fortune
>
> >> I do use a balsa sealer (Balsa Right) but am not happy
> >> with it.
>
> are very happy with it. I love the stuff. I really hated using that sanding
> sealer dope stuff in the bad old days.
>
> I used to spray on one thick coat of paint and then launch, but I have
> developed patience over the last 20 years or so. Now I prime, put on two thin
> coats of Krylon and launch! After all, launching is the reason for building.
> I've got a couple that I spent more time on but I'm afraid to fly them! They
> all look the same when they are hanging in a tree. Please, fellow rocketeers,
> don't think I am sneering at anyone for taking a lot of time to make a really
> nice looking rocket. I'm not. But for regular launching purposes I prefer to
> just have a pretty good looking rocket. Then after I repair broken fins,
> scrapes, etc, it still looks ok.
>
> Also, even though it isn't very fast, I really like the finish I get from
> airbrushing. I think it's superior to spray paint. And I've got one of those
> cheap ($20 - $30) Testors airbrushes. An airbrush means you can spray water
> based paint and can use it in the basement! Just an idea.
>
> Good luck and may the Wind be with you.
>
> DRJ
>
> P.S. I like your attitude.
Hey Lance,
Don's post really said it all, use the Elmers Finishing wood filler
_everywhere_, a couple of good coats of white fast dry primer, a bit of
sanding and tack ragging, and a couple of coats of finish, just enough
to get the finish coat opaque. Then go flying!
I start painting at the aft end, then the edges of the fins, the fins,
then the body tube ... always spraying away from your wet edge. Make
sure the rocket body is mounted on a dowel and hold it in your hand.
Spin it, twirl it, wave it, make figure 8's with it, anything to get the
paint to flow around and not form runs, drips, or errors. It looks goofy
but it works.
Most of the time I end up dropping the nosecone when it is being painted
so now I force myself to make a jig so I can hold and spin it while
painting and stand it upright once complete.
If I do get a run, I take a piece of scotch tape, make a loop of it,
touch the flat part of the loop to the run. Sometimes you can pick the
run up with the tape. If you are lucky. : )
The water based paints and airbrush sound like a neat idea, especially
if it's buggy and dusty outside.
Have fun and really, after a couple of flights the rockets get tossed in
a box anyway, right?
Bob
http://www.fortunepaint.com/whozat.htm for WhoZat? Rocketeer Register
http://www.fortunepaint.com/rockets.htm for all the other stuff
Lance Taylor
building the semi-perfect rocket only to really botch it up with
an ugly paint job. Aigghh.. talk about increasing the
frustration factor in this hobby! Guess when I was a kid
I didn't care all that much -- but now I've gotten Anal Retentive
in my old age. At this rate I'll be in retirement before
I ever work up the nerve to crack my Saturn V 30th!
I'm sure good paint jobs come through experience, and that
this subject has probably been flogged to death around
here. BUT -- any and all tips or links you can point me to
would be plenty helpful before I really screw up my
Space Shuttle kit! 8(
For now I can tell you that I put the rockets on a bent-over
close hanger mounted on the side of a cardboard box. I
of course must spray bomb them outside where dust,
bugs, and other crap ultimately gets in there. The jobs
come out splotchy, and or drippy runny round the fins!
I do use a balsa sealer (Balsa Right) but am not happy
with it.
I try not to overspray (when I catch myself doing it) and
try to go top to bottom but -- still nothing great comes of it.
The spray bomb usually leaves large clumps of paint in some
spots. I've thus far learned when that can is empty -- pitch it!
Also I've started using a a rust auto primer first
underneath. All that does is show up more imperfections
which I sand.. then go back to overcoat. Where, yah after
all that work I go and botch it up again! DOH!
Is a hobby air compressor paint sprayer gonna help me
at all in this area? Cost, mess and ease of use. What
says you RMR?
BTW -- yah I know not to paint my Wizards "Sky Blue"
anymore! DOH! Buuuhh bye!
Clear Skies!
Lance Taylor
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
http://members.home.net/lancetay/rocketry
lanc...@home.com
From a "B.A.R". after a 16 year hybernation.
DonReally
>> with it.
And may I be the first to add that many people use "Elmer's Fill 'N Finish" and
Rcktnut007
First, I go to Wal-mart and buy their $.98 cans of paint. They are right next
to the Krylon. I first put a coat of gray primer on the rocket. Then I put on
the colors. The key is to put on a few thin coats. I, too, have to force
myself to be patient. (hard for a 34 year old to do!) Be sure to hold the can
about 6-8 inches away from the rocket. It is a fast-drying paint.
I make a paper wand like G. harry shows in his Handbook. That allows you to
turn the rocket and move it while you paint. After I put a coat on, I bring it
back inside.
Good luck! Be patient!
Andy
NAR #71711
Hilty Information Systems
wrote:
<snip>
>Is a hobby air compressor paint sprayer gonna help me
>at all in this area? Cost, mess and ease of use. What
>says you RMR?
A dual action (like my Paasche VL) airbrush will give you control over
the amount of paint in the spray. I find this feature wonderful when
you're trying to get a decent coat of paint into some "crevice" on the
model. It allows you to introduce "just a little" paint into the
stream, and helps prevent runs. A "detailing" gun (simply a scaled
down spray gun) is nice for priming and such, as it covers large areas
very quickly, but you don't have the fingertip control of the paint
flow.
I use automotive paints exclusively. If you stick with a "system"
(i.e. Dupont Permatron, Ditzler, Montana, etc.), you won't have any
compatability problems between your primer, basecoat/color coat, and
clear. They are a bit harder to work with, and you need to take
additional precautions regarding ventilation &such, but the finished
rocket is unbeatable!
tah
Tod A. Hilty NAR #72099
Hilty Information Systems
"I'm going to put the wheels of the bus back on... just in case"
- BlankReg, Max Headroom: 20 Minutes Into the Future
"I speak for myself _and_ my corporation! Deal with it!"
- blankreg
- remove nospam.ever, and replace with apk for reply
Gene Costanza
I use a paint stand (made from a $150 photo studio light stand; rocketosis
overtakes economic concerns at any given moment) with a confab of
different-sized dowels. I alsoLIGHTLY shoot each coat with a heat gun and that
seems to help with prime and finishing coats (well, for me, with my 9 thumbs
and a nasty case of narcolepsy).
At 40, there are TWO things I've learned patience with, and the SECOND is spray
painting...
I've drawn up a rudimentary plan for a low-RPM rocket rotisserie for spray
painting, heat-gun shooting and epoxy/Elmer's curing. After my wife hightails
it to Canada for the month of August, I'll do it up on alt.
binaries.models.rockets or a personal page.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Gene Costanza
TRA #7107 NAR #74503
Steve Anderson
it is much harder to get a good finish. For most of my painting I use
Krylon or Krylon Painters Touch with excellent results. It costs more but
is worth it.
Bruce Levison
No need for a rocket rotisserie; my paining swivel article is nearly
complete! I will send it to send the story to "Sport Rocketry" when its
finished. It's inexpensive (~$5.00) and simple; and it makes the
painting job much easier. If you want a preprint email me.
Bruce S. Levison, NAR #69055
bsle...@cc.ysu.edu
Robert Synoski
Rcktnut007 wrote in message
<19990618010948...@ng-fq1.aol.com>...
>Here's how I do successful painting.
>
>First, I go to Wal-mart and buy their $.98 cans of paint. They are right
next
>to the Krylon. I first put a coat of gray primer on the rocket. Then I
put on
>the colors. The key is to put on a few thin coats. I, too, have to force
>myself to be patient. (hard for a 34 year old to do!) Be sure to hold the
can
>about 6-8 inches away from the rocket. It is a fast-drying paint.
>
paint it 2 weeks to dry.
Steve Anderson
excellent.
kwern...@ameritech.net
Color/Premium Decor. I used the former two for years without problems.
I ran out of both of the good kinds on the same rocket. They were a
buck each at my local True Value. I painted it, and they both ran! The
Gloss White IMMEDIATELY started to glop as soon as it left the can!
They ruined an otherwise perfect rocket! AAARRRGHHH!!!!! You get what
you pay for.
There are some other bottle (detail) paints to watch out for also. At
Hobby Lobby, there is something called RichArt Glossy. I bought some
Metallic Copper. In the bottle, it looks ok, but when I put some on a
piece of scrap balsa, I noticed (these are not exaggerations):
1. In small amounts, it is actually pale orange, not copper.
2. In small amounts, it is transparent.
3. It has the odor of sweet-and-sour sauce. Hmmm...
D
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