A friend of mine helped to paint a fibergalss cowling for another friend. After leaving it in the sun for hours and three days later, he took the cowling to his friend. The plastic bag used to "protect" the cowling stuck onto the paint. I can push my thumb print onto the paint.
The paint happens to be Lustre kote (comes in a spray can). Does anyone have any suggestions? Whether another type of paint or how to make hard the finished paint?
Wan
Maybe you did not shake the can enough, or painted too thick, or probably you just need to wait longer. It will harden eventually. As long as it still smells like paint, it is still curing.
m-m
How was the plastic bag used? If the paint cures chemically and the plastic bag screwed up the process then the paint will never be strong
-- if that's the case then your best bet is to strip it off and start over again.
Tim, The plastic bag was used to protect the paint while the cowling was transported to his friend. The bag being in contact with the paint. I guess my friend did several things wrong. One, he should not have allowed the bag to be in contact. Two, he should've waited until the paint was thoroughly cured.
We read the directions on the can again, it said it may take up to 3 days or more for the paint to cure completely. In other words, he screwed up. m-m was also correct in that the paint was still in the curing stage.
Thanks, Wan
If it hardens out then keep it and be happy -- but if it stays soft don't just paint over it, that'll be a disaster.
I've used this paint on several cowls. I sprayed 4-5 very thin coats and found that it dried fairly quickly. It sounds like your friend sprayed it on too thick.
Well, I believe that was the case. If the paint was sprayed too thick, it would take a long time to cure. The directions for use as I've said earlier, said it may take 3 or more days for the paint to cure, depending on conditions.
I think my friend has learned his lesson. He was afraid to use the same type of paint on his 1/4 scale Ultimate cowling. But he will give it another try and let the paint set for a least 2 weeks before handling.
Wan
Even 2 part catalyzed polyurethanes take a week or more to fully cure. They don't become completely fuel proof until they do.
So true.
I once sprayed a Goldberg Anniversary Cub's plastic cowl with Rustoleum white. The first coast was a little uneven, but I intentionally sprayed it very lightly. It "dried" on schedule. We all know that it wasn't cured.
I followed the instructions and recoated it within the recommended time frame. It never hardened completely. I ended up scraping/sanding it off and reapplying, but this time taking two weeks between coats. It was okay on the second application.
Ed Cregger
I won't use Rustoleum for that reason. It never seems to harden completely. Hate that stuff!
Rustoleum in the white cans works fine for me for lots of planes. Completely hard and fuelproof. Spray or brush makes no difference.
m-m
On Sat, 10 Sep 2005 22:23:00 GMT, M-M wrote in :
I've had the same experience.
But you have to get the "original formula." There are some new paints produced under the Rustoleum brand name that may not be as fuel proof.
Dunno how to tell 'em apart myself, but so far (fingers crossed and knocking on wood) I'm a happy and satisfied customer.
Marty
Rustoleun clear is NOT fuelproof.
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