Phil, You will like the quality and durability of epoxy paint. 1) For light work with small paint quantities, a Paasche airbrush has been more than adequate. If I was painting full wings instead of just tips and small DLG pod molds, I would want something with a broader spray pattern and higher spray volume. No experience yet with any other tools, so I'm interested to hear what others say about the other kinds of sprayers and Klass Kote.
2) Spray the paint color you want, let it cure some, then do your lay-up. The cohesion between the lay-up epoxy and the epoxy is excellent, using both Pro Set and Resin Systems epoxies. I do mean cohesion--the two uncured epoxies seem to form a molecular bond. Diversified Solutions offers a separate white or gray primer with higher solid content, but my first guess is that you probably will not need or want to lay this separate coat. You might need a little more paint to fully cover the black carbon skins you use. For higher opacity use only enough Reducer to thin for your painting system. 1 part Reducer to 6 parts epoxy paint (including catalyst) is a good place to start, a little less or more is okay. 3) Mix the catalyst to the paint (1 to 1, by volume only). Wait 30-40 minutes for the epoxy components to induct or react, mixing occasionally. Then spray. There are two issues regarding cure. First there is a time for the solvents in the paint to flash off, figure 5-20 minutes. This is the time you would wait between coats. Then there is the time between painting and lay-up. The first time is flash off like any paint would have, the second time frame is the curing of the epoxy. I use a light mist coat to avoid fisheye, then after it flashes off, I build the coating with light to medium passes to build up the paint. Much the same as any other paint. Since we paint onto the mold or mylar, paint running isn't necessarily a serious problem, but I do everything to avoid it. If I want more opacity than the second heavier coating provides, I go again after letting the heavier coat fully flash off, maybe 20 minutes. I have sprayed onto Frekote-release mylars, waited as long as 7.5 hours, performed a lay-up and still had a perfect bond to the paint and release. I do not think I've found the maximum time between painting and lay-up. Since we have good releases onto which we paint, and since these are both epoxies, there might not be a maximum time. The lay-up epoxy might grab the paint off the mylar even if it is cured. Starting the lay-up too soon will result in the fabric pressing through the paint. These days I let at least an hour pass before starting the lay up. One time I started a pod lay-up at 30 minutes, and the fabric came through the paint more than expected. Since I am only working with DLGs so far, I've preferred lighter coats (weights) on the pods rather than enough paint for full opacity. By the time you are ready to remove the mylars, the paint is also cured. I have virtually the same hot box set up you do. Aradhana Singh Khalsa RCBuilder.com (online soon) Review site at http://12.181.168.136/ -----Original Message----- From: Phil Barnes [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, January 03, 2005 2:35 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [RCSE] How to use Klass Kote I've decided to try some Klass Kote epoxy paint for some bagged wings. I'll be applying the paint to the mylars prior to bagging. I have ordered some #100 white epoxy, some #405 gloss catalyst and some reducer. Here are my questions; 1) I would like some recommendations on spray equipment to use for applying the paint to the mylars. I have zero experience with anything other than rattle cans so specifics on what to use, where to get it and how to use it will not offend me. 2) Is it OK to just spray the white paint with catalyst on the mylar and then go directly to bagging the wings or would it be better to spray primer after the paint and then bag the wings? Would there be any advantage to using the primer at all, perhaps better adhesion to the wing layup. 3) How long should I wait after painting the mylars before bagging the wing? I assume that this is a chemical cure situation, not an air dry type of paint so it could be bagged as soon as the paint is dry enough that the mylars could be handled. Perhaps there would even be better adhesion of the paint to the wing layup if the wings were bagged sooner rather than waiting for a full cure of the paint. I assume that the paint will continue to cure normally even after the wing is bagged. Am I right about all this? Phil RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL are generally NOT in text format RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL are generally NOT in text format
