geoff wise 1 Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Well this is a grim discovery!!! Just sprayed a 15 powered flying boat and a 1/2 a mustang with Solar-lac. I used an air brush and at the recommended thinning levels, the spraying was abismal, i found that just over 50% of Solar-lac thinners gave a good spray pattern and as they're small models, i didn't mind putting a lot of thin coats on, i first found some thing was wrong when a thin drop of super glue ropped on the fuselage, my reaction, wipe it off with my finger. I now have a blue superglued finger. I then thought i'd clean the bench up a bit with a bit of thinners, it was too easy, this got me worried so the other half of the bench i used a clean cloth with 25% nitro fuel, better than thinners, by now you can see why i might take up flower arranging. At the tail plane end i thought ah, there's some glue on that, i'll paint it with some neat white, with a brush, it's a nice pale blue now, so i'm debating now do i spray it with aerokote and keep my legs crossed? I can't use perkins fuel proofer as it says it's no good for metallic paint and it smells like the old stuff, which was no good for high nitro. Please don't suggest go electric, that would make me fed upI'll put some photos on to show it. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Christy Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 All my recent builds have been painted with solarlac without problems. It does pay to leave it a few days to fully harden, before exposing it to fuel. Mind you, I've been brushing on, straight from the tin. But I have to say that of all the paints I've tried, its the easiest to get a half decent finish with, and once hardened, is pretty tough! (I'm useless with paint!) -- Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis Watkins Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Solarlac Paint Details A synthetic resin paint specially developed to be used on Solarfilm & Solarspan. Fuel-resistant, flexible and glossy. Quick drying, sprays well and brushes like coloured dope. Colours match Solarfilm and can be mixed to match most other Solarfilm, Solarspan and SuperShrink Polyester colours. Solarlac is ideal for cowls, struts, engine bays, wheel parts and other parts that cannot be finished with an iron on covering. Very good on Litespan, Solartex, Fibafilm and Glosstex, car-primer, doped surfaces and clearcoated surfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis Watkins Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Over thinning can drastically change paint properties Geoff Edited By Denis Watkins on 25/07/2017 15:38:09 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solly Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Hi Geoff. The clue is in the paint description, it's fuel resistant, not fuel proof. A few days at room temp. will harden it further. But it will still soften if exposed to exhaust emmissions. The only coating I've so far come across which is truly fuel proof is the two part Klass Kote. I've used the clear matt on all my painted models for years now and it has not lifted so far. Edited By Solly on 25/07/2017 15:50:49 Edited By Solly on 25/07/2017 15:53:21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lee Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 I've used Solarlac both sprayed & brush coated without problems. My oldest model so painted dates back to the 80's & whilst undoubtedly now scruffy it has largely resisted the effects of 5% nitro over the years. Edited By John Lee on 25/07/2017 15:52:12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Unless epoxy based, air drying paints and proofers need at least a week - and longer is probably better - to harden properly. Just feeling dry to the touch is not an indication that the solvents have dispersed into the air. Funnily enough, I've had better results with water based varnishes such as Falcon Skincrylic for fuel proofing when I've needed a quick result for my old combat models - these have been flown the next day with reasonable results although the finish might not stand scrutiny on a model where looks are more important... Edited By Martin Harris on 25/07/2017 16:09:58 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff wise 1 Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 Hi, ok, i said i over thinned it, as for the details, i'm aware of what the product is supposed to do. The tail plane was done over a week ago in a very warm loft so one imagines it would be dry. Klass Kote, ferny coat, aerokote, i think are all kissing cousins which i suggested myself as if i can't paint with a paint brush, i can't put any thing on unless i spray it, which is a bit like there's a hole in my bucket, lets fix it. I've just put some pictures in my albums (in the past i've used two pack automotive which should really be done using a respirator) I've sprayed with cellulose in the past and used Fernyglass, no problems.and of course Roy Levers brand, which was very good. I decided to go down his route after spraying a cowl using alfords car paint and halfords lacquer, which just turned to chewing gum. I hope that clarifies some points but i do find it a bit strange that nobdy else has done the same as i, obviously everybody is a lot Wiser than myself. Cheers, Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Gorham_ Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 I use solarlac to paint the engine bays of my glow powered models. I have both sprayed and brush painted solarlac, thinned with cellulose in each case as I had no dedicated solarlac thinners to hand. However, I used a spray gun with a bigger nozzle than an airbrush, so didn't have to thin the paint too much (probably around 20% thinners same as brush painting). It's given me good, durable results that have lasted many years. I reckon you must be using too much thinners. Edited By Alan Gorham_ on 25/07/2017 16:34:39 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff wise 1 Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 Martin, that seems a good idea, water based, its a pity i've got a tin of ronseal floor varnish but its not the clear one, its opaquish, might go and put a bit of fuel behind the sink in the bathroom and see what it does. Thanks, Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 I had a nightmare spraying solarlac and will never touch the stuff again. I found it took months before it was cured enough to not be tacky. Hopeless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis Watkins Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Apologies Geoff, this was just background for readers. It is difficult to spray with certain jets in the airbrush, but larger jets can be found. The key is to get it on as near to the original consistency as you can and to let it dry as long as possible I then over spray the nose with regular fuelproofer, which is quite thin straight from the tin, and maybe thinned by just 2 drops of thinner per gun bowl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveyP Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Ronseal varnish looks creamy in the tin but dries clear, normally......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onetenor Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Considering that Nitromethane was the power behind the power of Nitromors paint stripper it is no wonder our paints go soft .with .nitro fuels Since the do gooders have decreed that it should removed Nitromors is worse than useless In days of yore there were some FUEL PROOF dopes AND FUEL PROOFERS but they appear to have vanished. Not known why . I recall they smelled differently to normal dgpe though.One gave such a good shiny and strong finish I used it on musical instruments I made and repaired .I can't recall the name but it was American. It might have been Aerogloss or Aerolac but don't quote me on it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ovenden Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 I have found solar-lac brushed or painted to have very little protection against 10% nitro fuel. Exhaust residue soon bubbled up the orange paint on my plane. It was fully hardened and the brushed-on coats had not been thinned at all. I can only speak as I have found. I now never use solar-lac on glow models. Edited By David Ovenden on 25/07/2017 17:57:26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff wise 1 Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 Hi Dennis, i don't know why you are apologising, you didn't say any thing wrong, but according to my kids, you're shouting when you use capitals. Davyp, There's 2 sorts of ronseal, one dries crystal clear, the other one is slightly opaque, i know i've got one room gloss and one room not gloss, must read the label on the tin David, Yes, i'll be using 2 pack resin I've tried spraying with the correct mixture and if you look in my pictures, you will see one of them shows what looks like candy floss, which is what you get if the paints too thick, i've read somewhere else they have had the same problem with this, so i'm shouting now IF YOU WANT YOUR MODEEL FUEL PROOF, DON'T THIN SOLAR-LAC, I HOPE THE OWNER READS THIS AS I WONDER HOW OTHER PEOPLE WREAK THEIR PRIDE ND JOY. geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Never ever had a problem. I thinned almost 50/50 with white spirit, and sprayed on with a gun. Left at least a week before exposure... again no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff wise 1 Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 Hi Stevo, I think you may be talking about the wrong thing, white spirit is used on oil based products ie humbrol enamel, the solvent for this is a cellulose thinner type of product similar to what girls use on their fingers and toes, they use it because it dries quicker. I've only said this so you won't spoil a model Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 OH Haha... OK so I've used those Spectrum model paints and I've thinned them with either with good results. Off to get the epoxy lipstick red paint off my toes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff wise 1 Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 Hi Stevo, I think you may be talking about the wrong thing, white spirit is used on oil based products ie humbrol enamel, the solvent for this is a cellulose thinner type of product similar to what girls use on their fingers and toes, they use it because it dries quicker. I've only said this so you won't spoil a model Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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