Simple way to apply a colour finish to a fuselage which has been glassed

[Andy-H]

I recently picked up an s/h Acrowot at and would appreciate advice on a simple (and low cost) way to apply a colour finish. The wing is film covered and can easily be re-covered.

 

However, the fuselage and tail have been glassed but are unpainted. I’ve only had a go at spraying the occasional cowl so no experience of spray painting larger areas, which I would have thought the most straightforward approach.  The big risk is ending up with a poor surface finish and potentially a lot of added weight. I have a small airbrush but no compressor so would be reliant on Halfords car paint. 

 

The alternative would be either to apply a film covering (maybe with a coat of Coverite to help adhesion) or just apply a judicious amount of trim to most of the fuselage.

 

Any thoughts on what the best approach might be in the circumstances ? BTW, will be electric so fuel proofing not an issue. It’s for use as a first low wing model. 

 

Thanks for your help.

[Engine Doctor]

Auto car rattle cans should be ok but choose a colour that covers well. Rub down to a matt finish with 400 wet and dry used wet and wipe clean with a lint free rag or a tack rag , available at any car paint factors or on line. Follow this eith a light coat of primer . Choose a primer colour thats best for finish coat. 

Edited June 24, 2023 by Engine Doctor

[Allan Bennett]

As Engine Doctor has said.  Probably any primer will do the job but, since Halfords (and probably others) do a primer specifically for plastic, that's what I use on fibreglass.

[Andy-H]

Thanks both. 

[Cuban8]

18 hours ago, Andy-H said:

I recently picked up an s/h Acrowot at and would appreciate advice on a simple (and low cost) way to apply a colour finish. The wing is film covered and can easily be re-covered.

 

However, the fuselage and tail have been glassed but are unpainted. I’ve only had a go at spraying the occasional cowl so no experience of spray painting larger areas, which I would have thought the most straightforward approach.  The big risk is ending up with a poor surface finish and potentially a lot of added weight. I have a small airbrush but no compressor so would be reliant on Halfords car paint. 

 

The alternative would be either to apply a film covering (maybe with a coat of Coverite to help adhesion) or just apply a judicious amount of trim to most of the fuselage.

 

Any thoughts on what the best approach might be in the circumstances ? BTW, will be electric so fuel proofing not an issue. It’s for use as a first low wing model. 

 

Thanks for your help.

Just a quick note on your airbrush........don't be tempted to use it with those tins of compressed gas, 'canned air' as they're called. A hopeless and expensive waste of time as I  found to my cost ages ago.  Even the cheapest airbrush will work so much better with a budget compressor - I bought a cheapy airbrush from Machine Mart (£20) and was amazed at the finish I could get after I used it with a small compressor - easily comparable with a rattle can after a little experimentation with paints and thinning, so giving good a coverage that I found quite acceptable. You can spend a fortune on airbrushes and compressors, and it's true that for very high quality or very intricate work (assuming that you've the skill), the cheap option will not do.

I was given my little compressor, but you can buy a similar device that's good for 2.5 Bar for under £70. Could easily pay for itself after a couple of jobs, given the price of rattle cans. Worth considering.

 

[Andy-H]

I confess to having contemplated buying a compressor on several occasions but wasn’t sure how much use I would get out of it if I’m only painting the occasional cowl. This time it may well be worth the cost, so thanks for the prompt. 

[Frank Skilbeck]

Although Halfords cans maybe fine, if you go to your local automotive paint shop they will make up spray cans to your required colour for quite reasonable prices.

 

BTW I've also.used the Chroma spray cans and they are fine too.