Still a long way to go. The plane is out of the strip shop. They filled the surface to cover the hail damage and dings but haven't sanded it out yet.
well right now it looks more like a boat anchor, but it is a '66 260B Comanche in it's former (and future) life. Before:
I don't like bondo either. But Would you rather it was totally reskinned at a cost more than the airframe? Or the insurance company total it? They are replacing the movable surfaces Instead of repair. After sanding down almost all of the filler will be off and just result in a smooth surface again.
All jets have some filler somewhere. They would look really silly if the space between inspection panels and the skin cutouts weren't filled with sealant (proseal or equivalent) and painted over too.
Congrats on getting a new paint job. I'll look forward to seeing your progress shots. I just had mine painted last October. There is nothing like new fresh paint on your airplane. The hardest part for me was getting through the two month cure time before I could wax it. I have managed to wax it twice since then and it is slick as a baby's butt and shines like a new penny now.
That's because it is the poorest paint system on the market, with a isocyanide hardener. WE quit using it prior to this century.
I'd be HIGHLY surprised if it was actually bondo, not even a shade tree auto body guy working in the back of a trailer park uses bondo anymore. There are some fillers which will outlast the sheet metal and do flex to some degree. Fillers on a aircraft aren't new or bad or cheap, it's done on multi million dollar aircraft and at all painting facilities.
I've had both epoxy enamel and Imron. Both are fine. The enamel needs more wax and care to hold luster.
The main difference is other paints won't have nearly as mirrored of a finish after 14 years as Imron has. This shot was taken today. Plane was painted in 2002. Check out how reflective the paint is...and it hasn't been washed in six months:
I haven't found any in 14 years. It'll kill you if you spray it without a great respirator...so I'm told...but I don't spray.
I have sprayed probably over 100 gallons in my life on all my race cars, race boats, street cars and trucks, street rods, custom choppers, machinery, etc etc... Great paint, tough as nails, getting kinda expensive, EPA hates the stuff, I can expand if you want the details...
Yep. Most modern auto paints are catalyzed polyurethanes. Imron is just one of 100 formulations. It was probably the first catalyzed polyurethane to achieve commercial success, and despite many reformulations, the brand name still carries a punch.
"Looks great so far! Did they mask the tires or did you opt for whitewalls? " I thought I would keep the white tape look
I like it! Serious question: Does the gear and in inside the wheel wells get the same paint? How do they clean and prep the hard to reach areas?
I don't know the total amount of paint used. Maybe when I get the bill?? They did strip the gear and wheel wells. I'm amazed at how much work that must have been but have to admit even I don't know how they managed all of it. I did see some of the detail work they had to do in other areas, and it is more than I think I could accomplish.
This is true,, and why Imron is no longer available to the public. The last time I tried to buy Imron I was told I must have an approval letter from EPA that stated I had a L&I approved vent system in my paint booth.
