Touch up painting?

alaskaflyer

alaskaflyer

Final Approach
Joined
Feb 18, 2006
Messages
7,544
Location
Smith Valley, Nevada
Display Name
Display name:
Alaskaflyer
I bucket washed my plane down on the strip today and it became fairly obvious in short order that I really need to do some touch up work on the paint soon - price of operating on gravel.

I'm 99% sure my plane is good 'ole Cessna "Vestal White." I was going to simply have someone in town custom match the plane color in acrylic enamel and pay for a tube or pint, but does anyone know of a source for standard Cessna colors in touch up size (in a paint that doesn't require a hardening agent etc.)?

Also, what do you do? Do you alodine each and every spot before applying paint?
 
We had Citation II in the shop last year with four shades of Vestal white in various places. You're better off with a paint store match of whatever color it is now than whatever color Cessna smeared on it at the factory.

Our guys just prep, mask, sand, spray, wet-sand, buff.
alaskaflyer said:
I bucket washed my plane down on the strip today and it became fairly obvious in short order that I really need to do some touch up work on the paint soon - price of operating on gravel.

I'm 99% sure my plane is good 'ole Cessna "Vestal White." I was going to simply have someone in town custom match the plane color in acrylic enamel and pay for a tube or pint, but does anyone know of a source for standard Cessna colors in touch up size (in a paint that doesn't require a hardening agent etc.)?

Also, what do you do? Do you alodine each and every spot before applying paint?
Click to expand...
 
I don't know how large of an area you want or how important it is to you that it's a "perfect match." On the Mooney I fly (at least for the next week), there were a number of areas that were looking pretty ugly. The plane's owner would sand it down, tape off the area, and paint it using a "close enough" matched spray paint from Lowes Aviation or Advance Autovation Parts. It may sound bad, but we also did it on the nose of the Aztec. If anybody noticed at Gaston's, they were kind enough not to tell me.

The white is easier to get close enough. On the Mooney there was also a blue and a gold that needed to get matched. Those matches aren't quite as good and it's more obvious that a repaint has been done, but it looks so much better than it used to that we were happy with the results.
 
Mostly just spot touch ups where gravel has chipped the paint, and some small corrosion spots where the paint flaked off. Nothing larger than a nickel. Since I need to apply alodine on the latter areas anyway I was wondering if it would be worth doing it on all spots before applying paint.
 
The better job you do cleaning it before painting, the better the paint will adhere. Even for touchups.

Given your operating conditions, I'd recommend doing the clean/touchup work even if it isn't a perfect match... Then later you can have the whole surface redone.
 
Custom Chemical in Lincoln,NE
They virtually give JetGlo away. Stay away from any "aircraft paint shop" as they will likley rape you on the price , Ive seen some charge $50+ for a quart.
Custom Chemical
5200 N 57th St # 3
Lincoln, NE 68507-3195
(402) 466-9080
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top