Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2011 11:32:57 -0500
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: Painting done, now see the movie....
In-Reply-To: <AANLkTiktzeFqHtgQFHhhsG9sO-Tf1bTnOZeeekFrWc8t@mail.gmail.com>
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Well, lifting and turning the vehicle was certainly an innovative
approach to a painting problem. Back in the day, we could not do that
with an airplane. Had to do it the hard way.
Working in aircrat maintenance, painting an airplane periodically was
part of the action. Lots of surface on an airplane that has to get paint
- upper and lower. Glad we don't paint the bottoms of Vanagons. Small
airplanes have enough surface, but can you imagine painting an airliner?
I've done it, but that is all about big paint crews working all night as
a team up on high scaffolding, ect, and involves lots of spray painting.
As for the smaller airplanes that were all metal, we would strip the
paint completely down to bare aluminum, then the surface was hoses
thoroughly afterward. After drying, the surface was scrubbed with fine
grade industrial scotchbrite pads. This roughened the surface a bit for
better grip by a primer. An etching primer was applied next matched to
a silicone base coat, then a base coat, then the top coat of a two-part
mix silicone paint. The "Wet Look" was in at the time, and during the
time I did a lot of painting - that is what I did mostly. But it was all
done by spraying. It all required a large space inside a hangar to work.
I am intrigued with the painting of automobiles using this roller
method, which obviously simplifys matters for us Vanagon owners who are
of a mind to do it themselves.
I agree with you fully on the point of taking care of yourself when
painting. The chemicals used in painting are toxic from both a chemistry
standpoint, and from a physical standpoint. Personal safety when working
with this stuff is not an option!
Regards,
John
> John Rodgers
> Clayartist and Moldmaker
> 88'GL VW Bus Driver
> Chelsea, AL
> Http://www.moldhaus.com I painted my 356 Porsche long ago with a metallic silver yacht paint. A
> 2-part polyurethane called Awl Grip. I was working in a boatyard at the
> time and we had some extra, left over from painting a customer's mast, so I
> didn't have to buy the paint..
>
> As someone mentioned, it is very difficult to get a good even "flow' with
> a metallic color, hard to keep the "wet edge" going. On my first attempt, I
> simply could not get the roof sprayed right...spraying from one side then
> going (rushing) around to finish the other, there was always a cruddy cloudy
> area where the paint had to meet in the center of the roof.
>
> We took some nylon webbing and hung the whole car suspended from the
> overhead in the shop, then rotated the car so the roof was perpendicular to
> the Earth, so I could get at the whole roof in one pass, just standing on
> the floor. Might work for a Vanagon roof, if you had a strong place to hang
> it from. (My vanagon weighed 4250lbs recently with my traveling load
> aboard..The 57 Porsche?..probably about 1500lbs)
>
> On the Vanagon, your roof won't get so many 'direct eyeballs' as that
> waist-high bath-tub Porsche. Despite my best efforts, I did leave some
> areas on that paint job that I was going to "buff-out, when the paint fully
> cures"...never did....
>
> Don Hanson
>
> As may have been mentioned...Squirting the actual paint, that is a
> relatively small percentage of the time involved with a successful paint
> job. However, when you finally spray, it must go right, and it should be
> done in "one shot" if you want to save yourself lots of extra time, wet
> sanding and buffing later.
>
> So take your time, be very methodical, getting everything ready on 'spray
> day'. If you do have to stop to straighten a kinked hose, to re-set your
> compressor, to mix more paint, etc....you may have made lots more work for
> yourself, fixing the mess you will probably make. It is really tempting to
> 'rush' after all that time getting ready for paint...so you can see New
> Paint... Don't do it! Check everything twice, spray a section of something
> and adjust the paint flow properly, etc etc... before you go on to spray
> the actual vehicle...
>
> And take care of your body as you do all this. Gloves when you wet sand,
> cover alls and mask and hood when you spray. Paint will harm you, inside..
>
> On Sun, Mar 20, 2011 at 1:45 AM, John Rodgers<inua@charter.net> wrote:
>
>> Just got done watching a whole raft of youtube videos on doing a
>> Rustoleum (and others) paint job using rollers and sponge brushes. Got
>> lots of wood around for scaffolding. Weather now in the 70's and will
>> get better. New paint job - here I come!
>>
>> Thanks guys!
>>
>>
>> John
>>
>> I stand on a medium tall stool to work on the roofs of vanagons.
>>> I always at least polish and wax my non-westy roofs.
>>>
>
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