"Easy" nitro proof painting!

[Don Templeton]

"Easy" nitro proof painting!

A lot of people on this forum have asked for an easy way to paint

nitro boats. Well, I don't remember where on the internet I saw

this but I decided to try it out. Good old Rust-Oleum-Stops Rust-

Gloss Protective Enamel. I used some plywood test boards,

sealed with West systems, primed with Rust-Oleum auto primer and

painted with several colors of Rust-Oleum. I really think any primer

would work fine! Then I let them dry really good ( Probably about

3 weeks before I put on several blobs of 40% Nitro O'donnell fuel.

I let them sit for about 6 hours wiped of any fuel that had not

dried and waxed them. I can not find a mark, which was not the

case with Formula U paint. I didn't have any 60% on hand so I

don't know about that. It sure is an inexpensive and trouble free

way to paint, nice gloss and lots of colors to pick from. Great for

us guys that don't have spray equipment. I just painted my new

.12 rigger with it. Just make sure to give it lots of time to dry.

Hope this helps some of you,

Don

 

[Flying Pilgrim]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

Don,

I tried this before, but did not have the good luck you describe. I only let it dry for a few days though. Maybe it was still curing. (3 weeks cure time??) I used the regular Rustoleum, black color. It was not at all soft, appeared to be totally dry. I used 25% nitro for the test, and it bubbled and peeled after leaving it on overnight.

 

[Hammerhead]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

MikeP! Help! You guys need to learn MikePs paper towel method of sealing.

I think that if you want to keep your boat safe from high nitros, you need to use two part poly eurothan or epoxy based paints

Hammer

 

[Flying Pilgrim]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

Yeah, that's the conclusion I came to after my test didn't work. The last boat I had an automotive body shop spray for me. I made the mistake of not asking how much it would cost, and when I picked it up I got socked with an $80.00 tab!! Ouch!! I couldn't see spending the huge outlay of cash for several colors of K&B epoxy paint, a compresser, a detail gun, etc. I wish there was an easier solution. I read Jerry Dunlap's bit on using spray bombs then covering with clear Lutre Kote. I think I'll try that on my next boat.

 

[Don Templeton]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

Hammer: You need some sleep! I think you'r getting irritable from

trying to get that .12 under 1.7#. ;D

Epoxy is for sure the way to go if you have the equipment and

know how to use it. But there are a lot of guys out there who don't.

I searched all over the internet for nitro proof paint for RC boats

and came up with a number of people that have tested Rustoleum

and some that have used it for years. They all say it works but

must cure for some time first. I tried it myself and got the same

results. After about 24 hours you can assemble the boat and all

the equipment but you can't expose it to nitro until it is fully cured,

which some said was 10 days and some said was several weeks.

Don't take my word for it, Test it yourself!

 

[Hammerhead]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

Hey Don! Don't get upset with me. I can buy poly urethane in a spray can here. It has a bladder with hardener inside the can. There is a peg on the bottom of the can that you push in. It will break the bladder and the hardener will mix with the base paint when you shake it. Then spray it like you would a normal can of spray paint. (have to use a respirator though)

I don't have a compressor or an airbrush, either. A matter of fact, I don't even have a work shop to build boats in. I build all my boats on my picnic table out in the yard. And I'm not getting frustated about getting my .12 under 1.7 lbs either. I was just recommended that as a target by another member. I have pretty much resigned the idea of getting it under 2lbs anyway. If I do, yeeehaw, if I don't, yeeehaw anyway ;D.

Don! I enjoy reading the information and ideas you post. Please understand that I wasn't giving you a hard time. MikeP does have an excellent, easy, anybody can do it way of sealing a boat. I think anyone can use his advise. That is all that I wanted to say.

I do think you should research the State side availability of the Poly Urethane spray can that I mentioned earlier in this post. It is bullet proof and... you don't need any equipment. Tom Moorehouse told me before that he had never heard of it before. MikeP hadn't either. I tried to send a can to Mike, but it got nabbed at customs. Got a post card saying it had been confinscated, and don't send it again.

Japanese manufacturers usually get their ideas from the states, and produce their own version of the same thing. It is difficult for me to believe that this idea of manufacturing a 2 part spray can is soley a Japanese product. I'm sure it can be found there.

Have a good one Don! And let's continue to share ideas. You know both us are both working on the same projects basically, I have never built anything this small before so I need advise. 2...3...4...or more heads is always better than one. I have built 6- .90 hydros(2 carbon fiber), 1- .46hydro 1- .21hydro(peice of crap) and 3 monos on my picnic table though. If I keep it up, I will have to build another picnic table.

Hammer

 

[Flying Pilgrim]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

That Poly paint w/ the catalyst in the can sounds like a fantastic idea! If anyone stateside knows where I can get some, please post it!

I'll try the Rustoleum (again) and let it cure longer this time.

 

[Don Templeton]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

Hey Hammer:

First of all, "I'm not upset with you". You need to understand that a lot of what I say is tongue and cheek and I type it with a big

grin on my face. I value your experience as much or more than anyone I know and your posts are very very informative.

On the other hand, my experience with riggers, (what there is of it)

is very out of date. (1976 to 1984) I did do a lot of racing around

the country but my boats were designed, set up,and updated by

Crapshooter Boats and the engines were built and serviced by

JFA custom engines. I just did a lot of the finishing, refinishing and

repair work on our boats. We had the luxury of a Lear Jet service

paint room with huge fans and filters. You could paint after work

with a white shirt on! All our boats were sealed with West systems

epoxy and primed and painted with K&B epoxy. I understand that

the newer ultrapoxy is not quite as good as the origional due

to our EPA regulations and I expect that is also the reason we

cant find your spray paint in the states.

In other words, I don't really know that much about setting up

a rigger and am just now trying to learn. We were running straight

shafts thru a 5/16 ID tube with as many as 12 or more ball bearings

and encased in a flat bottom strut made of 1/16 ply and filled

with epoxy. This made another lifting surface in the rear which

is probably why my outer rear sponsons were set higher than

what you told me. This is also my first experience with flex shaft

and metal strut.

Talk to you soon, (Just don take some of my comments too serious.)

Don

P.S. after looking at your latest posts, I'm sure you will be well under

2Lbs. "FANTASTIC DESIGN"

 

[MikeP]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

I know a fellow boater that owns a body shop, he told me once that Rustoleum Industrial works good but it has to be Industrial. I haven't tried either one.

I suck at painting and never been happy with a paint job from a spray can. If you can remember the picture of my .12 is was finished with epoxy. I used pigment added to the epoxy for color, I used black and red. Here is a process that I used if anybody wants to try it. Mix good epoxy with lots of pigment, brush it on with a foam brush or paper towel ( I like the paper towel there cheap and you don't have to clean them). I do one side at a time so it will flow out flat. Lay it on smooth, wet sand it with 600 on a flat piece of wood or something, use 400 if you need to remove alot. but don't sand through just the high spots and keep doing this until it's flat. Usually 3 times will do but you can keep going until it's perfect. Careful on the edges they are the hardest to keep color on. As you get close to perfect on your last coat you finish sanding with 1200 or 2000. The finish will still be dull. To get the gloss rub epoxy on with a paper towel and let it sit a minute and then with a clean paper towel buff it like you would shoe polish. Don't touch it and let it dry, it will give you a nice glossy finish when its dry. I use the same process to finish CF when I have to sand on it. I just don't add color.

The benifits of this process are, it's cheap, I can do it my self, no over spray, it comes out perfect, each time you add a coat and block sand it you can keep the riding surfaces on the bottom sharp.

It sounds like alot of work but I have finished a couple of boats using Dupont Emron sprayed on at a body shop, by the time you spray and wet sand the good primer twice and after the Emron is shot, there is still rounded edges on the bottom of the hull that need to be wet sanded to sharpen them. Still alot of sanding. It coast almost a $100 in paint supplies.

-MikeP

 

[Hammerhead]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

With my .12, I'm gonna do your method with the whole boat with no color. Then, I will paint the upper half with color. this I believe will keep everything sharp that needs to be sharp.

Hammer

 

[Don Templeton]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

Mike, That does sound like a great method! I've just got to try it.

I have always used West Systems #105 epoxy resin and #209

hardner (40-50min pot life-20-24HR full cure ) to seal the boat.

One coat-sand and then another coat and sand to give a good

hard surface. Both coats brushed on wet.

With your method, can I just add color pigment to the same mix

and if so what kind and where do you get it?

Thanks,

Don

 

[MikeP]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

Don,

I got my pigment from Aerospace composites, it comes as a paste and looks like ink. For about $7.00 you get a little jar for me it's a lifetime supply.

If you want a even harder finish you can use powdered graphite, it only comes in black. ;D

It's made by west systems #423. You get a liftime supply of this for $12.00. It makes really good edges that are much harder than plain epoxy.

The composite store has some cool stuff. I have some of there pigment. I will try and get a picture of the sample piece I made with it. There stuff is bright neon and comes in a powder. The problem is they are kinda transparent. With a little imagination you could make some neet looking stuff.

http://www.cstsales.com/Epoxy_&_Molding/pi...and_glittes.htm

I am having a great time with west systems in this cold weather, I poured mixed epoxy out on a cold piece of granite and was able to use it for 3 hours. I wrap my project in an electric blanket and it's hard enough to handle in a few hours.

-MikeP

 

[Don Templeton]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

Mike:

I found the pigment with no problem. Do I assume from what you

said that the west systems I have been using will work OK?

Also, how do you wrap your project in a heat blanket without it

sticking to the epoxy? ???

Thanks for the info,

Don

 

[TimD]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

Hey Mike,

That pigment method sounds like a great idea - I would like to give it a try on my next wood boat. I am already using West system to seal the wood so I only need to buy some pigment.

Do you use the epoxy / pigment mix on the unsealed wood or do you seal it with epoxy 1st and then use the epoxy with pigment over the top, then clear again for the shine?

Tim.

 

[MikeP]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

Hi,

Here is a picture of the orange I was playing with.

www.ad.kengarff.com/mikep/cf90/orange.jpg

I used pigment with West Systems. If you use pigment on usealed wood it soakes into the wood and you can never sand it out. Thats not a bad thing but just so you know. Don't get messy and get it on something you don't want colored. I use pigment all the way you need all the color you can get on it and it shines good but doesn't have a thick gloss. Practice on some scrap wood so you know what's going to happen. I practiced on foam, fiberglass, kevlar, hardwood, plywood.

I found that black pigment on kevlar leaves a cool dark green color. If you rub all the extra epoxy / pigment off you can get some nice wood grain finishes.

Don,

I haven't built anything yet this winter that couldn't be wrapped in the blanket, it has usually been in a vacume bag or I layed some wax paper over it. I read about some guys that were building a box lined with aluminum foil and mounting a couple of light globes in it to make a warming oven. After what I have done with the heat blanket I will build one of those when the time comes.

-MikeP

 

[jklimpel]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

All;

You can use plain old rust paint (Rustoleum, Tremclad etc) to tint or colour clear Urethane clearcoat.

These paints are varsol based, and if you try and use them without any clearcoat, hot fuel (>30%) will strip it off. (>60% will strip it instantly)

These paints are also very cheap, so stocking up on a whole lot of colours (which you can mix to get more colours) costs next to nothing...and will last forever.

Use something like 10-1 (Urethane - Paint)

When I say Urethane clearcote...I mean the 2 part stuff you get from autobody or industrial supply stores(Urethane/Cyano-hardener)...not that crap they use for furniture and stuff.

The epoxy stuff is cool....but makes a mess of your equipment if you dont promply clean it well.

Durability...they are the same. I like UC because you can repair easier, and make all sorts of 'neat' effects with metalflake, transitions and stuff.

Just my .02.

 

[Don Templeton]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

"OK,OK,OK",-Guys

I GIVE UP!

Maybe the Rustoleum will last just long enough to make one

SAW pass at 80mph before the boat melts into oblivion.

:-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[

;D

 

[MikeP]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

Jeff,

I am interested in trying the UC, I know that is some good stuff. Can you explain some more details on it's use? How do you apply it? How do you clean it up? If I go to the autobody supply store they will ask what brand. Can you name some good brands and how much it should cost.

-MikeP

 

[Propjockey]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

Don, don't worry about the paint too much...at 80 MPH you're not gonna see it very good!! ;D

 

[Don Templeton]

Re:"Easy" nitro proof painting!

Propjockey:

" I guarantee it'll run 80MPH.

Right out the window of my car!

Anyway, I already fixed the problem with a secret new finish

I came up with. Don't let Hammer know about this but it's

nitro proof Turtle Wax! ;D