|
|
One other thing I would add,
All of that body work and primer will shrink over time. It will be smooth when it goes to paint but the old work will show over time. If you give it 6 mos before paint it will generally have shrunk all it is going to...
FWIW..
Randy Snarr
N694RS
--- On Wed, 8/6/08, rwolf99@aol.com <rwolf99@aol.com> wrote:
From: rwolf99@aol.com <rwolf99@aol.com>
Subject: [LML] Re: Finishing Costs
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Date: Wednesday, August 6, 2008, 1:33 PM
Many of us don't have $20K to drop on a paint job. And yes, I know that there's a lot more to it than just paint -- I was stating it that way to make a point.
Mike Easley has the right idea for us Lancair builders with limited funds. Do the bulk of it yourself , but just up until the end. Filling pinholes is not hard and does not take too long. Finding and filling the low spots does not take that long, either. But that last pass or two -- it's not a matter of time, it's a matter of skill. Some of us have it, but most of us don't. To get a result that you're happy with may very well take the 1000 hours that you've been posting. It probably takes that long to develop the skill.
If your goal is to teach yourself to be a professional painter, then by all means do the whole thing yourself. If your objective is to learn the basics and save a ton of money for a relatively small investment in time, do the initial work yourself and let the professional do that last pass or two. Put on the micro (or SuperFil) and leave it a little high when you deliver it to him. The plan will be for him to make one final sanding pass and then spray. Of course, it won't actually work that way, but that's the goal.
If this is the approach you use, I STRONGLY recommend that your painter see your airplane one or twice during this process. Even if you can only bring him a wing, that's okay. He'll see what you've done, and after he realizes that you don't know what you're doing he'll show you how to fondle the surface to identify problem areas. Make sure you ask him to show you how to manipulate the sanding tools to get the results he wants to see. And yes, you'll go back into the garage and do as much work again as you already had before you finally drop off the plane. At least, that's how it worked for me.
I did the bottom of my airplane this way. The bottom is in primer and the top is (as yet) untouched. The body work on the bottom appears superb to my untrained eye and hands. He intends to do a single additional sanding pass (I think 180 grit, or maybe 320) before he sprays the paint on what he's already primed.
My airplane is in the garage. It's easy to walk out there, do an hour or so of sanding, and then put on some more filler. Come back the next day after the filler cures and repeat. I spent about 100 hours on it and he spent about 40. Of course, the 360 is a little airplane.
- Rob Wolf
|
|
|