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<< Lancair Builders' Mail List >>
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I am piecing together my Lancair IV in our family room and so I am not real
keen on applying paint with solvents to smell up the rest of the house. (My
wife is a tolerant soul, but not that tolerant.) I have tried several of the
water based products, and recently completed a lot of work with the new Poly-
fiber water based polyurethane system. You add varying amounts of cross
linker prior to application to control hardness and flexibility. They have
formulated a primer that is heavy with pigments selected for ease of sanding.
The application protocol is as follows:
1) After sanding, vacuum and wipe down with alcohol or use their wiping
solution.
2) Roll on three coats of the primer (using their little rollers). This can
be done in one day at 2-3 hour intervals. I brushed it on in areas where the
roller wouldn't go, but the roller is the way to go if you can.
3) Sand with 240 grit, and use 120 or 180 if you need to take out a run. For
sanding I am a convert to the 3M gold adhesive-backed sand paper (from local
supplier to the auto body trade). It costs like gold, but does not load and
lasts a long time. The supplier also had a 3 inch by 6 inch dense foam 3M
sanding block that flexes nicely and has a nice hand hold. The primer sands
beautifully. You will get a lot of heavy dust fast (it does not float around).
I have a vacuum cleaner outside the room with a long line, remote switch near
the sanding bench, and a brush, and I vacuum a lot to keep the place clean.
4) Do it again with three coats of their UV blocker. Their literature notes
that they do not trust chemical UV blockers, particularly for protecting
cloth, so they formulated this silver gray material. Sand when finished.
5) Three more coats of the "Smooth Prime" primer, and finish sand. You can
wear the primer down to the UV protector layer and still be OK, and use this
as a preliminary way of doing guide coat work.
6) Final coats are sprayed on. Note that they do not use clear coat since all
the colors but silver are non metallic. They recommend final wet sanding and
buffing to get the ultimate glassy finish (which you need to do with clear
coat also).
They publish a great instruction book with illustrations, free. Call
800-362-3490 and ask for a copy and a color card. On the web,
www.polyfiber.com. Only drawback I see so far is a limited color selection
and no metallics. Buy a quart of the primer and try it out. You will be a
convert. Also use their ultralight weight filler instead of micro as a filler
prior to priming. It works well, sands easily, makes fewer pin holes than
sanded micro, and those fill well with their primer with the roller.
Fred Moreno
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