Airplane paint question:
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 182,997
Likes: 88
From: Lakeland, FL
Cruise-In IV-V-VI-VII-VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03, '06, '17
Airplane paint question:
A friend at work told me that a buddy of his painted his classic car with scratch resistant airplane paint. Has anybody heared about or used airplaine paint on a Vette?
:cheers:
Olivier
:cheers:
Olivier
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 803
Likes: 0
From: South San Francisco CA
Re: Airplane paint question: (GrandSportC3)
There is no such thing as airplane paint. All polyurethanes are scratch resistant but obviously....not scratch proof. DuPont Imron used to be the hardest paint out there, but I'm not sure if they still make it. EPA...ya know. They will get you every time.
Pro
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 543
Likes: 0
From: nyc ny
Re: Airplane paint question: (fontking1a)
Yeah Imron was great stuff but nasty Years later I can still smell that Imron cobb web in my lungs . Dont know if they still make it either ,I know they phased out REAL laccuer a while back. The products that PPG is pumping out are still very high quality and I go with them everytime. I also like the hvlp systems. I remember the days of high pressure gear and all the material you had to buy lets not forget about generating that huge cloud in the shop either. Hvlp is great low pressure, more paint on the vehicle instead of the air :cool: :seeya
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 57
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From: Las Vegas NV
Re: Airplane paint question: (One GM A Tech)
In 1980 i painted my baja bug with Deltron acrylic urethane which was used mostly on airplanes. The paint was very scratch resistant but was very brittle and chipped a lot. I know one person that painted an old jag and he was very happy with it.
With all the excellent products on the market i wouldn't bother. I'm not even sure they make that stuff anymore.
With all the excellent products on the market i wouldn't bother. I'm not even sure they make that stuff anymore.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 14,384
Likes: 6,408
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
Re: Airplane paint question: (GrandSportC3)
The stuff that people call "airplane paint" is the old Imron. The stuff was designed as the first generation catalyzed urethane, and was intended to be very hard and durable for use on over-the-road trucks, buses, aircraft, and other machines that typically are difficult to wash, wax and maintain. The stuff is very hard, so it is more scratch resistant than the enamels and lacquers of the time. It also has very good UV resistance, so it works well on aircraft with good color hold-out. But it is also completely "buff-resistant": it is so hard that it cannot be successfully wet sanded and buffed out. It's a true "shoot-n-scoot" paint. I wouldn't consider shooting it on a car, unless it's a Baja-buggy or something that needs to look good from a few feet away and that you don't want to do any maintenance on.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 2,107
Likes: 14
From: Lancaster PA
Re: Airplane paint question: (lars)
The new generation of Imron is Imron 5000 S/S and Imron 6000 BC/CC. These are very high solids products with great durabillty. They are used at the OE level on most big rig trucks and are used on many aircraft. The 6000 clear is buffable if done soon after curing. Dupont also still makes the original Imron which is still a very durable paint but like was said before it would be difficult to get a perfect job on Vette. Craig
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 182,997
Likes: 88
From: Lakeland, FL
Cruise-In IV-V-VI-VII-VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03, '06, '17
Re: Airplane paint question: (CF6873)
ALL - Thanks for all the information! I think that I'm going with regular paint if I'm going to decide to re-paint my 68.
:cheers:
Olivier
:cheers:
Olivier
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Advanced
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 97
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From: Birchwood Wisconsin
Re: Airplane paint question: (fontking1a)
There is no such thing as airplane paint. All polyurethanes are scratch resistant but obviously....not scratch proof. DuPont Imron used to be the hardest paint out there, but I'm not sure if they still make it. EPA...ya know. They will get you every time.
It's very scratch resistant.....it's also very expensive. As I recall, it's over twice the cost of good quality automotive paint and I doubt if it's available in as many colors. It's also just as bad for you as Imron.
However, the stuff works great; used it to paint by brother's stockcar, tire marks (donuts) wiped right off with thinner. Before we would have to buff out or repaint.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 308
Likes: 0
From: Greenfield OH
Re: Airplane paint question: (GrandSportC3)
I'm not expert but I am an A&P Mechanic with 18 years on the heavies (8 military & 10 civilian) . What everone is saying is pretty much on target. As a general rule, the aircraft industry uses polyurethane paints. They are, in fact, very tough but are not so hard that they are brittle. The passenger and freight haulers experience airspeeds that none of us will...and we won't even talk about the military fighter jets.
If you can find a color of poly that you like...shoot it. But BE SURE you follow ALL of the surface prep instructions. Good luck! :cheers:
Weasle :cool:
If you can find a color of poly that you like...shoot it. But BE SURE you follow ALL of the surface prep instructions. Good luck! :cheers:
Weasle :cool:
