Patrick's Paint Shop - a place for plane painting projects

mrjdstewart

Legendary member
no worries, i have no interest in everyone agreeing with me. that would be boring and tragic.

i agree, obviously, that yes you can paint a FB plane and make it look awesome. done it many times. in fact sitting on my most recent build because i have't decided on how i want to paint it yet. :LOL:

prob is, most people aren't the best painters, are always in a rush, add way too much, and forget that there is a WHOLE LOT of plane behind the CG. all that paint and decals add up. sorry it's just simple math, A + B = C.

now is it enough to cause problems, depends... ???

my $. 02,

me :cool:
 

shadeyB

Legendary member
no worries, i have no interest in everyone agreeing with me. that would be boring and tragic.

i agree, obviously, that yes you can paint a FB plane and make it look awesome. done it many times. in fact sitting on my most recent build because i have't decided on how i want to paint it yet. :LOL:

prob is, most people aren't the best painters, are always in a rush, add way too much, and forget that there is a WHOLE LOT of plane behind the CG. all that paint and decals add up. sorry it's just simple math, A + B = C.

now is it enough to cause problems, depends... ???

my $. 02,

me :cool:
+1

Lol what have you built ? get your finger out and sort the livery out for your plane 🎨

Just finished building my mustang, I have added a pilot, custom cockpit and canopy 🥰
I’ll do a before and after paint for weight ratio
Just for the thread
 

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mrjdstewart

Legendary member
funny, i was just going to say we should weigh the can before and after, plus all the other stuff added. :unsure:

as for what have i built...don't really have that much time. let's just say my airplane room has over 100 current occupants. that does not count all those that have gone to the hanger in the sky. i have built almost every FT models, some multiple (x20) times. i would say 75% of the planes i have owned and flown have been built by me. many others i have modified, updated, or went completely mad with. that does not count all the 3D designed, printed, and used parts for these planes. hell, i got a mario cart that will do figure 8's on the dirt, then do loops and rolls , or hang on the prop in the air. touch and goes become a whole lot more fun. :ROFLMAO:

not trying to start a "paint" fight but it adds weight. paper adds weight. it is pretty simple physics. you add weight, it will affect the plane.

with that said, this was my last big build, and yes i added weight... :sneaky:

20200319_180555.jpg


me :cool:
 

Aireal Anarchist

Elite member
funny, i was just going to say we should weigh the can before and after, plus all the other stuff added.

weighing the can tells you nothing, you need to weigh the plane before and after to weigh the few thousands of an inch of applied paint, the can contains a lot of reducers and propellants that all evaporate Id guess only 30% is actual paint that is left behind you need to weigh
 

mrjdstewart

Legendary member
weighing the can tells you nothing, you need to weigh the plane before and after to weigh the few thousands of an inch of applied paint, the can contains a lot of reducers and propellants that all evaporate Id guess only 30% is actual paint that is left behind you need to weigh

true. thank you. weighing the plane before and after would be much more accurate.

that helps certainly but... it still doesn't really tell us all that we need.

based upon the surface area, in front of and behind the CG, how much weight was added to each? i hope we can agree there is usually more behind the CG, than in front of it?

we need to know where all the weight went percentage wise.

once again, not trying to start argument but i have seen way tooo many people when starting over "embellish" their planes, and it always leads too disaster.

sorry but you cant argue 1) adding paint and decals adds weight to the aircraft, 2) adding weight to any flying vehicle will affect its flight performance, and 3) adding more weight behind the CG will affect balance, once again affecting flight characteristics.

all i was trying to say,

me :cool:
 

Aireal Anarchist

Elite member
if you spray an EVEN 1 thousands of an inch layer overall the entire aircraft exactly nothing changes but the overall weight

the CG wont change unless you dont spray an even coat ............ 2 coat the tail section then you will have a measurable difference, can a pilot feel any difference? doubt it...

but even 2 coats behind the entire CG area I seriously doubt you can tell doing a CG balance with your fingers.......
seriously sometimes I have difficulty telling the difference doing a finger CG balance with adding a small a chunk of lead and need to check and recheck
now that we have rectified the thinners and propellants evaporating problem with your theory your argument is correct about overall weight only, unless your building ultra lights the average guys wont feel a significant difference

multi million dollar pylon racers would not have graphics plastered all over them just to loose for their sponsors and they are racing against thousands of a second on the clock and timed throughout every section of the entire course....what ever it takes to win right!
and seriously I doubt any pilot could tell the difference over two identical performing planes, ONE PAINTED ONE NO PAINT even if we used pylon racing telemetry ...... as no pilot could even run the same identical course to compare
 
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shadeyB

Legendary member
funny, i was just going to say we should weigh the can before and after, plus all the other stuff added. :unsure:

as for what have i built...don't really have that much time. let's just say my airplane room has over 100 current occupants. that does not count all those that have gone to the hanger in the sky. i have built almost every FT models, some multiple (x20) times. i would say 75% of the planes i have owned and flown have been built by me. many others i have modified, updated, or went completely mad with. that does not count all the 3D designed, printed, and used parts for these planes. hell, i got a mario cart that will do figure 8's on the dirt, then do loops and rolls , or hang on the prop in the air. touch and goes become a whole lot more fun. :ROFLMAO:

not trying to start a "paint" fight but it adds weight. paper adds weight. it is pretty simple physics. you add weight, it will affect the plane.

with that said, this was my last big build, and yes i added weight... :sneaky:

View attachment 171239

me :cool:
Wow
What an awesome job, why have you not shown these before 👍 show us more of your designs
What paint did u use ? are those home made decals ?
Any tips n tricks
 

JasonK

Participation Award Recipient
Painted up my Tiny Trainer in black and yellow for high LOS viability. (it is currently sitting in the garage for the next day or two while the paint fully dries, the fumes stink).

TTBumbleBee.jpg
 

shadeyB

Legendary member
So here she is 😍 always wanted my own P51-D
Yes slight modification to rear turtle deck but gave her a custom canopy with our very own John Overstreet as the pilot I can’t wait to get her up in the air.
#FliteTest had to be part of her sponsors 🤪 gave their C’pack a mention also and left some space for more when the requests come in lol
Sorry forgot to put Dan on for the sheet layout 😊 will hook you up some sponsor tag lol
Hope I have done the team proud
Little weathering to do on exhausts but she’s brand new lol
My very own Precious Metal P51-D
FB6D9853-2F2D-4678-9AA4-AB34655078AD.jpeg

478FC1A8-E290-4FDF-B074-17D201C1DC45.jpeg
AAAA2C8D-EDE3-4679-A714-11F832A06DCC.jpeg
 

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leaded50

Legendary member
this part, 500mm long of a edf jet. Used a little light wall filler, a layer of car spraycan filler, and two layers spraycan paint (+ marking,stripe eg.) did make a difference of 20g with or without any filler & paint
 

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Timmy

Legendary member
So here she is 😍 always wanted my own P51-D
Yes slight modification to rear turtle deck but gave her a custom canopy with our very own John Overstreet as the pilot I can’t wait to get her up in the air.
#FliteTest had to be part of her sponsors 🤪 gave their C’pack a mention also and left some space for more when the requests come in lol
Sorry forgot to put Dan on for the sheet layout 😊 will hook you up some sponsor tag lol
Hope I have done the team proud
Little weathering to do on exhausts but she’s brand new lol
My very own Precious Metal P51-D View attachment 171487
View attachment 171488 View attachment 171489
That looks great. How did you make the stickers?
 

shadeyB

Legendary member
That looks great. How did you make the stickers?
Hey Timmy
I used “water slide decals” for inkjet printer
1 get your template done on pc (word) document or whatever
2 print and dry the sheet with hairdryer gently
3 spray thin layer of varnish on to seal the ink in
Cut , bathe in water, apply and allow to dry
Finally seal with thin coat of minwax or whatever you use
C268A6AE-B649-4D03-893E-D76164D10979.jpeg


Be sure to cover the whole sheet with your decal plan as not to waste the paper 😜👍

547900F5-FE5D-4131-A6E0-40CAB7ED5AEB.jpeg
 

Timmy

Legendary member
Hey Timmy
I used “water slide decals” for inkjet printer
1 get your template done on pc (word) document or whatever
2 print and dry the sheet with hairdryer gently
3 spray thin layer of varnish on to seal the ink in
Cut , bathe in water, apply and allow to dry
Finally seal with thin coat of minwax or whatever you use View attachment 171804

Be sure to cover the whole sheet with your decal plan as not to waste the paper 😜👍

View attachment 171805
Nice, thanks!
 

Oldbrass

Member
Hey Timmy
I used “water slide decals” for inkjet printer
1 get your template done on pc (word) document or whatever
2 print and dry the sheet with hairdryer gently
3 spray thin layer of varnish on to seal the ink in
Cut , bathe in water, apply and allow to dry
Finally seal with thin coat of minwax or whatever you use

Be sure to cover the whole sheet with your decal plan as not to waste the paper 😜👍
Waterslide decals are really great for stuff like this. One thing to be aware of is that they can (not will, but can) shrink over time and large decals can crack due to this. Keeping them out of direct sun light will help longevity as will keeping them out of temperature extremes. They really are a great way to personalize a project.
 

Oldbrass

Member
When I built the P-38, there was really only one option for me in my mind. I've been in love with this bird since I was a kid. Had a picture of it hanging on my wall when I was young. I still need to fiddle with the cockpit but I did go and get spinners for it. Now I'm trying to decide if I get the landing gear kit.
 

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