What kind of spray paint works best with FT Foamboard?

[ZeromadHero]

It's been only recently that I've come across the bliss of FliteTest Foamboard Kits. So, after I've watched a few videos on the FT youtube channel, I immediately bought the FT Explorer.

What I can say as of now:
+ The material seems to be very good quality-wise and it works exceptionally good with hot glue. In addition to that, it's very satisfying to see a plane coming together out of a few sheets of flat foamboard.
- I'm still trying to figure out which type of spraypaint (and in which way) would work best with this kind of material, though. I've tried both nitro- and acrylic-based spray paints, but both of them seemed to stick rather poorly to the foamboard.

Although I ripped off the paint a couple of times while pulling the masking tape off of the plane, I'm satisfied with the overall outcome
(Regarding the 9" prop.... All I can say is "Not even close" that's like not even 2mm )

 

[FDS]

Any spray paints will work with it, as will vinyl dyes. You do need to “scotch” the surface for them to stick, I use Scotchbrite medium abrasive pads, which have the advantage of being flexible, so you can work them into the corners if you already built the airframe.
You can use 320-400 grit auto paper as well. This works well on a sanding block on the flat components or sheets BEFORE assembly, I now do all my sanding on the sheets before cutting out any parts or pressing the speedbuild kits out, sanding both faces, this ensures both good paint adhesion on the outside and better glue adhesion on the insides.
Apply paint in thin, fairly dry coats and allow time to flash off fully before the next coat.
Sanding the surface will help with the masking issue, but it can still get pulled off, even with good surface prep and paint. The best trick I saw for that was to start with a low tack tape then stick it to your clothes first, so th3 lint reduces the tack further. Peter explained that one in his painting FT board video, it really does work.
I also try and remove the tape hot, so warm it a bit with a hairdryer before pulling off into the freshly tacked off paint edge, ideally before it’s fully cured.
That paint looks really smart.

 

[Headbang]

What FDS said. For FT water resistant board I use rustoleum painters touch X2. Many super light coats. Give it a couple days at room temp or hotter before masking for next color.

 

[Trains1213_YT]

I use krylon and it works pretty good.

 

[Bavarian_RC]

I use 100 grit for sanding (but you need to be careful not to go too deep into the paper) and then smoothen the surface with Scotch Brite. If you are more patient than me, better use something like 320 grit. For painting I had the best results with Dupli Color Platinum spray cans, which you can easily get in Europe. They are not the cheapest, but I think the result is worth it. For the masking tape I use Tesa Perfect. Before applying it to a previously painted surface I stick it 2 or 3 times to my T-Shirt or Jeans and slide it forth and back (like mentioned by FDS). By doing so is gets less sticky, but still enough to work properly. Normally you won't peel off any previous paint, except if the surface below was covered with packing tape. There you might still have some trouble. Generally don't wait too long after painting with the removal of the masking tape... but pull it off very slowly! In case there are still some small areas where the paint was pulled off, I use a plastic cup, spray some paint in it, just enough that I can use a small brush to dip into the paint and then repair the damaged areas with the brush.

 

[PsyBorg]

I hit all exposed foam edges with white gorilla wood glue. Then lightly mist krylon sanding primer a few times til all is covered. Then it doesnt matter what you use

 

[ZeromadHero]

Thanks for all these helpful pieces of advice, I'll keep them in mind ^^

 

[BrickRedRock]

I’ve done Krylon as well, just keep the the first coating light

 

[jaredstrees]

Yep. light coats. Otherwise the foam could melt. Also, if you get it thicker on one side than the other, or do one side at a time you can have some warping issues.