I've been following the thread about primers, fillers and tools. It's
obvious that there are as many ways to prep a Lancair for paint as there
are people on this list. So far, all the advice has been good. I'd like to
point out a few of the common things I encounter while painting owner
prepped airplanes, as well as offer an option for those planning to do most
of the work themselves.

There are essentially two steps to doing the contouring and smoothing
required for good aerodynamics and a slick paint finish.

1)Shape the plane: Create good airfoils; flat, wave-free surfaces; even
curves; straight edges; even, parallel gaps; flush-fitting panels; gentle,
consistent radiuses; etc. In other words, get any and all shaping complete
first. This step include micro, Super-fil, block sanding with the Eastwood
boards, using a guide coat, etc. It does not include the use of gallon upon
gallon of primer.

2)Prime and finish sand with finer grits. At this point, the objective is
not so much to change the shape as it is to fill pinholes, block out
sandscratchs, and prepare the surface for topcoating.

These two steps cannot be reversed! Unfortunately, it seems that most
builders as well as many auto body guys that assist with paint prep are
better at step #2 than #1. The vast majority of planes brought to us for
final paint did not have step #1 properly completed. However, step #2 was
done. If I don't go back and fix step #1, the quality of the paint job
won't be there. In order to complete step #1, I'll have to destroy all the
progress made on step #2. Thus, most of the owner's time, materials, and
money is wasted. This is hands down the single biggest (time and $$$) issue
we face when doing outside jobs (and telling the owners what it will
cost... )

I usually suggest starting with the WLS that Lancair sells. Or, if you want
to buy locally, go with PPG K38. The idea as previously stated is to apply
thin coats first, working it in to the pits and weave. These products are
pretty foolproof as long as you allow adequate flash time between coats.
And don't try to do the whole plane at once. Flip the fuselage and do the
bottom first. This gives you a chance to perfect your skills in an area
that won't show. Then, move on to the wings and control surfaces, and
finally the upper fuselage and tail.

For those planning to do this as they build; one of the things we offer is
onsite training. If you want to save money, or just have a desire to do the
work yourself, consider getting a pro involved early in the project to
demonstrate the proper techniques and processes. You can then complete most
of the work yourself and avoid a nasty surprise in the end.

Brad Simmons
Airframes Inc.
Milan, TN
btsim1@earthlink.net
731-686-3610



> One related tip that I got from a painter at Oshkosh:  If you are going
to get a pro to paint your airplane, once you get the primer the way you
want it and sand it reasonably smooth (by your standards) go fly or take it
to the painter.  Don't spend weeks with 200 grit paper trying to get it to
paint standard.  The reason is simple: no matter how hard you work at it,
the painter is not going to like the result and is going to start by rough
sanding all over again.  Whatever rough sanding you did will probably help
save him time but any finish sanding is going to disappear with the first
pass of the board.  Sounds obvious but it didn't occur to me.  Sanding is
not may favorite thing and I spent hours on my back under the airplane
trying to get that last scratch out.