Hi,
Sometime ago there was some discussion about HVLP paint systems for
painting Europas. James Thursby provided information on the subject and
I've also had some discussions with Graham (Gamin) about it. As I'm soon
going to have to decide how to go about this painting operation, I was
wondering if there's any other experience out there about 'painting it
yourself' (even if its only to say DON'T) and especially about HVLP
systems.
I suppose that most people will opt to have a professional do the painting,
but there may also be some points in favour of doing it yourself, not the
least of which most kitplane builders are do-it-yourselfers by nature. But
of course the paint job is the area where the quality of the workmanship
becomes REALLY visible and its not worth devaluing 000s of hours of work
and 000s of Euros of investment with a shoddy paint job. But, I've been
reading with interest Ron Alexander's articles in Sport Aviation on spray
painting -- his opinion is that builders of average skill can achieve
really good results provided they use the right equipment and take their
time (which is what the professionals usually don't have). By 'right
equipment', he means HVLP (high volume low pressure) spray systems which
eliminate the high capital outlay and the complexity of conventional
compressor-based systems.
I have done a bit of research and found that Fastech have a product with
combined HVLP paint system and breathing apparatus for around US$800, which
I think is less than a professional would charge to do the job.
The question is: does anyone have any experience with these things? any
recommendations? how many others have taken the DIY option?
Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith Phone: +49 (0)6301 71 22 12
Q-Labs Software Engineering GmbH, Fax: +49 (0)6301 71 22 99
Technopark I, Mobile: +49 172 205 27 02
Sauerwiesen 2, Siegelbach Email: Graeme.Smith@q-labs.de
D-67661 Kaiserslautern, WWW: http://www.q-labs.de
GERMANY
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