How to paint an airplane all by yourself

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VERT INC

• How to paint an airplane all by yourself

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DIY

• Its definitely possible but isnt as simple as
  painting a car. You will need good equipment and
  an understanding of how painting works. Before
  you being, you will need to find a facility to
  paint the airplane in. If you have a hangar, this
  is ideal but many just use their barn or garage.
  Its less roomy, but can be done. Do not ever use
  a basement. The further away you are from the
  chemicals and your home the better. Garages tend
  to allow breathing room and a basement will harm
  your line in environment.
• Once you have figured out a place to paint, you
  definitely will need some good equipment. Do not
  get cheap on it either because we are painting an
  airplane and not a bicycle. You will need one of
  four different spraying machines

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DIY

• A conventional pressure fed gun, which usually is
  an air compressor or a pressure pot.
• High-Volume, Low-Pressure systems, which is
  better than the above because it stops the
  overspray problem (recommended)
• Airless spraying, which is a little more
  expensive but does a good job
• Electrostatic spraying very expensive and
  usually not for someone who is DIY
• Recommended spray should be 90 psi at the
  compressor outlet. Any lower and you could run
  into runs and sags - let it dry, sand and
  re-spray if that occurs. Read about the kind of
  paint you are using as drying may take up to 3
  days. This isnt an overnight process nor is it
  for impatient people.

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DIY

• There are multiple surfaces for airplanes. Steel,
  aluminum, wood and/or fiberglass. Surfaces will
  depend on what kind of sanding you will need to
  do before you add your topcoats paint. For a high
  gloss finish, you will definitely spend a lot of
  time sanding. You will need wet dry sandpaper and
  water. Make sure you fold it in thirds to
  maximize the sandpaper use. Sand straight forward
  and back versus circular. This is not a movie
  wax on wax off.
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• The materials you will be using

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DIY

• Single edge razors
• Paint filters
• Plastic squeegee
• Hand held agitator
• Pneumatic drill
• Clean rags
• Masking tape
• Sanding blocks
• Soup ladle to dip paint
• Tack cloths
• Wet/dry sandpaper

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DIY

• Stirring sticks
• Drop cloths to protect the floor
• Butcher paper or masking paper
• Fine-line masking tape
• Scotchbrite pads
• Scissors
• Plastic sheets
• Coffee cans
• Viscosity cup

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DIY

• When spraying your first coat, you will need to
  point the nozzle appropriately. It needs to be
  six to ten inches from the surface and you need
  to move it in a parallel fashion and not an arc
  otherwise the paint will be thick in some spots.
  Many painters always paint, sand, dry and repaint
  over and over again. Get used to the redundancy
  if you want a high gloss finish.
• Safety should be your number one priority if you
  want to paint an airplane all by yourself. You
  will definitely need a forced air breathing
  system. Do some research on where you can rent or
  buy one. You do not want to be breathing in any
  of the atomized particles from the sanding and
  painting especially aluminum. Do your best to
  think twice before you act. Chemicals and metals
  can get through the skin as well so you will need
  some form of hazmat suit.

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DIY

• As you can see, this is just the template for
  painting an airplane all by yourself. This is not
  a detailed article, rather it is to inform you
  what you are up against. There are plenty of
  articles that go into bigger detail than this,
  but we caution anyone from taking it a step
  further if you have never painted anything
  before. You need to have an understanding of the
  rules of painting in order to keep yourself from
  harm and doing a good job.
•  
• Zach Tait
• CEO
• Vert, Inc.
• Address 517 SE Evergreen Ave
• Redmond, OR 97756, USA
• Phone [phone]