Warbird Information Exchange

Not sure if this belongs elsewhere on the forum, but here goes...

I've recently been given an opportunity to do some paintwork on vintage military vehicles... emblems and such... and am rather interested in the prospect. But up to this point I've not painted on anything other than wood and leather, and have used only acrylic craft paints.

The acrylics work quite well for wood and leather, and they have weathered very well on the leather patches that I've put on ball caps. But I'm concerned about using them on vehicles, and am looking for possible alternatives.

So, you guys who have done hand-painted stuff on aircraft... what types of paints do you use?

Thanks...


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Personally I have had excellent results with acrylics....but if you're going with designs that are going to be exposed to weather I would include an over spray of matte sealer as the last step. Don't over do it with the sealer or it will look funny.

I use One Shot sign painter's enamel when pinstriping and lettering hot rods and custom cars. Holds up great and doesn't require a clear coat of any kind. It contains extra pigment so it is never see-through. I think if you use that you'll be pleased.
Hope this helps!
Johnny

I'm with the "One-Shot"...........John

I spent almost tens years doing signs, and I'll 'Third' the motion for One-Shot - - with a couple of caveats.

Get some and practice a bit before trying anything important. It flows much differently and dries much more slowly than acrylics. On the upside, you'll finally be able to use those script brushes right<G>

Get the 'Sign Painters' white, in the white can, rather than the plain white in the yellow can. Trust me on this one.

Get more thinner than you think you'll need, and be sure to clean brushes better than you ever have before when switching colours. Depending on what and where you'll be painting think about retarder (not likely) and some Japan Drier. Not necessary, but occasionally handy to have.

Get out of the habit of licking your brushes to a point. Trust me on this one too.

_________________
Lest Hero-worship raise it's head and cloud our vision, remember that World War II was fought and won by the same sort of twenty-something punks we wouldn't let our daughters date.

One-Shot... d'oh... now I feel like a dolt. It was in the back of my mind, although I couldn't for the life of me remember its name. I'd actually considered messing with it a long while back but never did because I didn't have a real need for it... guess I'll give it a whirl.

Thanks for the replies folks!


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