Achieving a True Flat Military Finish on Aluminum Aircraft

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 616

For years I have looked and tried several different options for achieving a full flat, durable finish on a military aircraft.

the other day I met a car owner (Hummer) who had his car painted with the Eastwood single stage flat acrylic urethane. It was not a base coat clear coat.

the finish was beautiful, a true flat with none of the weird satin/clear glint or sheen when viewed in sunlight that is common with traditional polyurethanes when flattened.

I was wondering if any Warbird painters have tried this paint from Eastwood, custom mixed.

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-rat-ro ... paint.html

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 616

This is the Summit Racing single stage Urethane, it comes completely flat nothing to be added but activator. I ordered a gallon of flat gray to shoot next week on some test panels. This is their flat orange

This is not a base coat clear coat. They also offer a satin, the picture below is dead flat not satin.

This is a true Urethane, chemical and UV resistant, tough and will last a long time same as the gloss urethanes.

Stock colors are shown below and include Olive Drab, Desert Tan, Olive Green and two grays, all full flat. The paint is priced at $79.95/gal with activator it is $101/gal with free shipping. With activator it makes 5 sprayable quarts.

http://www.summitracing.com/search/prod ... hane-paint

ALOHADAVE · **Posted:** Sun Jul 12, 2015 12:14 am

I like flat finish aircraft. Much more original and realistic to the military colors. I dislike the glossy paint used on most restorations, but I understand it is much more easier to maintain. My favorite aircraft is Bong's P-38 at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center that they left in original paint.

Locobuster · **Posted:** Sun Jul 12, 2015 1:24 am

ALOHADAVE wrote:

I like flat finish aircraft. Much more original and realistic to the military colors. I dislike the glossy paint used on most restorations, but I understand it is much more easier to maintain. My favorite aircraft in the USAFM is Bong's P-38 that they left in original paint.

Dave, the P-38J which Bong flew in April of '45 is at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, VA. The P-38 pictured is an L model painted as a J as a tribute to former USAFM curator Royal Frey. Frey flew with the 20th Fighter Group and was a POW.

ALOHADAVE · **Posted:** Sun Jul 12, 2015 1:39 am

I stand corrected, I had used the wrong photo in the previous post.

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 616

The problem with the modern urethanes including, JetGlo, Imron, Airtech and Aerothane is they are not meant to be flattened. It is nearly impossible to get a smooth consistent paint finish and the amount of satin sheen changes with temperature and humidity. Without a doubt Poly Fiber works the best ( with ground silica flattener)but still is not perfect and you can end up with striping or variations in sheen and the glint or shine when viewed from angles in the sun is still there.

For example, we painted my last O-1 restoration with Imron with the liquid flattener at 50% and had fits trying to achieve a smooth even finish. In this photo you can see the annoying sheen and glint in the paint when viewed at an angle. At some angles in bright sunlight the effect is extreme. Photos taken in full shade or from a shaded angle in sunlight appear better.

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 616

The last satisfactory urethane paint job I got was in 2000 with Airtech before they changed their paint formula. Back then their paint could be taken full flat with a powdered flattening agent they provided. Their paint now can no longer be flattened. I painted this L-4E with Air Tech paint and it worked very nicely, but their new formula will not flatten.

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 616

The factory fresh flat look that is difficult to replicate with our modern urethanes. This is Dark Olive Drab #41 and Light Neutral Gray.

pilot06 · **Posted:** Sun Jul 12, 2015 10:53 am

L-4Pilot,

Good subject to discuss. How cleaning are you willing to accept for the authentic flat finish would be my first question? If your flying a flat finish T-6 then I would say it's a considerable amount of time. My .02.

PC

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 616

pilot06 wrote:

L-4Pilot,

Good subject to discuss. How cleaning are you willing to accept for the authentic flat finish would be my first question? If your flying a flat finish T-6 then I would say it's a considerable amount of time. My .02.

PC

No doubt you are correct. What I found with the Cessna O-1 was that the satin look on the O-1 was as difficult to clean as a smooth flat finish. If the flat finish is smooth and tough, cleaning is as easy as a "satin" finish. Once you leave a full gloss slick finish the flat and satin are basically the same. The problem in the past is we did not have access to a urethane full flat that was tough, chemical resistant and at the same time smooth.

The full flat Eastwood finish I saw on that Hummer was very smooth and easy to clean, not porus like all the flat finishes I had experienced in the past.

I will be spraying the flat urethane gray this week and will perform some "stain tests" on it when it is ready.

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 616

This is the faded flat finish that we will try to achieve on the RLAF T-41B we are painting, but with less weathering.
http://images.google.com/hosted/life/7b ... b6ffc.html

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 616

For you Navy guys, A couple of factory fresh aircraft from Life Magazine

L-4Pilot · **Joined:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:35 pm **Posts:** 616

Test spray this morning with a salvage Cessna wing we stripped and cleaned.

The paint dried out dead flat and smooth. We will wait a few days and test it with 110 LL and various thinners for durability.

It is beautiful paint and very easy to shoot.

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Achieving a True Flat Military Finish on Aluminum Aircraft

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