The International Cessna^® 170 Association

I'm about ready to paint the Cessna logo and N Number on the tail. Am I good simply spraying the paint on the tail without priming? I'm trying to get really crisp lines and I'm afraid letting the primer dry will result in some bad lines when I remove the vinyl stencil. I was thinking I would just spray one light tack coat of ranthane, let it get tacky,and then spray one more thicker coat. The plan would be to pull the stencil off before the paint dries.

Does this make sense or do I really need to prime? There's a very good chance I might be overthinking this.....

I have no experience with Randolph products, but in general your best bet is to follow the directions on whatever kind of paint you're using. If they say to prime with xyz123 primer, then prime with xyz123primer. Most primers I've used can be applied very thin, practically see through, so there's not a lot of buildup to cause a problem with the edges. Also, they usually dry to the touch fairly quickly, so you can apply the topcoat soon after the primer, and remove the stencil while the paint is still on the soft side.

Thanks Miles.

Sounds like a good plan. I will stop overthinking it now!

Mike

Mike
I admire you for painting but Vinyl is so much easier. No one other than you will know.
Dan

It will be hard to match the color. You can print Pantone or CMYK colors on vinyl, but it definitely doesn't look like paint. If you wanted to do a totally different color, (black, for example), then I wouldn't hesitate with doing vinyl. Another trick would be to take some 00 steel wool and scuff some white vinyl, paint it, then run it through the cutter. People paint the Mylar/polyester covering material for model airplanes all the time with automotive paint, so this may not be too far fetched an idea.

I'm going for an original look with this thing and I don't think vinyl would do the trick. I just don't want to screw it up. Hopefully it will look ok. I'm also stenciling on the old fuel placards. If I can ever find some time I will get this done and post some pictures of the finished product.

Mike

The question is how long will the paint adhere to the metal and look good without a primer? Well probably long enough if the aluminum is clean prior to spraying. If you go for something long lasting like I'm thinking a self etching primer for the paint to adhere to, you'll likely permanently mar your lovely polished metal. But I'm no expert in polished surfaces, I have a hard enough time just keeping my spinner looking good.

On the subject of stencils I saw the attached picture online recently. Has anybody else seen this stencil on their plane? It's not shown in the IPC.

c170b53 wrote:The question is how long will the paint adhere to the metal and look good without a primer? Well probably long enough if the aluminum is clean prior to spraying. If you go for something long lasting like I'm thinking a self etching primer for the paint to adhere to, you'll likely permanently mar your lovely polished metal. But I'm no expert in polished surfaces, I have a hard enough time just keeping my spinner looking good.

Probably depends on what type of paint you are thinking about using, but the guy that painted my plane in 1984 insisted on shooting Imron on bare aluminum without primer and my paint job still looks like new after 32 years.

Joe

If the stenciling was not original I would be real surprised as it appears exactly as pictured on both of my 170s Bill K