Painting Carbon Fiber Tailboom?

[Gyropilot]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to spray paint some stripes on a CF (carbon fiber) tailboom, but first I have several questions:

1. I think I've read in this forum the CF should be lightly sanded and primed prior to painting. Please confirm this and also suggest what grit sandpaper would be appropriate.

2. If I choose NOT to alter (sand) the non-painted portions of the tailboom, what product would you recommend I use to mask off those non-painted portions before sanding the painted portions? I think I read someone used electrical tape because of its resistance to sandpaper. Is that a good choice?

3. Is 3M 218 Fine Line tape a good choice for masking CF for spray painting?

4. Can sanded and unprimed CF be sprayed directly with polyurethane, and if yes, does it look good?

Any tips or additional CF prep and painting suggestions are welcomed.

Thanks in advance,

John

[Helique]

John - exactly what paint are you using and are you going to clear coat it?

[Gyropilot]

Originally Posted by Helique

John - exactly what paint are you using and are you going to clear coat it?

I'm currently using Krylon "Short Cuts" enamel paint cut with lacquer thinner and applied using a Preval aerosol sprayer.

The day-glow orange color I've been using dries flat, and while that finish doesn't look terrible by itself, it might better match the gloss finish of the canopy if clear coated with polyurethane.

John

[Helique]

Hey John:

Suggestions to your questions:

1. Yes you should lightly scuff sand the CF before painting. I would use a scotch bright pad to scuff up the surface.

2. I've never heard of using electrical tape for masking... it might work great. It would probably leave nice clean lines. I would test it first to make sure it resists the solvents in your paint. As far as its resistance to sandpaper, scotch bright pad would probably work better.

3. The 3M tape is fine for masking.

4. Yes sanded CF can be sprayed directly with poly, if you are referring to the clear coat. Re: spraying a color coat over the CF: you probably want to first spray a light color primer coat so you don't have to use as much color to get good coverage, assuming you're talking about the day-glow orange. Which BTW, you might want to find an appropriate thinner/reducer for that enamel paint...

If I was doing the project, I would:
Scuff sand the entire boom.
Mask off your design.
Spray a light coat of white primer.
Spray your color coat.
Unmask, lightly scuff sand the color coat, if it's glossy.
Spray clear coat.

Hope this helps and however you go, try and test out your method on some scrap first.

[Gyropilot]

Originally Posted by Helique

Hope this helps and however you go, try and test out your method on some scrap first.

Thank you VERY much for all the great tips Helique. I hadn't thought to use Scotch Bright for scuffing up the CF. That should be much easier to use than sandpaper.

Happy flying,

John

[dgunawan]

If I was doing the project, I would:
Scuff sand the entire boom.
Mask off your design.
Spray a light coat of white primer.
Spray your color coat.
Unmask, lightly scuff sand the color coat, if it's glossy.
Spray clear coat.

Hope this helps and however you go, try and test out your method on some scrap first.

What clear coat for your last step?

[Gyropilot]

Originally Posted by dgunawan

What clear coat for your last step?

Because the paint I'm using is flat and seems rather soft... easily damaged.

John

[banshee rider]

Electrical tape works great for masking because you can stretch it for compound curves

!!!BUT !!!!

test it first some brands will leave the glue behind and I haven't found a way to remove the glue without ruining the paint !!!

[Paintboy]

test it first some brands will leave the glue behind and I haven't found a way to remove the glue without ruining the paint !!!

try bestine rubber cement thinner, hard to find but will not effect either lacquer or enamels.