Painting Foam Airplanes

[doctormike]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

Hi, Grossman. 3M has a new product (sand paper) that I'm trying. It's actually wet/dry but it's on a very flexible plastic backing. They don't exactly give it away, but it lasts forever. Very useful for contours. I painted my Multiplex Funjet with Krylon sun yellow yesterday. I'm detailing it today and found that even spray paint will pull up, so, you'd better get it right the first time. I guess that's an inherent problem with painted foam. Anyway, this thing does something in the neigborhood of 200mph, at full throttle, so I really want it to be visible. Sheeze... I only have to drive 20 miles to Santa Fe to shop. Doc

[Grossman56]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

Yeah, I hear you Doc, a 20 mile trip is almost a walk for us, its a 2 hour drive to Billings, so we make a day out of it.  They have a Hobby shop there as well as a Cabelas, in others words, guy heaven!!

Grossman56

[fozzy1972]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

I used createx airbrush paint, works just fine and doesnt peel off

[Grossman56]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

Hey Fozzie, welcome to the forum, thats great to know as thats been the $64 million dollar question around here.  I wonder what it is that makes one adhere better than the other, where do you get them?

Grossman56

[Pheonix]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

Hey Fozzie, welcome to the forum, thats great to know as thats been the $64 million dollar question around here.  I wonder what it is that makes one adhere better than the other, where do you get them?

Grossman56

Amazon has them.  I just ordered some.

[Grossman56]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

Hmm, have to look that one up, Pandora Two is going in for a custom paint job this winter.

Grossman56

[VA56champ]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

I've had trouble trying to add stripes or other markings over existing paint. I'm using blue painters tape stuck to my jeans etc. it still pulls some small paint chips up. Any advice would be appreciated.

Same here....I don't have an answer.  I do know, the planes I had a Minwax coat on first, then added stripes or something. Didn't have the issue. Yes, I found out too, you cant do too much of the painters tape on the jeans first...more the better.

I clear coat my planes first then tape off and add the colors. Tape will not stick to the clear coat.

[Pheonix]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

I've had trouble trying to add stripes or other markings over existing paint. I'm using blue painters tape stuck to my jeans etc. it still pulls some small paint chips up. Any advice would be appreciated.

Same here....I don't have an answer.  I do know, the planes I had a Minwax coat on first, then added stripes or something. Didn't have the issue. Yes, I found out too, you cant do too much of the painters tape on the jeans first...more the better.

I clear coat my planes first then tape off and add the colors.  Tape will not stick to the clear coat.

What do you use for clear coat?  Paint or something else?  Tanks

[Grossman56]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

I tried putting Minwax on first but the tape peels it off along with any paint underneath on the Pandoras.  However, when I converted Iron Ass to Old Crow, I didn't have a problem with it at all, I used frog tape delicate surface. When you're really concerned about pulling paint, use some card board (not the corrugated, but the stuff cards are made of) while painting the invasion stripes on Old Crow, this came in very handy as you can bend in to taper with the wing.
I cheated on Pandora 1 when the paint lifted on the wing where the red meets the blue, I peeled it as best I could and the used some blue electrical tape to cover it up, hey, it works!

Grossman56

[SOB8604]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

fwiw,

I've had good experience with Minwax Polycrylic. It's a pretty sturdy clear coat that goes on from a spray can. Just be cautious with the first two coats if you really hammer it on the paint underneath will run. Several light coats seem to work best.

[Pheonix]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

fwiw,

I've had good experience with Minwax Polycrylic. It's a pretty sturdy clear coat that goes on from a spray can. Just be cautious with the first two coats if you really hammer it on the paint underneath will run. Several light coats seem to work best.

Thanks

[Grossman56]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

interesting.
I have airbrushed Minwax on and its okay, but I really like the results I get with a foam brush.  When I'm through painting, I let the paint dry and set, maybe three or four hours (acrylics) and then brush on Minwax.  Depending on how many layers you want to apply, you can either wait for it to dry or carefully use a hair dryer at low temp to dry it quickly, just don't heat the foam!  On low temp, if you keep it moving across the surface its fine.   With My aluminum colored Mustangs, I have maybe four coats on them and they shine like they've been waxed.  On my Camo version (P51B) I used the satin finish Minwax and it works just as well, just without the gloss.  Also, you can use Minwax as a glaze.  Mix it with a small amount of color to vary the tones in different panels, by doing that it pretty subtle but it looks great!


Grossman56

[doctormike]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

I've had trouble trying to add stripes or other markings over existing paint. I'm using blue painters tape stuck to my jeans etc. it still pulls some small paint chips up. Any advice would be appreciated.

Same here....I don't have an answer.  I do know, the planes I had a Minwax coat on first, then added stripes or something. Didn't have the issue. Yes, I found out too, you cant do too much of the painters tape on the jeans first...more the better.

I clear coat my planes first then tape off and add the colors.  Tape will not stick to the clear coat.

What do you use for clear coat?  Paint or something else?  Tanks

 I'm really sorry I started this Minwax craze. I didn't know, at the time, about Varathane brand clear coat. It is SO MUCH better quality! You can find it at Home Depot. Always apply your striping and decals first. Then your clear coat. It makes them permanent. Doc

[Grossman56]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

Hey Doc, don't worry.  I'm repainting Pandora 2 this winter in black and yellow and am planning to use Varathane on her.  The Minwax is great most of the time, but on
my Red White and Blue Pandora, it doesn't really lock the paint on as I hoped it would, so every month or so, I'm touching up the paint work.  P-2 is still in stock livery with a coat of Minwax, and I've heard that using Acetone will strip it down.  I'll try it on some old parts first, but if it works and I can get right down to bare foam, I want to try a primer coat first then go the yellow.  What I'm looking for is something like a Gee Bee paint scheme.  Scalloped black leading edges, should be cool!!

Grossman56 

[OV10]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

Hey Gman,

Scalloped leading edges ARE cool, as a matter of fact you were the last to make a comment about it on my Waco.
Here's the link to "Warbirds Waco" just to refresh your memory for plagiarism purposes :)  

http://www.hobbysquawk.com/thread-1103.html

Best Regards,

[Grossman56]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

Your right OV, way too cool!  I had yellow in mind for the visibility, and the scalloped edges just seem to be a natural.  Thanks for the photos. 
Nice job of hand painting?! Wow, I'd have thought they were decals!
This bird is on my bucket list as well, just waiting to see what the 1400mm FMS P40B prices out at.

Grossman56

[doctormike]

RE: Painting Foam Airplanes

I really like yellow, and red, with dark blue pinstriping. This has become my signatuture color scheme for my flashier planes. Yeah, Gman, a nice foam brush works great. I always make sure the edge is nice and sharp. Doc