what to use on detailing an airplane?

[tony97gt]

My father-in-law has a Piper Archer airplane, and like most of us here would do, I was eyeballing the paint when I went for a flight last weekend. The plane sits out in the weather 24/7 at the local airport. I'm pretty sure it doesn't have a clearcoat, and the paint is pretty oxidized/faded. Is there anything I can do to spruce it up, or is it toast because it doesn't have a clearcoat?

Edited December 4, 2012 by tony97gt

[tony97gt]

[Marylander]

I would think the usual swirl removal steps would be in order, then maybe 2 layers of spray sealant. Of course, work a small test area first to see how the finish responds to the swirl removal.

 

My 1985 MR2 doesn't have a clear coat and the shr/Fmp/spray sealant provides a great shine.

[BrianT]

That could take some serious time to shiny up!

[tony97gt]

I know! When I saw it I thought man what I could do for this airplane. But since its so oxidized I was afraid it would trash my pads since there isn't a clear coat.

[ChargerMatt]

Where's the "Detail something different" contest when you need it?

[tony97gt]

Wonder what I could win...

[fasfrs]

Tried it on the bottom of one of our lears and it does work but it is alot harder paint, well not harder but harder to work with. I got better results with all purpose cleaner and quick sealant. Its because the type of paint used on aircaft, it has alot of flexability built into it for tempature change.

[billawd]

I read on another forum air craft pant can be buffed like car paint it just takes a lot longer and you can protect it with wax or sealant. You can look up his web site. http://www.bnbdetailing.com

[tony97gt]

Thx guys!

[GXPaycheck]

See if it is factory paint, or if it has been repainted. Find out what type of paint was used and see what the manufacturer recommends.

The tops and sides wont be bad, but the bottom of the wings will take a LOT of upper body strength!!

 

Nice bird, BTW!

[AmyAtAdamsAustralia]

Wow! Like to see the before and after if its a go-ahead. Good luck! Hmm Glaze and Americana may decrease drag

[B & B Detailing Tennessee]

Well this is my first post - but I noticed that many people from this forum checked out my website (thank you for that). Figured I would throw my 2 cents in.....

 

 

First off aircraft paint is very hard. Similar to school bus paint if you have ever worked on that. You can get very aggressive with it, more so than vehicles with clears. I would suggest working only with aircraft approved products such as Nuvite or Granitize Aviation - BUT, any mainline product would work. I like to top off all my work with Collinite products because of its durability - but then again I am new to Adams and may try a few of their products . I would work small 2 ft by 2 ft areas and start with the least aggressive method first for sure. If you have any questions feel free to contact me anytime! There are many precautions to take in aviation detailing that everyone should know and understand - so before tackling this job - definitely hit me up.

 

 

Glad to be here and good luck with your next detail!

[tony97gt]

Well this is my first post - but I noticed that many people from this forum checked out my website (thank you for that). Figured I would throw my 2 cents in.....

 

 

First off aircraft paint is very hard. Similar to school bus paint if you have ever worked on that. You can get very aggressive with it, more so than vehicles with clears. I would suggest working only with aircraft approved products such as Nuvite or Granitize Aviation - BUT, any mainline product would work. I like to top off all my work with Collinite products because of its durability - but then again I am new to Adams and may try a few of their products . I would work small 2 ft by 2 ft areas and start with the least aggressive method first for sure. If you have any questions feel free to contact me anytime! There are many precautions to take in aviation detailing that everyone should know and understand - so before tackling this job - definitely hit me up.

 

 

Glad to be here and good luck with your next detail!

 

Thanks a lot for the good info.

[GXPaycheck]

Oh yeah, make sure you tape over the static ports and make sure you do NOT get anything (including water) in them!

Things could get interesting if you don't!

[B & B Detailing Tennessee]

Thanks a lot for the good info.

 

Yeah man - no problem...... toss me a call if you ever need any additional help! We are tackling a Navajo this weekend...... boots, spinners, paint, interior - should be fun

[GXPaycheck]

Ah, the SloppyJoe. Nice airplane!

[Sandalwood]

Where's the "Detail something different" contest when you need it?

 

Ah, aircrafts are actually restricted in the rules.

[bluesy]

I dont Work on small aircraft, i Work on the larger airliners as a technician, so let me just give a few Things to consider (i dont have any detailing experience on them)

 

1. make sure to cover and static and pitot tubes, inlets for the engine during the wash and detailing

2. if you wash the flight controls and gears to much you will need to get them lubricated again.

 

If the paint is similar to what im working with, its very hard and most likely epoxy based depending on the age of the aircraft

[Chris@Adams]

A big ladder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry Tony, I couldn't resist.

[tony97gt]

Looking at these replies I can see this is a job I probably won't be doing anytime soon.