General Speaking, Buterate Vs. Polytone Vs. Aerothane

[Fortysix12]

Three fold question here on what owners are doing.

First, has it been the general experience that Polytone last longer than buterate with little or no care, airplane outside just plan old consumption and does Polytone not suffer fading,cracking as with the typical repairable finishes?

Second, which finish is used by rebuilders and builders most often for there product of choice and why?

Third, Buterate is out for me because of its short term and known long term problems, so is aerothane chosen not only for its' good looks but also for its durability,not realizing its much harder to repair over polytone? Is Aerothane truley lasting as indicated in the polyfiber manual. It discribes it has more plastizeres for long term durability.

[behindpropellers]

Given the choice....

I would rather use stewarts....even if it last half as long. I can always recover an airplane....but I can't buy new lungs.

[cubunltd]

Use the proper respirators for urethane paints. They are perfectly safe as long as you use the proper precaution.

John

[sburg58]

I have used Polyfiber with great success, however the fumes were very discerning. I have purchased the Stewart System this time around. Although I have not covered yet, I did spray their top coat on my fuselage. What a pleasure to just wear a small paint rated respirator instead of my full face fresh air system. There were very few fumes and almost no smell. The cleanup with just water was wonderful. Hope the rest of the system works as well. Also hope durability is as advertised.

[NimpoCub]

The Stitts system (PolyStuff) has been around a long time & has earned a good reputation in many ways. I was amazed at how sharp I could crease painted fabric without damage. Main thing for me was the ease of repair, should I damage it.

I'm sure the other systems are excellent, and have benefits unique to them. I don't plan on entering any beauty/shiney contests tho.

Yes, the respirator is a bit of a hassle, but a small consideration in the Grand Scheme of things. First time for me, and I (as well as everyone who peeked) was amazed at how perfect it all turned out.

Thank you Ray, for sprayable plastic & an excellent manual.

[Hardtailjohn]

I'm a total Stewart's System fan as well, and would love to go on and on about how it compares to the others (you wont be sorry you used it)...but to answer the original questions...

From my limited experience (only been at this for about 25 years), the Polytone seems to hold up very well with time. I've seen more than a few jobs that were 20+ years old and still looking pretty good. I've not seen many dope jobs that I can say the same for...although there are always exceptions. For the most part, I think the Polytone stays more flexible than a Buty dope, while being just as easily repaired as them.

Until I used the waterborne system, I was a strict user of PolyFiber. The main reason there was the longevity and the fire resistance of the system. None of the dope based systems can compare in my opinion.

Aerothane is a great topcoat. It remains flexible a long time, and looks great, but the health hazards of polyurethane application are very real. The only way to protect yourself from the isocyanates in the catalyst is with a full paint suit with a hood and fresh air breathing system. The isocyanates are attracted to moisture, and all of your soft tissue body parts and any exposed moist areas (eyes, nose, lungs, ears, etc.) attract them like a magnet. No regular respirator will remove them from the air you're breathing... it's got to be a fresh air pressure system. What alot of people never consider is that the most dangerous time for that topcoat is when you're mixing the catalyst with the paint...at that time the isocyanates are "free" and looking for somewhere to go, and they follow the path of least resistance. I don't know how many times I've seen guys mixing paint without a suit and fresh air system on....
We just shot some Ranthane on some floats the other day, and it's a really nice shooting paint, and legal on the fabric as well. Any of the polyurethanes can be repaired, but it's a bit more work and takes a little more finesse than dope or polytone, but in my opinion they're worth the extra effort.
John