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AEROTHANE... Can it be rejuvenated ??

So a light sanding and MEK would not let you shoot another color coat?
Well dang it..
 

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So a light sanding and MEK would not let you shoot another color coat?
Well dang it..

Light sanding and MEK?
Are you dealing with aerothane or polytone?

Aerothane, prep and paint like you would a car. No need to subject yourself to MEK unless you are dealing with Polytone.
 
Light sanding and MEK?
Are you dealing with aerothane or polytone?

Aerothane, prep and paint like you would a car. No need to subject yourself to MEK unless you are dealing with Polytone.

Exactly! You're going to subject yourself to way more than MEK with Aerothane, but why put MEK in the mix? If you don't want to spend the money on the Alkaline Cleaner, just use Tide laundry detergent and the hottest water you can stand to wash it, and be plenty aggressive with the scrubbing and rinsing. Then prep and paint just like they tell you to do in the manual.
John
 
superflite offers some nice narrow 1"? 1 1/2" pinked tapes I keep in stock for taping over 2" tapes with cracks in center... just for repainting jobs.... order some...

NEVER repaint over cracks without patching.. they WILL curl open in a short time....
 
MEK will destroy any undercoats it would contact. New problem. Don't try Acetone, either. It'll soften Aerothane and that makes wrinkles in the finish. New problem.
 
MEK will destroy any undercoats it would contact. New problem. Don't try Acetone, either. It'll soften Aerothane and that makes wrinkles in the finish. New problem.

I always use the reducer that's for the new topcoat to prep with..... to clean...
 
I did one this spring that was over 20 yrs old. Didn't look like this one but was faded and had cracks on the top longeron and fuselage former tapes and top of tail surfaces along the stich line. Wings had just a couple spots which were easy to repair. I used 1" tapes as noted above. ( I glued them on with thinned poly tac after a light sanding) Scuffed the surfaces and resprayed the top of the wings and tail and the side areas where I repaired tapes. Just made a couple very light coats and added 10 lbs. to the plane. I thin the aerothane about 40% for this kind of job. Fabric feels much more supple and will buy him some more time before covering.If aerothane finish is not cracked and just started to show fading ( I usually see this at about the 8 to 10 yr. mark) it cleans up very nicely with a good paste wax and will go a few more yrs. before needing attentionl again. I have patched a lot of aerothane and never find any problem getting the repairs to stay on as some have warned about. Matching paint is not going to happen but repairs are not difficult at all and will last. If you try a job like this take a day or so to tape off interior and all glass in and out. Aerothane will migrate through openings as small as drain grommets and get to the glass on the instrument panel and anything else that is unprotected. Fans in the spray area will help some but urethane paints are like a magnet to static electricity. I often hang large plastic sheets even if they are not needed. This helps with dust too. I have been spraying aerothane for many years and get most of that work all around this area as others seem reluctant to work with it. Works for me. I don't cheat and gear up for complete protection (not an easy way to work, but doable) and find it to be very satisfying to produce a good looking aerothane finish. A couple of the white ones around here are 30 yrs old and still look good.
 
I have come to believe that red seems to fade fater than other colors. We scuffed and reshot my Dad's red Clipper wings with AirTec this past winter. No issues and it looks great.
 
I like to scuff old paint with an abrasive cleaning cleanser and hot water and maroon Scotchbrite pads. It degreases and scuffs in one step. Make sure you find a cleanser that has a warning on label that it might scratch the surface.
 
I have come to believe that red seems to fade fater than other colors. We scuffed and reshot my Dad's red Clipper wings with AirTec this past winter. No issues and it looks great.

30+ years ago ditzler durathane(Superflite original paint, discontinued by ditzler) marketing claimed it had red on a jet that still looked good after 7 years. Which was a huge statement. Kids these days have no idea what enamel chalked like quickly.


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org mobile app
 
Do you think Ranthane would stick over Aerothane if prepped correctly?
Thinking about a darker red like Boston red, over whatever that is now.
 
superflite offers some nice narrow 1"? 1 1/2" pinked tapes I keep in stock for taping over 2" tapes with cracks in center... just for repainting jobs.... order some...

NEVER repaint over cracks without patching.. they WILL curl open in a short time....

My cub was recovered 23 years ago and always hangared It has a number of minor cracks in the paint
Could the cracks be sanded primed and repainted?


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org mobile app
 
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