Marl,
I had a look at the Loehle website because I really didn't know much about that paint system. Man, that guy could use some web help. That is a tough site to navigate. I don't question that it is probably a good product. If we lived closer like you do we would more seriously consider it. It would be nice to attend one of his workshops but that's just too far for us.
Superflite and Polyfiber both have manuals and videos. I believe Air Tech has a CD. Not sure if Loehle has a specific installation video. I imagine they have a manual.
One of our biggest hesitations with Polyfiber is we really don't want to look at the backside of silver Polyspray in the cockpit. I did speak with one of their representatives about the possibility of using clear Polybrush, then pigmented Polytone for interior color, then Polyspray, then Aerothane or Ranthane on top. She said that would be perfectly fine. The Ranthane would give us a glossy exterior finish and the Polytone would give us a matte interior finish. With Superflite, you will see their gray primer inside and any glue in the cockpit area would show. With Air Tech, their primer is cream color. That's just not a good color for our paint scheme. This may all sound trivial but we will be looking at the back side of fabric every time we fly. No, sheet metal all the way back is not an option we are considering.
Our only hesitation with PPG paints is they don't really have a complete installation with fabric. I believe it is typically installed over Ceconite. That's nice but we don't want to have to figure out too much of this on our own. A complete system suits us better.
I am under the impression now that all five systems will probably give a good durable finish. We would love to see a Ranthane and a Superflite paint job before we decide. We did see several Air Tech paint jobs and PPG paint jobs and the owners seem to like them a lot.
We are not willing to be part of the test group for Stewart's system. It may be great and maybe we will use it on a future project. For now, it's not a consideration for us.
Jim
I had a look at the Loehle website because I really didn't know much about that paint system. Man, that guy could use some web help. That is a tough site to navigate. I don't question that it is probably a good product. If we lived closer like you do we would more seriously consider it. It would be nice to attend one of his workshops but that's just too far for us.
Superflite and Polyfiber both have manuals and videos. I believe Air Tech has a CD. Not sure if Loehle has a specific installation video. I imagine they have a manual.
One of our biggest hesitations with Polyfiber is we really don't want to look at the backside of silver Polyspray in the cockpit. I did speak with one of their representatives about the possibility of using clear Polybrush, then pigmented Polytone for interior color, then Polyspray, then Aerothane or Ranthane on top. She said that would be perfectly fine. The Ranthane would give us a glossy exterior finish and the Polytone would give us a matte interior finish. With Superflite, you will see their gray primer inside and any glue in the cockpit area would show. With Air Tech, their primer is cream color. That's just not a good color for our paint scheme. This may all sound trivial but we will be looking at the back side of fabric every time we fly. No, sheet metal all the way back is not an option we are considering.
Our only hesitation with PPG paints is they don't really have a complete installation with fabric. I believe it is typically installed over Ceconite. That's nice but we don't want to have to figure out too much of this on our own. A complete system suits us better.
I am under the impression now that all five systems will probably give a good durable finish. We would love to see a Ranthane and a Superflite paint job before we decide. We did see several Air Tech paint jobs and PPG paint jobs and the owners seem to like them a lot.
We are not willing to be part of the test group for Stewart's system. It may be great and maybe we will use it on a future project. For now, it's not a consideration for us.
Jim
