I've been reading all the paint and finishing threads with interest, even though I'm most of a decade away from painting anything.
One thing no one much talks about is how to get anything other than a glossy finish. Obviously gloss is the right finish for any modern-looking plane, but it looks a little odd on one that's more vintage looking.
Are there paint systems that offer finishes other than gloss? Is there a process you can follow that results in a good solid finish which is more like matte or eggshell (to borrow terms from the latex paint world)?
Even beyond that, are there practical implications to a non-gloss finish, like keeping it clean, or aerodynamic considerations? I'm thinking of how I declined to go flying last night when I discovered a light layer of frost on the wing of my rental Warrior. With frost being a surprisingly good way to turn a plane into a three-wheeled brick, maybe a matte finish has a similar effect.
What do you think, finish gurus?
One thing no one much talks about is how to get anything other than a glossy finish. Obviously gloss is the right finish for any modern-looking plane, but it looks a little odd on one that's more vintage looking.
Are there paint systems that offer finishes other than gloss? Is there a process you can follow that results in a good solid finish which is more like matte or eggshell (to borrow terms from the latex paint world)?
Even beyond that, are there practical implications to a non-gloss finish, like keeping it clean, or aerodynamic considerations? I'm thinking of how I declined to go flying last night when I discovered a light layer of frost on the wing of my rental Warrior. With frost being a surprisingly good way to turn a plane into a three-wheeled brick, maybe a matte finish has a similar effect.
What do you think, finish gurus?
