By Ian Twombly
First published in Flight Levels Online, Fall 2013 issue
Complete paint jobs are pricey. Between materials, labor, and the facility necessary to do the work within regulatory compliance, the expenses are astronomical, and paint shops are unfortunately required to pass that expense on to their customers. Refreshing the paint could be a less-costly alternative.
While owners tend to think of paint in terms of cosmetic appeal, its primary purpose is to protect the aluminum underneath. Without paint the aluminum would quickly corrode. Worse, the paint tends to come off first on areas such as rivet heads, where corrosion quickly accelerates. In terms of protection, not all paints are created equally.
Tim McKune, president of Byerly Aviation, said that high solid paints, such as Sherwin Williams and Dupont Emron (now called Exalt AF400), have three parts paint to one part hardener and reducer, compared to other paints, which might be more like a one-to-one ratio. When the paint starts to fade and it is a high solid paint, the shop can buff it down to a good quality, and then protect it with a wax or ceramic coating. That’s not the case with other paints. “If it’s not previously painted with a high-quality paint there’s nothing to buff,” he said. It might look good for a few months, but then it would start to flake off. He reports good paint jobs with high-quality paint that still look great 20 years later because of regular maintenance.
“Small flaking can usually be repaired,” McKune said. And far from being a cheapskate’s way out, repairing paint is seen as a smart investment because it will better protect the aluminum, and is generally considered an expected part of paint maintenance. Not every paint job can be saved, however. “Sometimes, we can’t do touchups,” he said. “The existing paint is powdery or flaking off, or coming off due to adhesion or corrosion. Then a full paint job is required.”
Ceramic coatings are still relatively new to the market; how long they will protect a paint job is still unknown. But the initial results indicate it’s far longer than traditional wax and other surface protectants. Byerly started by adding ceramic coatings to tricky areas, such as the belly, behind the stacks on PT-6 airplanes, and other spots. They now do full-airplane coatings. When restoring the paint underneath, it’s a worthy investment to gain more years from the paint job. And you don’t have to wait for a paint restoration project to have a ceramic coating applied. It’s appropriate to add during normal detailing as well.
