How do you finish a LOC nose cone?

[cjp]

I'm scratch building a 2.6"dia. rocket,I'm using a LOC 2.6 nose cone.It has a seam on both sides.I sanded the seam down but would like to know is there a sealer you use on the whole nose cone similar as would be used on body tubes ie.woodfiller?I want to really get a smooth finish on both cone and body tube.The Dupli-Color paint has a great finish and I want the surface free of imperfections.Thanks,cjp

 

[Aksrockets]

Bondo works nice. (just dont inhale :wink

Alex

 

[cjp]

Bondo works nice. (just dont inhale :wink

Alex

I thought I'd seen that in a build thread somewhere,but wasn't sure if it was bondo.I never used it,am wondering if there is a something I can use indoors and still keep the wife happy with little smell?:tongue:

 

[RW James]

I've had good luck with spray primer and fine sanding - repeat until desired effect is achieved.

 

[o1d_dude]

What Rick said.

I spray one coat of the Rusto Plastic Primer and let it cure for about a week, maybe more. Then I apply a couple of coats of Rusto white primer and begin sanding with progressively finer grits. I do end up wet-sanding the final coats.

With a good paint job and clear coat the final result is glassy.

Might be overkill but I like them to look nice at least for the first launch.

 

[jpummil]

What Rick said.

I spray one coat of the Rusto Plastic Primer and let it cure for about a week, maybe more. Then I apply a couple of coats of Rusto white primer and begin sanding with progressively finer grits. I do end up wet-sanding the final coats.

With a good paint job and clear coat the final result is glassy.

Might be overkill but I like them to look nice at least for the first launch.

I hadn't thought of trying the plastic primer (duh!)...

I did have a 4" LOC nosecone hit pretty hard on descent and while it was intact structurally, most of the paint sharded off right down to the plastic, but I had used Krylon primer and Dupli paint.

 

[o1d_dude]

I hadn't thought of trying the plastic primer (duh!)...

I did have a 4" LOC nosecone hit pretty hard on descent and while it was intact structurally, most of the paint sharded off right down to the plastic.

I don't there's much out there that will help that. One of mine landed in a creek hitting a sizeable stone (go figure on that one) and THEN the water.

Well, that's rocketry for you.

 

[RW James]

One thing I have also done - with regards to primer, is use different colors with each layer. This lets you more easily see where the low spots are.

 

[cjp]

What Rick said.

I spray one coat of the Rusto Plastic Primer and let it cure for about a week, maybe more. Then I apply a couple of coats of Rusto white primer and begin sanding with progressively finer grits. I do end up wet-sanding the final coats.

With a good paint job and clear coat the final result is glassy.

Might be overkill but I like them to look nice at least for the first launch.

Is the week time cure on the instructions?I like that idea and RW James method.

 

[troj]

Plastic nosecones have mold release on them; first thing to do is scrub it with hot soapy dish water, then rinse thoroughly and allow to dry. After scrubbing it, do not touch it with your bare hands -- wear gloves, so you don't get oil on it.

Don't touch it where you want paint to adhere, until you're totally done painting it.

After it has dried, use a primer designed for plastic adhesion, per the directions on the can, and follow up with compatible color coat(s).

-Kevin

 

[cjp]

Plastic nosecones have mold release on them; first thing to do is scrub it with hot soapy dish water, then rinse thoroughly and allow to dry. After scrubbing it, do not touch it with your bare hands -- wear gloves, so you don't get oil on it.

Don't touch it where you want paint to adhere, until you're totally done painting it.

After it has dried, use a primer designed for plastic adhesion, per the directions on the can, and follow up with compatible color coat(s).

-Kevin

Thank you,I think I saw plastic primer at Lows.I want to get rid of the seams on both sides.I might just sand down the seams and primer,sand ect. as suggested in the above replys.What grit sandpaper works best on plastic?

 

[troj]

I want to get rid of the seams on both sides.I might just sand down the seams and primer,sand ect. as suggested in the above replys.What grit sandpaper works best on plastic?

Scrape them down as close as you can, then I wouldn't sand with anything more coarse than 180 grit for the final sanding -- if you get the nosecone fuzzy, you'll end up fighting that when you paint it.

Scrape, sand, then wash and apply filler -- I've used auto spot putty for this. Then sand/fill/repeat as necessary.

Once all that is done, give it the final wash down, and start with the primer.

-Kevin

 

[Jiffycoil]

On all my plastic nose cones I first use a soft scrub cleaner and a sponge to clean the surface thoroughly. The fine abrasive particles in the cleaner get all the manufacturing crud off of the surface. I then clean the surface with alcohol. Then depending on the seam I will start with a medium grit paper and sand down till I have a smooth surface. I try not to be too heavy handed sanding because I've found that tends to leave strings of plastic on the cone which are a bear to get off. If I find there are areas that need filling I also use Bondo. Be sure to follow the mixing instructions properly or else you'll end up with a filler that will either be to soft and wont dry ( Not very often) or a filler too hard and doesn't adhere properly and just flecks off when you sand it. Once I have a smooth finish I then follow that up with Rustoleum 2 in 1 filler sandable grey primer. I apply 3 coats of primer sanding with a 320 fine sanding block in between coats. I also use a fine bristle brass brush the type you find in the 99 cent tool section at auto part and hardware stores to clean the sanding block surface between each sanding. This keeps the sanding grit clean and ready to sand. The final coat and sanding leaves the rocket a super shiny grey finish, a great surface to paint. I have used this method with all of my rockets and have only used Dupli-color perfect match spray paints. The Rust-Oleum 2 in 1 Filler Sandable grey primer is amazing at filling in imperfections and also works fine with the Dupli-color paints.

 

[scsager]

Thank you,I think I saw plastic primer at Lows.I want to get rid of the seams on both sides.I might just sand down the seams and primer,sand ect. as suggested in the above replys.What grit sandpaper works best on plastic?

I use a sharp #11 blabe and a scraping/shaving technique. Work slowly and soon you wont even be able to tell where the seam was.

 

[cjp]

I want to thank everyone for their advice.I'm heading to the store in the morning for the primer and to pick up some sandpaper.I'll post pictures when I get this finished,I'm about a week away from that.Thanks again and I would like to say what great people are on this Forum.cjp:handshake: