PlastiKote Acrylic Lacquer Test

I knew there were two auto parts stores within a stones throw of each other - O'Reilley and Auto Zone - but it turns out there is a third, whose name I can't remember, but will report back.

I stopped into check their price on Dupli-Color which it turns out they do not carry.
They did carry PlastiKote brand. The primer is a buck or two cheaper, but the color coat was much cheaper/ounce and came in 11 oz. cans

I'll be using the second Alpha I was going to use in my bond paper experiment.
So, the body tube is already lined with bond paper.

I'll be reposting a few pix from that thread to keep things here in sync.

Bones

OK...............

Here's the body tube with spirals filled with spot putty, sanded and ready to go.

Fins are 1/16" basswood sealed two applications of Pine Pro sanding sealer, with sanding in between.

With the help of a VCT generated fin alignment guide the fins are attached.
Fillets using QuickCure 5 five minute epoxy.

Ready to prime.

Bones

First primer coat went on smooth and easy.
First coat was really light to see where additional sanding/filling was needed.
Sanded smooth and spot putty applied as needed.

Primer sands very easily.

Volume and force of paint out of the spray can is much less than Dupli-Color.
Nozzle is old school, simple round hole with no rotating for different angles.
I really like this.

This is the second coat before sanding.
Again it went on very smoothly.

A look at the fillet area after second spot putty application and sanding.

Bones

Third and final coat applied.
Normally I'd sand after 60 minutes, but I'll let it dry overnight before the final sanding since it's bedtime anyway.

Here are my first impressions:

1. Goes on very thin

2. Lays down evenly

3. Dries very quickly

4. Sands very easily

All in all, it looks like a winner.

I can't comment on the high build aspects of the paint.
I did not use the primer to fill the basswood or spirals.
The fins and spirals were filled before priming.

Bones

Final sanding of the primer coat with 800 and 1000 went off without a hitch.
Surface still not perfect, but good enough for Rock'N'Roll.

Color coat applied.
The humidity reading from my backyard weather station was 46% (but I always take humidity readings with a big grain of salt).
It was 72% last night. Temp 96F. About as good as it gets for painting in Texas during the summer.

Unlike the primer, the spray volume and velocity were high.
Nozzle is again old school.
Can is not spray any angle.

You can see from the tack coat (photo 2) the volume of paint put out by the can.
This was held approx. 16" away.

Photo 3 is the completed color coat.
No runs, which is nice.

Will need lots of sanding to get nice and smooth.
I think this is simply a function of painting a small object with a product meant to paint very big objects.

The red covered very well, especially for red.

The can says to wait 30 to 45 minutes before wet sanding (although this is a tad vague in relation to priming bare metal first.) Says to let dry for 1 week before applying polishing or rubbing compounds.

Bones

Found this here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacquer

Lacquers using acrylic resin, a synthetic polymer, were developed in the 1950s. Acrylic resin is colourless, transparent thermoplastic, obtained by the polymerization of derivatives of acrylic acid. Acrylic is also used in enamel paints, which have the advantage of not needing to be buffed to obtain a shine. Enamels, however, are slow drying. The advantage of acrylic lacquer is its exceptionally fast drying time.

My italics and underlining.

Bones

Well, I started to wet sand with 600 and quickly cut through to the primer.
For once, I didn't put down nearly enough paint.
I would need to respray.
I wet sanded the entire rocket with 600 followed by 800.

As I layered up a few coats, I noticed there was no tendency to run so I applied a heavier coat.
This went on very well with no runs so I applied a second heavy wet coat.
Excellent coverage and again no runs.

The finish is shiny and much smoother than before.
Looks more like enamel than lacquer.
It looks like rubbing and polishing compound may be enough to smooth it out without using any sandpaper.

This is by far the best red paint I've ever used.

Here's what it looks like so far.

Since I will not get an opportunity to fly until next Saturday, I'll wait a few days - probably not the full 7 days as that would be cutting it a little tight - before hitting her with the rubbing compound.

I admit to being excited to see how it turns out.

This looks like a really good sub money saving sub for Dupli-Color.

Bones

I gotta tell ya, LOOKS GREAT !!

+1 for sure

Yeah, this stuff passes the test with an A+.

Update:

I had a red nosecone for this bird, but now the red doesn't so a new nosecone is needed.

Luckily the junk box has a ton of these orange Alpha nosecones in it.

It's been washed and roughed up with some sandpaper.
A bit of contour putty to fill the sprue hole.

It'll be primed and painted white in the Morning.
The white will be Dupli-Color.

Bones

Hey pick1e, I think all lacquer these days is acrylic lacquer.
Synthetic rather than produced by the lac scale insect.

Update:

So how did the Dupli-Color get along with the Plastikote?
Unbelievably well!

First off the Plasticote primer worked perfectly on the plastic nosecone.
Smooth and even coverage with a dust coat followed by a few light coats then a good wet coat.

When I got it back in the house I noticed the tip still had a dimple so, spot putty, 800 grit over the entire nosecone then back to priming.
Covered even better this time around.
On my wet coat I pretty much dared it to run.

Primer coat sanded with 800 the 1000 grit to get it nice and smooth.
I know they say rough it up, but my experience had been the paint covers better, is smoother and resists runs when applied to a smooth surface.

Dupli-Color white lacquer in the big can topcoat.
Again a dust coat followed by several light coats followed by a heavier coat then a good hard wet coat.
And again, I pretty much dared it to run.
Considering it is white over gray, the coverage was excellent.
Better in my experience than with Dupli-Color primer.

This is now without question, my primer of choice.
Cheaper with no sacrifice in performance.

This is nosecone with no sanding, polishing, etc.
Just the paint.
No sanding needed.
Just some rubbing compound followed by polish.

All in all, it looks pretty darn good at this point in time.
Not too long ago, this would have been the final finish and I would have been more than tickled pink.

Especially compared to the rockets I built when I first BARed................

Bones

Hey pick1e, I think the lac in both comes from the lac scale. But, I could be dead wrong - and it wouldn't be the first time................

Update:

The nosecone got hit with rubbing compound, polishing compound and then carnuba wax.
Smooth and shiny.
The problems remains that the better the finish, the more glaring the small imperfections.

I must reiterate that the spray painting up to this point has been done under very low humidity.
Leo mentioned in another thread that he felt the humidity recommendation for Dupli-Color as per label is still too high for his liking.
I have definitely painted when the humidity was too high. The result is blushing and runs.
I really need to be more patient....................

Bones

Recovering from a sandpaper incident.

Excerpt from post:

"I was going crazy trying to figure out why 600 grit followed by 800 grit left deep scratches in the paint on my Alpha.
Turns out the 800 was really P800 equivalent to about 450 grit if there was no P.
Which explains the deep scratches.

So it's back to the proverbial sandpaper drawing board with my little red Alpha."

Well I got the scratches pretty much sanded out.
Before apply the rubbing compound, I wiped her down with alcohol.

Big mistake.

The alcohol reacted poorly with the finish.
What was once a nice smooth, but dull surface tool on an uneven shiny glazed red surface when the alcohol evaporated. Looks like it dissolved the surface coat.

Note to self: Self do not wipe down the Plasticote lacquer with alcohol.

So it was and still is more sanding.

Before the alcohol rub, the paint in the first picture was a smooth, dull red.
In photo two I've started to sand it smooth again.

This will take some time.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.........



Bones

Finally had sometime and good painting weather coincide.

Fresh topcoat and she's ready to sand - again..........

Again again, she looks really good as is, but those small dimples from the force of the spray paint bug me.

So, time to start sanding - again.................

Bones

Thanks to my very efficient ,method of filing important documents in my car so I won't lose them - which some may misconstrue as not cleaning out my car often enough - I found one of my receipts for the Plasticote purchase.

Bought from Parts Plus.
I have not seen this brand in either O'Reilly or Autozone.

The primer was $7.99. That's $2.00 cheaper than the Dupli-Color primer in the same size can.
So this one is a no brainer: Plasticote is the new primer of choice at Bone Daddy Rocket Works llc.
I wish they had a white primer.......................

I've been giving some thought to flying her once before taking all the time to sand/rubbing compound/polish and buff.
Frankly, I can't see myself doing that, but it is a possibility.

Bones

plasticote is excellent primer , tho it doesn't have the high build properties of other brands .
plasticote is owned by valspar.

Well I finally finished sanding 1500, 2000, rubbing compound, polishing compound and waxing this bird.
She has been sitting on my workbench sulking for months.

Despite all of the trials and tribulations, she came out pretty nice looking.
Still some bad spots from the alcohol mishaps, but I didn't want to risk sanding through to the primer.

Decided to apply one of the stick on decals went on pretty well for as old as it is.

Final call on the Plasticote is highly recommend.

She fly next week at our club launch.
Hopefully the liner will protect the paint....................

Bones