Paint?

[sunderll]

Hi all....For years I've used rattle can paint for my rockets and it's been OK. I'm building something a little nicer and will use my spray equipment. What are some paints that are used currently. I haven't painted in years and last I used was basic car enamels. Thanks for any advice!

 

[Woody's Workshop]

If you want to stick to enamels, Rustoleum makes quart cans in many colors.
If you want to stick to auto paints, go with the base coat, clear coats. (more expensive)
They make a nice catalyzed primer now that doesn't shrink.

 

[mpitfield]

I have only used the Dupli-color paint shop system

Truthfully I have had better results with rattle cans and have spent quite a bit of time and money trying to dial in my HVLP setup.

I am sure the Dupli-color system can, along with many other automotive paint systems, get great results, but unless you are set up for HVLP, or whatever spray technology you are using, you may find it more of a pain over rattle cans. I now use the Devilbiss DeKups system for clean-up, and it has made all the difference in the world for that part of the process. However I am still struggling with dialing in the spraying, and my rattle can still yield better results. This is especially true now that I found Plutonium paint for gloss and semi, but for matte I prefer the Krylon camo, although it has a very limited colour selection.

 

[Steve Shannon]

One thing that makes spray cans work better is a can gun.

 

[pondman]

Acme "Finish 1" for primer/filler & primer. Restoration Shop for base coats & clear coats.
You local full service automotive parts house should be able to show you a great system of paints from filler thru clear.

 

[tomsteve]

how much are you willing to spend and what results are you looking for?
not on rockets, but ive shot a few different bc/cc restoration shop paints mentioned above and theyre pretty nice for the price.
the firemist colors are pretty sweet.

 

[sunderll]

Thanks everyone.....I haven't committed yet to non rattle cans and I might still stick with it though. Simplicity is a driving force when building for me!

 

[Woody's Workshop]

Another thing to consider.
If your old spray guns are bottom cup siphon feed w/ internal mix,
they won't work well with any water born paints and most BC/CC systems.
The Harbor Freight $10 HVLP gun will work with BC/CC systems, but not water born's.
They take special guns. I haven't looked into it, but my buddy switched over to WB system couple years ago and he invested thousands into guns.
But, he owns a body shop, so I imagine he bought the best.
If you go with Rustoleums flat or gloss enamels, bottom siphon's should work fine.
As long as your packings haven't dried out.

 

[tomsteve]

Thanks everyone.....I haven't committed yet to non rattle cans and I might still stick with it though. Simplicity is a driving force when building for me!

welp, if simplicity is a factor, remember how much fun gun cleaning can be.

 

[tomsteve]

They take special guns. I haven't looked into it, but my buddy switched over to WB system couple years ago and he invested thousands into guns.

not sure about all guns, but the main difference with devilbiss is the material some of the parts are made from. they use a higher grade stainless steel( if im not mistaken its 404 stainless instead of 303) for parts that come in contact with the waterborne materials and use a plastic cup to prevent corrosion. don't understand that part as most cups are aluminum.
and they can get pricey. I bought a devilbiss copper tekna a few years ago and that was probably the least expensive waterborne compatible gun on the market at $375. sata and iwata's can get up near a grand.

 

[Nathan]

I prefer to use lacquer. Duplicolor Paint Shop lacquer is available at most auto supply chain stores in quarts and does not need to be thinned. But it doesn't come in very many colors. If you want more variety then check out Restoration Shop lacquer from TCP Global. It is a bit more expensive and has to be thinned before spraying, but is available in about 200 colors.

Here is a rocket that I painted with Duplicolor Paint Shop lacquer:
https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?135941-Upscale-Onyx&p=1630706#post1630706

And here is one that I painted with Restoration Shop lacquer. In this case I chose Restoration Shop because I wanted metallic purple, which is not available from Duplicolor:
https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?18029-Madcow-DX3-Gallery&p=1606827#post1606827