AIRCRAFT PAINTING

AND FINISHING
INTRODUCTION
Aircraft finishes are important, not only for the attractive appearance they give the aircraft, but for the protection
they afford the lightweight, highly reactive composites, metals, and fabrics from which the structure is covered
and made. When an airplane leaves the factory, it has been given a finish that is both decorative and protective.
It is the responsibility of maintenance personnel to see that the finish is maintained in such a way that it will keep
its beauty and continue this protection. If the airplane is to be refinished, the technician must properly prepare
the surface and apply a new finish that will protect at least as well as the original. Finishing and refinishing oper-
ations consist of many different materials and techniques for applying the protective covering. Some material is
sprayed, some brushed or dipped, and some is attracted to the surface of the aircraft via an electrical charge, a
process called electroplating. There are almost as many different methods of application as there are materials to
apply. Apply each material according to the manufacturer's instructions to obtain the best possible finish and the
greatest possible protection.
FABRIC FINISHING PROCESSES
 consider some of the
newer systems.
Chapter 5 of this text There is now a wide
detailed fabric selection of finishing
covering, and this systems for fabric-
chapter will examine covered aircraft, as
the finishing process opposed to being
for fabric materials. limited only to
Although fabric- nitrate or butyrate
covered aircraft dope. New systems
constitute a small are far more durable
percentage of the and more attractive.
aircraft that require However, some STC
refinishing, systems require the
technicians should use of compatible
still be aware of the paint or finishing
finishing systems products, essentially
that are available. limiting the choice of
The types of fabric topcoats.
that are used today
and the methods Continuous flexing
used for their of fabric covering
application were also requires the
discussed in detail finish to be flexible
in Chapter 5. The or it will crack
discussion centered easily. To obtain
on how the fabric is flexibility in a dope
installed and film, manufacturers
protected by layers use a plasticizer,
of dope that contain such as castor oil,
fungicide and tricresyl phosphate,
aluminum paste, or one of the more
which are followed modern vinyl resins.
by a more Plasticizers have a
decorative finish. tendency to migrate
This section will out of the dope film,
concentrate on the and after a period of
finishing system's time the film
esthetic properties becomes brittle. If
that give aircraft a struck with a rock or
pleasing and durable if someone pushes
finish, rather than against it, the
the airworthiness of protective film will
the covering. crack, usually in a
ringworm form.
DOPE FINISH Sunlight and
The traditional dope moisture can get to
finish for an aircraft the fabric and cause
is one of the easiest it to lose strength
to apply and requires prematurely. While
the least experience making the film
and equipment to do flexible, plasticizers
a satisfactory job, also make it soft
but it has a enough so that it can
drawback of being be abraded by sand
prone to cracking. or attacked by
Except for those chemical fumes.
striving for an
authentic finish on a
restored aircraft,
cracking causes
refinishers to
REJUVENATION
If the dope film
becomes brittle and
cracks but the fabric
is still good, the
finish may be
rejuvenated and new
topcoats applied.
The first step is to
scrub the old finish
with Scotch-Brite
pads and plenty of
water. Any wax on
the surface should be
scrubbed with a rag
that is dampened
with an appropriate
solvent. Dry the
surface completely,
then spray on a good
wet coat of
rejuvenator thinned
with some butyrate
dope thinner.
Rejuvenator is
essentially a mixture
of potent solvents
and plasticizers.
Solvents soften the
Figure 6-1. A well-applied finish to a fabric-covered struc-
ture is not only pleasing to the eye but protects the fabric
from the elements.
dried dope film,
keeping it permeable
long enough for the
plasticizers to become
part of the film.
The first coat of
rejuvenator causes
the fabric to loosen,
but a second coat
pulls it back taut.
Sand the surface and
check carefully to be
sure that the dope
film has filled the
cracks completely.
Wash off the sanding
residue from the
surface and then
spray on a good wet
cross-coat of
aluminum
pigmented butyrate
dope. Wet sand the
aluminum dope,
wash off the residue,
and apply a new
topcoat.
APPLICATION OF
DOPE
Spray on the finish
coats of dope as
heavily as possible
without the dope
running or sagging.
If lighter coats are
all that conditions
permit, apply
several top coats in
order to fill the
weave of the fabric
and produce a
smooth finish. In
order to build a film
with a minimum
number of coats,
use a pressure pot
instead of a suction-
cup-type spray gun.
More dope can be
applied with less
thinner. [Figure 6-1]
Aircraft Painting and Finishing 6-3
Mix the final coat of pigmented dope with about 20%
clear dope to get a glossier finish. Use less than about
20% of clear dope because the ultraviolet rays of the
sun will degrade it if not protected by the pigmented
dope and the surface will soon become dull and
chalky looking. Prevent UV damage by adding Ultra
Violet blocker to the topcoats of paint. Chemical
blockers are much less effective than the aluminum
dope coats. Substitute retarder for some of the thin-
ner to achieve a sheen or gloss. Spray on a number of
very thin coats of the pigmented dope and wet-sand
it with 600-grit sandpaper between each coat to get a
deep gloss finish. After the finish has dried for at Figure 6-2. Moisture condensing from the air onto the sur-
least a month, hand-rub it with rubbing compound face of the fresh dope can cause the dope to blush. Blushed
and wax. dope is not as strong as a normal finish.
DIFFICULTIES WITH DOPE
Dope and fabric finishing can be difficult to apply.
Changing conditions in humidity and temperature
can cause problems with equipment settings and
chemical makeup. Quickly diagnose any problems
during the finishing process. Unfortunately, in some
cases the problem won't manifest itself until a period
of time after the finish coats have been applied.
DOPE ADHESION
Proper surface preparation is imperative to good
dope adhesion. All paint or enamel must be
removed before the application of dope because
dope softens them and causes loss of adhesion.
Spraying nitrate dope over butyrate dope can some-
times cause the dope film of the topcoat to peel off,
coming off in strips. Solvents in the nitrate dope are
not strong enough to penetrate the film formed by
the butyrate, which results in a weak bond.
Topcoats may also peel off if there is too much alu-
minum powder in the aluminum dope coats. Use
only a thin layer of aluminum dope to keep the sun-
light from degrading the dope and the fabric under
it. If a trace of aluminum powder can be found on
one's fingers when the aluminum doped surface is
rubbed, then the layer is too thick and the topcoats
may fail to adhere.
BLUSHING
The most common trouble with dope finishing is
blushing, which occurs when the humidity in the
air is relatively high. The solvents evaporating from
the dope cause its temperature to drop. Water con-
denses out of the air into the dope film, and the
nitrocellulose will precipitate out, causing the dope
film to be porous and have a chalky appearance.
Blushed dope finish is not as strong as a normal
dope finish. [Figure 6-2]
The cure for blushing is to prevent water from con-
densing out of the air. If the conditions are not too
severe, use some retarder in the dope to slow down
the evaporation and prevent the temperature drop
that causes blushing. Even better, lower the relative
humidity by warming the air so that it will hold the
moisture in its vapor form. In practice, if a surface is
starting to blush, wait for more favorable conditions.
If the dope has blushed, but not too severely,
remove it by spraying on a mixture of one part
retarder and two parts thinner in a light mist coat.
Allow it to dry and spray on another coat. This
should melt the blushed surface film and allow it to
re-form in a smooth and glossy manner. If this treat-
ment does not remove the blush, sand off the sur-
face and respray when the weather conditions are
more favorable.
PINHOLES
Dope is composed of the dry solids that remain on
the surface, as well as the thinners and solvents that
evaporate when the liquid changes to a vapor. If the
dope film is exposed to too much heat or wind, the
surface can become hardened to the point that
vapors cannot easily escape from the surface but
join to form large bubbles. Bubbles that punch
through the film that forms on the surface leave a
crater or a pinhole. Excessively atomized air on the
spray gun can also cause bubbles to form in the
dope film, leaving pinholes when the bubbles burst.
[Figure 6-3 on page 604]
SAGS AND RUNS
Carelessness causes sags and runs because of too
much dope being applied. Prime causes of sags and
runs are moving the gun too slowly over the sur-
face, holding the work too close, or not thinning
the dope properly. Trying to cover these imperfec-
tions with additional paint only makes the blemish
6-4 Aircraft Painting and Finishing

Figure 6-3. Pinholes form in the dope film when bubbles of
the solvent break through the surface of the dope which
has prematurely hardened. The hardened surface cannot
flow back and cover the hole.
more pronounced. Vertical surfaces are especially
prone to sags or runs when excess dope is applied.
[Figure 6-4]
Figure 6-4. Spraying too much dope on the surface causes
sags and runs. Essentially, gravity overcomes the surface
tension and the material starts to flow.
ORANGE PEEL
Orange peel or localized roughening of the finish is
caused by the surface of the dope drying before the
dope beneath it does. When the surface dries, it
shrinks and wrinkles, giving it the rough appear-
ance of an orange peel. Improper spraying tech-
niques, thinners that evaporate too quickly or an air
draft over the surface are usually causes of orange
peeling.
FISHEYES
Fisheyes are localized spots within the film-of the
dope that do not dry and are usually caused by wax,
oil, or some silicone product contaminating the sur-
face and preventing the dope from curing as it
should. Be sure that the surface to be sprayed is per-
fectly clean to eliminate fisheyes. Scrub the
surface with a rag that is damp with an appropriate
solvent.
DOPE ROPING
Dope roping is a condition that occasionally forms
through the use of a brush in applying dope. Instead
of the dope flowing out of the brush in a nice, wet,
smooth coat, the brush sometimes leaves a rough
trail. Solvents evaporating out of the dope before
they flow out over the surface cause this condition.
Use a bit more thinner to prevent roping. Roping is
sometimes caused by the dope being too cold to
flow out onto a smooth surface. Always allow the
dope to warm up to room temperature.
POLYURETHANE FINISH
Polyurethane finishes on fabric-covered aircraft are
criticized primarily for two reasons. The first is that
polyurethane finishes are designed for use over
metal. Since fabric is not as rigid as metal,
polyurethane has a tendency to crack as the fabric
flexes beneath the finish. The other criticism is that
the enameled surfaces are more difficult to repair.
Newer polyurethane topcoats are formulated to pro-
duce a flexible film that does not crack when it is
sprayed over the fabric. Newer finishes are primar-
ily designed to be used over synthetic fabrics and a
special flexative modified primer. Primer is sprayed
on the surface after all of the fabric is shrunk, rib
stitched, and all of the tapes are installed. If the
primer is left uncovered for more than a week, scuff
it with a light abrasive before applying the topcoats.
Aluminum dope is not an absolute necessity on all
synthetic fabrics. Some manufacturers specify a
special black coat to be sprayed on after the primer
and just before the topcoat. Topcoats in this system
also have the flexative added so that they will not
crack. If repairs are required on fabric that is painted
with polyurethane, remove the topcoats by sanding
them off. Polyurethanes do not soften in the same
way as dope. Use a 280-grit, open-coat sandpaper to
cut away the polyurethane film and get down to the
clear dope coats underneath.