Hi, Phil. The airplane is neat.
Acrylic enamel is tougher and less likely to chip. It also takes much
longer to dry so that the chance of getting bugs and dust embedded in it is
great, unless you take precautions. Enamel never really hardens all the
way through, so it is difficult to sand down errors and re-do. Lacquer is
super easy to use, even for a novice and if you screw it up, you can sand
it down in half an hour and repaint again. You have to spray more coats of
lacquer, because it goes on thin. For U.S. residents, lacquer (cellulose)
is getting scarce in a lot of places because it is one of the volatile
nasties the Environmental Protection Agency doesn't like. Lacquer is very
hard and takes a high gloss with polishing (not important in an engine
bay), and is easy to touch up when it does chip or scratch.
You don't want to spray lacquer on top of enamel, because it can wrinkle
the enamel (painting enamel over lacquer, however, is O.K.). Before
spraying lacquer over enamel, you should use a sealer coat. It's a good
idea, whatever system you use, to use a SYSTEM, i.e., all the paint from
one manufacturer, for compatibility's sake. And finally, before applying
any paint, you can't make the surface too clean.
Good luck. As a matter of fact, I am painting the engine bay in my Healey
this weekend, too.
Steve Byers
Havelock, NC USA
'73 Midget GAN5UD126009G "OO NINE"
"It is better to remain silent, and be thought a fool
than to speak, and remove all doubt" -- Mark Twain
----------
> From: Phil Profili <pprofili@hercii.mar.lmco.com>
> To: spridgets@Autox.Team.Net
> Subject: Paint Advice
> Date: Wednesday, April 08, 1998 1:17 PM
>
> I am going to start painting this weekend - just the engine bay area so
that I
> can get the engine back in and have a mobile bodywork project.
>
> Any advice on acrylic enamel vs lacquer?
>
> Phil
>
> -- ____ _. .-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-.
> |.___/ ""-.____/ | /| Email: pprofili@hercii.mar.lmco.com |
> <|| Phil Profili __|-----<-| Phone: (770) 494 1287 |
> |`,...____...---"' \| 'scuse me while I fix my tie |
> o O' `-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-'
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