Paint? Paint? We don't need no stinkin' paint!

[XenosN42]

Two days ago this was bare aluminum. Look for a full photo gallery late next week when the vinyl wrap install is complete, it's been moved to the airport and the outboard wing panels have been attached.

[rizzz]

That paint scheme looks familiar :)
Nice job!

[fastj22]

Actually, a friend and I went to 3M school to learn how to do this vinyl wrapping. We are doing a couple of Sonex (mine included) and two RV6s to see if we want to go into this as a side business. It's amazing stuff. The stuff has definitely got potential. Cheaper and lighter than paint. And a superior finish.

Imagine a chrome wrap that gives you a mirror finish but requires zero polishing?

Updates to follow.

[ihab]

That looks really good! When you have a chance, it would be nice to see a detail picture of how the wrap covers the rivets Does it look like it's ever going to "bubble" up starting from the rivet locations, or is it sitting good and tight?

Ihab

[XenosN42]

That looks really good! When you have a chance, it would be nice to see a detail picture of how the wrap covers the rivets Does it look like it's ever going to "bubble" up starting from the rivet locations, or is it sitting good and tight?

The company is doing a great job with the rivets - each is getting special attention. I was very impressed with the result. The surface is laying smoothly on everything including the rivets almost like it was painted on. The company has worked with rivets before on trucks with great results. This 3M film is guaranteed for 7 years. And that is for applications on cars/trucks that are taken out on the road in rain, snow, and other bad weather. My OneX, like most Sonex, is a sunny day flyer, and it will be kept in a hanger. So I fully expect that this finish will last a very long time.

Late next week I'll publish a gallery of photos including some detailed shots of the rivets and other areas that were difficult to cover. By the way a few days before I took the OneX for the wrap I went over the complete air frame touching each and every rivet. Any one that had a sharp protruding mandrel, even if only a bit, got worked on with my Dremel tool with a grinding tip.

-- Michael
N42XE - XENOS - flying for 3-1/2 years; soon to go on the market
N169XE - OneX - first flight soon

[jmtraylor]

I spoke to a local graphics company two weeks ago about wrapping my Sonex. Like Ihab, my concerns are regarding the rivets and bolt heads on the skin. Like you, they showed me a panel truck they were working on with very large protruding rivets which they deal with all the time. My other concerns are cost and weight of the wrap versus paint. Is it lighter and by how much and is it significantly cheaper?

I look forward to hearing and seeing more about your experiences since I'm almost at the point of making a decision on the exterior finishing of my Sonex.

[fastj22]

Rivets are a non-issue. There are special tools and techniques to get the vinyl to suck down to them. Its works really well and looks better than paint.

[rizzz]

Actually, a friend and I went to 3M school to learn how to do this vinyl wrapping. We are doing a couple of Sonex (mine included) and two RV6s to see if we want to go into this as a side business. It's amazing stuff. The stuff has definitely got potential. Cheaper and lighter than paint. And a superior finish.

Imagine a chrome wrap that gives you a mirror finish but requires zero polishing?

Updates to follow.

I'd be very interested if you were in Australia.
I've looked at vinyl wrapping companies here in Aus but they are ridiculously expensive.
Results are stunning though:
http://www.provinyl.com.au/

[XenosN42]

Hello everyone,

I've finally been able to take pictures of my now complete OneX with its vinyl wrap finish. I'll start off with close up detailed pictures showing how well the wrap sticks to and conforms to the rivet and screw heads.

Three pictures showing screw heads. They best illustrate just how well the vinyl adheres.





A picture of vinyl covering flush rivets.


Pictures of proud rivets.



And look at this clean line where the red meets the white vinyl at the NACA vent.


Now for some wide shots.







Now for the questions: How much did it cost? Well I'm not going to say. It wasn't cheap, but to me it was worth it. It looks GREAT! Every plane owner who has seen it in person is very impressed and surprised when I tell them its vinyl. One very knowledgeable person tried to guess the cost (what they would have paid for these results) and they guessed high. But if you're looking for something that is -- way -- cheaper than paint look elsewhere. I'd suggest polish.

One advantage to the wrap process was that I didn't need to disassemble any of the control surfaces. The finish around them is excellent. Anyone who has built a OneX can probably tell you how difficult it would be to remove and reinstall the elevator surfaces.

How long did it take? The shop promised 4-5 work days. They over promised. My plane was in their shop about 10 work days. I don't think that it took more man hours than expected; rather they keep taking on jobs for other customers during that time.

How much does it weigh? Does it weigh less than paint? The honest answer is I don't know. I didn't weigh the plane before the vinyl was applied. I did the weight and balance yesterday and the empty weight is 630 pounds. The Sonex spec. empty weight is 600 pounds. To put that into a bit more context my XENOS (which is polished) came in at 35 pounds over the Sonex spec weight. The OneX at 630 will be able to handle a 210 pound pilot, 20 pounds baggage, and a full fuel load. I'm OK with that.

How long will it last. The wrap has a 7 year guarantee, and that is car/truck installations that are subject to winter snow/road salt conditions. My plane will be kept in a hanger and only flown in nice weather.

The shop that did the work can be researched at http://www.idwraps.com. They are located in eastern PA.

-- Michael
N42XE - XENOS flying about 4 years
N169XE - OneX, after building for 7 months ready for inspection

[ScottM-Sonex1629]

Michael,

That's a beautiful job and you can be proud of the finished product (airplane and vinyl!)

Final inspection (airworthiness) soon?