Stewart Systems Paint Products

[MichaelFarley56]

Hello Everyone,

I'm hoping that by this fall I will be able to start thinking about painting the Waiex, and am (somewhat) leaning towards using the non-toxic Stewart Systems paint products:

http://www.stewartsystems.aero/default.aspx

I've been reading on the Vans RV forum boards and people seem to say that, if you follow the directions, the end product turns out pretty nice.

I was wondering if anyone here has any experience using these products. I've watched the videos and it does seem to be time consuming, but not too challenging overall.


Have a great day everyone!

[Andy Walker]

Thanks for the link...I've been looking for a good, non-toxic paint system to use, with little luck. This looks like a great contender.

[MichaelFarley56]

Andy,

If you have the time to read up on it, a lot of Vans RV guys have used this paint and have posted comments online at www.vansairforce.net .

Like I mentioned, those who have followed the directions seem to really like the finished product but the application is different than other paints. I spent some time talking with one of the owners at Oshkosh a few years ago and they seem very upfront and honest with their products. Plus, if you're like me, this would give you the option of turning your garage into a paint booth and painting right at home.

[Andy Walker]

Andy,

If you have the time to read up on it, a lot of Vans RV guys have used this paint and have posted comments online at http://www.vansairforce.net .

Like I mentioned, those who have followed the directions seem to really like the finished product but the application is different than other paints. I spent some time talking with one of the owners at Oshkosh a few years ago and they seem very upfront and honest with their products. Plus, if you're like me, this would give you the option of turning your garage into a paint booth and painting right at home.

Wilco, thanks!

[SvingenB]

Hello Everyone,

I'm hoping that by this fall I will be able to start thinking about painting the Waiex, and am (somewhat) leaning towards using the non-toxic Stewart Systems paint products:

http://www.stewartsystems.aero/default.aspx

I've been reading on the Vans RV forum boards and people seem to say that, if you follow the directions, the end product turns out pretty nice.

I was wondering if anyone here has any experience using these products. I've watched the videos and it does seem to be time consuming, but not too challenging overall.


Have a great day everyone!

Have you started using this? If so, what is your experience?

[MichaelFarley56]

To be honest, I never tried it. I ended up polishing most of my Waiex, and used rattle can Rustoleum Metallic cans for the little bit of exterior paint I actually did.

I still hear good things about the Stewart Systems, but I have no actual experience. Sorry!

[kmacht]

I haven't used the stewart systems paint but did ALOT of research into paint products back when I was considering painting my bird myself. A few things I found out about the Stewart paint. The first is that it has changed quite a bit over the past 5 years so be careful of older reviews. It used to be that it had to be sprayed differently than other paints with numerous light cross coats and very specific tack times slowly building up to a full color coat. When I talked to the stewart rep at Oshkosh this past summer he indicated that they reformulated the paint and that it is now to be sprayed like any other modern auto paint. If you call the company they will send you a DVD of their latest paint procedures. They are a small company like Sonex so customer and tech support are very good. The other thing I found out after talking to a few people who have used it is that the paint is very susceptable to any water or moisture in your air system as well as humidity in the air. Since the paint is mixed with water if there is any moisture in the line or in the air you will get very inconsistant results when spraying. You need a really good dryer and moisture traps in your air system to make it work. What works one day or one morning may not work the next day or even later that night if the humidity in the air changes. Another point is that the paint isn't all that cheap. Yes you can spray it without having to buy a forced air breathing system but any money you would save on not purchasing a breathing system will probably be about a wash with the extra cost of the paint. It is more eco friendly though so you don't have to be as worried about getting it on your skin or absorbing it through your body as you do with urethane based paints. Cleanup is also easier and has fewer chemicals that require a trip to the local hazmat disposal facility to get rid of. Finally if you don't have a compressor and were planning borrowing and spraying with a turbine based gun, they don't work well with the stewart paint. Turbines typically run at higher speeds which heats the air before it reaches the gun. With urethane based paints this helps get rid of any water or condensation in the air supply. Since the stewart based stuff is water based paint the extra heat will cause the paint to not atomize properly and you will end up with inconsistant spray patterns.

If you do end up painting yourself I would suggest taking a look at some of the single stage paints out there. Take a look at the Dupot Nason 2k Full-thane paints or even the TCP global paint lines. TCP has a nice website where you get get exact prices of the different color paints you are looking for. If you want to go one more step up PPG has a decent low priced brand they call Omni. Get yourself a breathing system as well. Don't skip this if painting with urethanes. Some people are fine but others can have a bad allergic reaction. You won't know until you breath it the first time. A trip to the ER will kill any savings you might have had by trying to paint with just a charcoal repirator. Put a post over on vansairforce.com classifides section stating that you want to buy a forced air breathing system. There is always someone who responds willing to sell their unit since they are done painting. Going price is around $400 for a good used one. Finally, check out the forums at autobody101.com. There is alot of good information on paint, guns, setup, fixing problems, etc on that site.

Ultimatly I found a local hotrod painter to do my plane. I realized that I don't really have a big enough space to do the work and store the rest of the airplane at the same time and that heating a paint booth in the winter while also providing proper ventillation was going to get very expensive since you can't use an open flame heater and the heater has to be big enough to overcome all the air that is flowing into and out of your shop for ventillation. For comparison purposes my paint job is going to be right around $4200. $2500 of that is labor and $1700 of that is in paint. The paint job is a 4 color base coat / clear coat paint scheme with quite a bit of masking involved so if you just want a single color done you should be able to save quite a bit of money. Hope this helps.

Keith
#554

[SvingenB]

Yes, I finally found a thread at VAF, and it seems people spend lots of time (and paint) getting the equipment, paint booth and the technique up to a level where they were satisfied with the result. At some point getting a professional to do the job is simply a better option. I will consider roller, which works great for non gloss paint a bit more (http://www.spriteaviation.co.uk/Sprite_ ... paint.html) but the other options seem to be polishing or getting a professional to do the job.

[Mike53]

Take a look at the Dupot Nason 2k Full-thane paints or even the TCP global paint lines. TCP has a nice website where you get get exact prices of the different color paints you are looking for. If you want to go one more step up PPG has a decent low priced brand they call Omni.
Keith
#554

If I were you I would try to avoid 2k paints.They contain isocyanates,and when it comes to poison this is a top 10.The auto industry used it exclusively when they switched from enamels to clear coat .After 5 years and some medical issues I know that Fords switched to 1k paint.I can't speak for the other companies ,I only painted at Fords,but I wouldn't use it .It is harder than 1k but not worth the health risk in my opinion.
Cheers,
Mike

[daleandee]

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