To be sure paint doesn't get in the back end of the sustainer-
first small pieces of masking tape are set inside and around the tube end.
A strip of paper towel is rolled up and pushed into the recess.
Tweezers are used to push in and position the paper. Try to get coverage over the engine holder tube.
On the left is the mask before painting.
On the right is after the masking tape is removed.
I used the Rustoleum Metallic black. This paint is a favorite. I goes on smoothly and has a very small metal flake.
Florida is cooler now and painting should be easier. Today is overcast and looks like it might rain.
TIP: The paint dried cloudy not shiny!
I let the paint fully dry and used polishing compound to buff out the haziness.
Look at the top fin in the picture. For comparison, the top outside of the fin was left hazy. The lower root half has been polished and is much shinier.
This is such a cool rocket!
ReplyDeleteI often use paper towels to block paint from the aft end of a rocket, or sometimes I'll use another trick.
If I have the right size coupler, I'll just couple a short scrap of the same size body tube to the aft end of the rocket, leaving a small gap between the scrap tube and the rocket body tube, so I can paint the bottom edge of the rocket. I have enough scrap bits of tube and coupler that I use for stuff like this over and over again, and sometimes I find it easier than stuffing in paper towels.
Hi Daniel,
DeleteA coupler is a better way to go. I just go with the paper towels because they are closer and I don't have to go search out the right sized coupler!
Maybe I should just make up a set of couplers just for painting use.