Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Paint Problems On Plastic Nose Cones? TIP

On the NAR Facebook page, Thomas VanBruggen posted:

"I am so frustrated right now… I know I have seen you guys post about the same issue but thought it was always because the clearcoat was a different brand then the paint underneath. Well I’ve learned my lesson, and I’ll never use clearcoat again. Rustoleum 2x paint and then Rustoleum 2x satin clear."
Some thoughts:
Plastic typically takes much longer to dry than body tubes and wood fins. Tubes and fins "breathe" and can dry from both tube surface sides, from the outside and inside. Plastic is "sealed" and and the paint only dries from the outside paint skin going in to the surface of the plastic.
So . . . You might want to wait a day or two longer before follow-up coats on that plastic nose cone. John Boren of Estes has posted that Estes will no longer include balsa nose cones in new kits. If you come across balsa nose cones in a recent Estes kit, they are probably using up old excess inventory.

2 comments:

  1. Another tip when painting plastic nose cones, or any plastic parts for that matter, would be to wash them with warm water and a mild detergent. This removes the mold release agent used during manufacturing and helps paint to adhere better.

    Daniel

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    Replies
    1. Hi Daniel,
      I've heard about doing that for years, but I usually end up sanding nose cone seams and the entire cone before primer.

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