Sending Boler for painting - Fiberglass RV
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Old 01-27-2022, 02:40 PM   #1
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Name: Niall
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Sending Boler for painting

Hi guys,
We are on the verge of sending our trailer to be painted, and I am just wondering if we have gotten the filled in areas appropriatly covered.

Our final coat of filler is Bondo autobody filler, pink, and feels great to the touch. I am just wondering if anyone used an additional putty filler after this layer to really smoothen it out?
The dark green areas are fiberglass filler.

Also, there are a few small areas where fiberglass is showing through. Will the layers of primer and paint provide enough protection to this fiberglass or no?

Thanks guys,
Niall
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Old 01-27-2022, 03:00 PM   #2
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I would think the paint shop would inspect prior to painting and tell you what more needs to be done.
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Old 01-28-2022, 06:46 AM   #3
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I agree with Glenn. I have sprayed several cars over the years for myself and others. If was was spraying your trailer Id want some high build primer applied and sanded to the appropriate grit for the paint, probably around 400 minimum. Thats a fair amount of labour and shop rates will add significantly to the job cost. Maybe talk to them about applying the highbuild and you doing the sanding. But depending on desired finish and budget it could probably be sprayed as is.
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Old 01-28-2022, 02:03 PM   #4
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Fiberglass takes primer and paint very well.
I have NEVER been able to prep a unit for paint without using spot putty to eliminate all the small marks and imperfections that would otherwise ruin the paint job. High solids primer is akin to a coat of spot putty and works well when there are numerous small marks and imperfections.
Most shops will apply and finish sand a coat of high solids primer for an extra fee. This will be good for your paint job but may not be good for your wallet.
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Old 02-03-2022, 08:59 PM   #5
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Agreed. High build epoxy primer will cover most smaller imperfections and show areas that may need additional attention. Guess it comes down to your level of acceptance and wallet but definitely needed for a quality finish.
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Old 02-09-2022, 03:02 PM   #6
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I would suggest having a boat yard paint it instead of an auto shop. Use any topside paint. Roll + tip is easy to diy and it will look pro if you buy a buffer and polish it.




Can't tell from the pictures but it should be smooth to the touch. If not, use some fairing compound. You've gone this far you might as well paint it. It goes fast with a roller and you just need to tip it afterwards to get a nice finish. You can pay any auto detail guy to buff+wax it afterwards. That is like 50% of the work.



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Old 02-10-2022, 11:57 PM   #7
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Best Paint for FG RV's

For the best paint job on any composite I would first see what aircraft paint I could get hold of. It is pricey if you buy from a distributor but gets a heck of a lot cheaper buying surplus.

Because composites tend to be difficult to get a perfect finish there are some good "cheats" avaiable for surface imperfections. AkzoNobel 8W5/50C3 Off-White BAC 5837 (U) Spec Sandable Polyurethane Composite Surfacer is the best there is. (BAC 5837 is simply the spec callout) For a 1.25 gal kit you are looking at around $350. From an aircraft manufacturer's surplus you will probably pay 1/4 of that. Your topcoat would come in 2 gal kits at about the same price. The paint is only allowed to be recertified 1 or 2 times depending on what it is, After that it is sold as surplus. some companies will be happy to give you their out of date paint to save disposal costs. This paint stays on both aluminum and composites at 600mph. It can stay on your trailer at 60mph forever! If you need any help finding these coatings, let me know.
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Old 02-11-2022, 08:20 AM   #8
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Think Corvette. Automotive paint is perfectly acceptable. Easy to apply and finish by any auto body or marine shop.
Don get carried away with expensive and exotic materials and procedures, just paint it. And that means spraying the paint, less time consuming, repairable and cost effective. A proven and simple method effective for centuries that should be completed in a couple days easily.

It’s a camper, not an airplane, train or Farrair
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Old 02-11-2022, 10:22 AM   #9
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Centuries Ron? Lol. Decades for sure.
But I agree spraying will give the best shine and automotive paints are the best option.
The prep work is so the beautiful shine doesn't highlight imperfections
in the body work.
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Old 02-11-2022, 05:57 PM   #10
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Airplanes are aluminum. Boats are fiberglass. You'd be a fool to go spend $800 on aviation paint when you can get 2 part poly from any boat store for $120 a quart that is specifically made for FIBERGLASS.
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Old 02-11-2022, 06:00 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by FRED SMAILES View Post
Centuries Ron? Lol. Decades for sure.
But I agree spraying will give the best shine and automotive paints are the best option.
The prep work is so the beautiful shine doesn't highlight imperfections
in the body work.

You don't know anything about painting. None of what you say is true. Prep nor spraying have anything to do with shine. Automotive paint is literally the worst choice for fiberglass.
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Old 02-11-2022, 06:45 PM   #12
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Mike please state where your knowledge comes from?
Ill check with my painter but Im pretty sure he uses the same paint on all extetior surfaces and he's been in the business as a professional for many years.
As to my statement about shine, I was referring to the reflective qualities of a surface sprayed by a proficient operator as opposed to a roll and tip job.
I don't know why you think I know nothing about painting, by my one statement. I may be wrong, on this point but I do have skill and knowledge in spray painting.
I would just add that autobody filler is a 2 part polyester resin and has been used under paint for what 80+ years? Virtually the same materials as used in most fiberglass campers like my boler and I dare say all bolers.
I didn't read all the posts in this thread, I just liked the pervious post to mine so I quoted it and agreed. What would you use to paint a boler?
I have done lots of fiberglas work on my boler. Have painted it twice in the 20 years I've owned it. First time I sprayed with a quality auto paint and looked great for many years. Recently I rolled and tipped it with Interlux Brightside. Its a respectable finish but nothing like the first go around with auto paint.
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Old 02-11-2022, 08:36 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Motoboss View Post
Think Corvette. Automotive paint is perfectly acceptable. Easy to apply and finish by any auto body or marine shop.
Don get carried away with expensive and exotic materials and procedures, just paint it. And that means spraying the paint, less time consuming, repairable and cost effective. A proven and simple method effective for centuries that should be completed in a couple days easily.

It’s a camper, not an airplane, train or Farrair

It might not be an airplane but when you can get aircraft paint for less money than Imron you could at least take a look at it. Unless, of course you are independently wealthy and don't need to consider cost, longevity, finish and value per dollar. Or, of course, lack of cranial power with which to figure these out.
The aircraft paint finish is superior to any automotive paint and can be either sprayed or brush applied.



In 1998 I built temporary stalls for my horses till we got our house built. I made the walls out of 9/16 OSB board and painted them with surplus aircraft paint on the outside only, in W. Washington. It is now 2022 and the are still standing, still look like they did 23 years ago and are being used as storage.



I know paint, I know composites and I know when people are being a SA.
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Old 02-11-2022, 09:34 PM   #14
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It might not be an airplane but when you can get aircraft paint for less money than Imron you could at least take a look at it. Unless, of course you are independently wealthy and don't need to consider cost, longevity, finish and value per dollar. Or, of course, lack of cranial power with which to figure these out.
The aircraft paint finish is superior to any automotive paint and can be either sprayed or brush applied.



In 1998 I built temporary stalls for my horses till we got our house built. I made the walls out of 9/16 OSB board and painted them with surplus aircraft paint on the outside only, in W. Washington. It is now 2022 and the are still standing, still look like they did 23 years ago and are being used as storage.



I know paint, I know composites and I know when people are being a SA.

Aircraft paints are made to stick to aluminum not fiberglass. Nothing on a plane is fiberglass except some cowlings. Aircraft paints are designed to be light weight and THIN so the painted control surfaces weight the same. That is the exact opposite of what a boat paint is designed for. Those are designed to leave a much thicker, heavier coating which you do not want on a plane especially the control surfaces. Do you even fly? Or paint planes? If you did you wouldn't be painting your own trailer because you would be working on a plane making $300/hr while a boat yard mechanic who doesn't even speak english paints your trailer for $60/hr.



Use whatever paint you got around. If you've got 50 cans of aircraft paints from 1940 I bet it works great. Enjoy.
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Old 02-11-2022, 10:28 PM   #15
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Aircraft paints are made to stick to aluminum not fiberglass. Nothing on a plane is fiberglass except some cowlings. Aircraft paints are designed to be light weight and THIN so the painted control surfaces weight the same. That is the exact opposite of what a boat paint is designed for. Those are designed to leave a much thicker, heavier coating which you do not want on a plane especially the control surfaces. Do you even fly? Or paint planes? If you did you wouldn't be painting your own trailer because you would be working on a plane making $300/hr while a boat yard mechanic who doesn't even speak english paints your trailer for $60/hr.



Use whatever paint you got around. If you've got 50 cans of aircraft paints from 1940 I bet it works great. Enjoy.

Wow! I guess I need to change your SA status to DA.
Welcome to the 21st century. Let me educate you. Very few planes are made completely out of aluminum today. Composites are definitely lighter, stronger and last longer.The Boeing 767, which first flew in 1981, had a significant amount of composite materials. Things have escalated from there "The 777 composite tail is 25 percent larger than the 767�s aluminum tail, yet requires 35 percent fewer scheduled maintenance labor hours. This labor hour reduction is due to the result of a reduced risk of corrosion and fatigue of composites compared with metal." Bingo!



That's just one Boeing aircraft. Now look at Airbus. Airbus was the first manufacturer to make extensive use of composites on large transport commercial aircraft. The A310 was the first production aircraft ever to have a composite fin box. The A320 was the first aircraft to go into production with an all-composite tail. About 13 per cent by weight of the wing of the A340 is made of composite materials, and the A340/500-600 was the first airliner with a carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) keel beam and rear pressure bulkhead. The A380 is the first large commercial aircraft with a centre wing box produced largely from CFRP representing a weight saving of up to 1.5 tonnes compared with the most advanced aluminium alloy. The A380 also incorporates the world's largest composite rear fuselage section to date.


You know those stealth fighters out there. Three guesses what their fuselage is made from.



Now that we have that straight, let's talk about paint. The same paint is used on composites as is used on aluminum. Only thing different is the surface prep. The paint application is measured in microns. The same thickness is used on aluminum and composite.



I do not paint either boats or aircraft for a living and I don't know anyone who gets $300/hr for painting aircraft parts. Not too sure anyone who paints boats gets $60/hr either. Maybe the yard charges that.


I do fly, or did before I got too old. I don't paint planes but I worked in the aerospace business for many, many years with both paint and composites as my field of expertise. One thing I know, paint from 1940 would be solid a long time ago. I am sorry you don't understand the words surplus as used in the aerospace industry paint and composites. It is something that has passed it's expiration date and even though it is in good condition, it cannot be certified for another period.



I now don't work at anything except having fun and exposing idiots when I can.
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Old 02-11-2022, 10:49 PM   #16
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Guys,,, the thread is about painting a boler.
Lets give it a break?
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Old 02-12-2022, 12:52 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by FRED SMAILES View Post
Centuries Ron? Lol. Decades for sure.
But I agree spraying will give the best shine and automotive paints are the best option.
The prep work is so the beautiful shine doesn't highlight imperfections
in the body work.

Fred, I agree with you. The prep work, especially on rrpairs, is definitely very important otherwise the imperfections jump out at you. A good surfacer like 8W5 is a good option to prevent that.
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Old 02-12-2022, 01:41 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by Motoboss View Post
Think Corvette. Automotive paint is perfectly acceptable. Easy to apply and finish by any auto body or marine shop.
Don get carried away with expensive and exotic materials and procedures, just paint it. And that means spraying the paint, less time consuming, repairable and cost effective. A proven and simple method effective for centuries that should be completed in a couple days easily.

It’s a camper, not an airplane, train or Farrair
Agreed. I worked my way through school in an auto body shop so I've seen how these things work.
Prep is 90% of a good paint job. No paint, of any quality, will look good if not properly prepared. The paint is the final "sealing" coat that covers the surface and protects what is underneath. Any imperfections not fixed will show through and will be much more noticeable after painting.
I sprayed my corvette 10+ years ago. It took about an hour to lay the paint and four days to do the prep. I had absolutely no body damage, only minor rock chip marks. After initial sanding I filled every mark with spot putty and levelled it. The paint job still looks perfect, I call it "showroom" condition.
I've never seen an issue with using automotive paint on fiberglass.
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Old 02-14-2022, 01:46 PM   #19
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[QUOTE=FRED SMAILES;834892]Centuries Ron? Lol. Decades for sure.
But I agree spraying will give the best shine and automotive paints are the best option.
The prep work is so the beautiful shine doesn't highlight imperfections
in the body work.[/QUOTE]

Ok , I’m old but not that old

Good catch
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