RivetBangers.com

I'm ready to buy some Jet Flex water reducible paint for the interior. I'm going to be painting the parts as I go, rather than try to mask off everything later.
I found a local supplier here, so I can buy it by the quart ($68!).

Will 1 quart do the interior, or should I get 2?

I'm leaning towards the "Gray Beige" on their color chart. It is a perfect match to my wife's car interior, which looks very nice.

One more question: Flat or Satin?

thanks!

no idea how much paint.

But i would go Satin. Flat paint gets dirty quicker and is harder to clean

Bruce,

I agree with Brian about the Satin finish. I'm using JetFlex and painting as I go. I wouldn't do it any other way. I have a lot of info on my website about my experience with it.

1 quart definitely won't be enough. As I priced it out, I found that I was able to buy a gallon for less than the price of 2 quarts. You'll end up shooting some stuff with more than one coat, or re-doing some of as you go through the learning curve, so having some extra paint on hand is a good thing.

Post some pics and show us how it turns out!

Good luck.

Bruce,
Your web site is great, and I have certainly been looking at it as I go.
When I inquired about primer for JetFlex, they said that it was mostly needed for plastic. Metal doesn't require primer. I've been using the Akzo epoxy primer on the rest of the interior parts. I'm wondering if I should just use the Akzo underneath the JetFlex. I've seen others say that it is fine if you give it a good scuffing before shooting the top coat. I'm all about saving time and weight.
It also looks like you did dimpling after painting. I know with the Akzo, that isn't a problem. The stuff is bullet-proof. How does the JetFlex hold up to that abuse, and other builder induced wear?

Bruce,

Thank you for the nice words. Good questions. I used a 2-part epoxy primer recommended by the shop I ordered the JetFlex from, and it works great. I think it's similar to Akzo. I have also shot it over the SEM gray primer I have used throughout the project, and it works great there, too. I haven't shot any over unprimed aluminum, but many of the parts you'll be painting are removeable, like seat frames, covers, seat pans, and so on. I would worry about priming the least on all those parts. They're easily replaceable if needed. But I did pay careful attention to prime the skins and other structural parts carefully before shooting them with JetFlex. There's no going back. That's just my opinion.

Regarding dimpling, actually, I did the dimpling after priming but before the JetFlex. Then the riveting. I have come to really like the contrasting look of the rivets against the finished paint. The most recent part I worked on is the center forward cover and I ended up cutting off the flanges and riveting new ones on. This meant drilling through a painted surface, followed by dimpling and riveting. So I got some firsthand experience. Unfortunately, the JetFlex doesn't hold up very well to dimpling. It will peel up out of the dimple. So when I was done riveting that part, I scuffed it up a bit and shot another topcoat over it and it came out great.

As far as other induced wear, this stuff is really tough! I've dropped tools in my cabin, had aluminum shavings, clecos, and other messes in there, all to no harm. I love it. I think you will, too.

If he doesn't chime in, PM Mike Bullock. I recall he used Jet Flex on his interior. Can check his website http://www.rvplane.com/ also.

Speaking of Mike, he's out of town. He crossed the continent and is here in Portland on business. He's planning on stopping by to see me tonight or tomorrow, which I'm really looking forward to! So that's why you may not hear from him for a while.

Cheers!