Spring Cleaning and Touch Up Painting Questions

[Huckster79]

Well ladies and gents, weather is breaking here in Michigan. My old Cessna 140 is filthy. They may not have the hose out at the airport, does anyone have luck with the wash/wax detailing sprays for cars for a once in a while clean up? How about on the fabric on the wings? Any issues with using it there? Stitts is what I have.

Also, she is in need of some touch ups. However I cannot find the paint code in the logs. I can find the paint code to the wings from the last recover but not the fuselage. They appear slightly different (Both white). I'm not sure the difference is in actual color or just being on a different surface. How would I color match my fuselage paint? Would my only option be to take the cowl off and take it in to have it color matched??? I can't think of another part that could easily be popped off and on again to do so, nor can I think of a way to "get a chip" off the old girl anywhere....

When touching up, should I put a dab of primer on first, then the paint? or for a chip touch up just the paint ok?

 

[thomasdr72]

Take an inspection panel in the desired color to your local auto paint jobber, they can mix it to match... For metal repairs, I have an alodine pen...

 

[Huckster79]

Take an inspection panel in the desired color to your local auto paint jobber, they can mix it to match... For metal repairs, I have an alodine pen...

I will have to get one of those pens!

Inspection panels won't do me much good as they are all on the wing. I have the wing color, and maybe it is the same-it looks a bit different to me but it could just be due to it over a different material... I'll pop em out and put em on the fuselage out in the sun tomorrow and see if they blend right in or not...

 

[Huckster79]

Question on the alodine and pen: So a pen is $100-$150, a quart is $40. Can't I just get a quart and dab it on where needed?

 

[thomasdr72]

Question on the alodine and pen: So a pen is $100-$150, a quart is $40. Can't I just get a quart and dab it on where needed?

I managed to find a pen on eBay for $40. Yes, technically it was expired by a few months, but the metal didn't know any better. I've had better luck with the pen on small repairs than with liquid. The pen I have is an apply and let dry process. The liquid I've used is an apply, wait, water wash, and then dry process...

 

[Stewartb]

Identify the paint type, especially on fabric. There are many different top coats out there and they all have different sheens. Touching up fabric requiressome knowledgeof the under coatings, too, especially the silver UV blocker. Your paint may be different bewteen metal and fabric or it may just appear different on the different materials. You really ought to find out what you have, then talk to somebody local to help you learn how to do touch-ups properly. I’ll be pinting a repair on my cowl and a set of VGs today. 2-part epoxy primer and Aerothane. What I’d do for touching up chips in my Cessna steps (coming soon) would be very different.

Micro paint dabbers are the best touch-up tool ever invented!
https://www.autobodytoolmart.com/protouch-precision-micro-paint-brush-p-10520.aspx