AIRCRAFT PAINTING

PROCESSES
 Painting processes vary greatly and often
depend on the type of material, the painting
surface, and the equipment used.
 The smooth surface of a quality finish will

help reduce drag as well as protect the base

material from corrosion and abrasion.
METAL AND COMPOSITE
FINISHING
 on metal and composite aircraft, It is
needed to completely strip the paint to
expose a clean surface to which the new
finish will adhere.
STRIPPING
 The first step is to remove all of the old finish. There
are three basic techniques for stripping paint:
chemical, mechanical and pyrolytic.
 The stripping of metal parts is most commonly done
with a chemical paint stripper or by air blasting with
an abrasive material.
 If the material is composite or fiberglass, mechanically
remove the paint through careful sanding or scraping
 Pyrolytic methods use high temperatures to expand
and extract the paint and are rarely used on aircraft
parts due to the probability of damaging the base
material
 Paint strippers remove the finish by
penetrating the surface film; either
softening it and causing it to swell
• enamels
• epoxies
• polyurethanes
 Or by dissolving it

• dope
• lacquer
 While refinishing an aircraft, it is extremely important to
follow the instructions furnished by the manufacturer of
the finishing materials.
 Today there are some rather exotic chemicals used in the
stripping, priming, and finishing processes, and if mis­used
or modified, the results can be totally unacceptable.
 In addition, the disposal of these chemicals is highly
regulated, and it is important to follow all of the
manufacturer and governmental safety and disposal
recommendations.
 The ingredients used in different brands of paint strippers
may be quite incompatible, and should never be mixed.
 Before stripping an aircraft, put it in an area where the
fumes will be filtered and vented away from all personnel.
Also, properly dispose of any air-filtering element. If there
are any parts of the aircraft that must not have stripper
on them, such as windshields or windows, or any plastic
components such as wing tips, wheel pants, or cowling,
they should be masked with aluminum tape. Another
option is to use aluminum foil and polyethylene sheeting
that is taped down tightly so that no stripper can run
under it. Remove all of the flight control surfaces prior to
stripping them to make it easier to reach difficult areas.
Flight control surfaces will have to be removed after
repainting anyway, in order to balance them.
 Apply a thick layer of stripper with a brush
without rubbing it in. As soon an area has
been completely wet down, cover it with a
piece of polyethylene sheeting, such as a
drop cloth. This will prevent the solvents
from evaporating and keep the stripper
working until it thoroughly penetrates the
film. After the stripper has properly worked
into the surface of the paint, remove it with
hot water or a steam cleaner.
 Let the stripper remain on the surface for
the time specified by the manufacturer.
Premature removal of the chemicals will
usually provide poor results. Even with
multiple applications of paint remover, paint
may not easily come off of the structure,
especially around rivets and in some of the
cracks. Despite the difficulty, remove every
bit of the old finish to achieve a good
finishing job.
 Be careful when working around the windows,
windshield and the plastic parts that have been
masked off. Remove every bit of the paint from
the metal next to them without spreading the
chemical onto sensitive areas. Use a small brush
to locally apply the stripper here, and be sure that
it only con­tacts the metal parts. When all of the
old finish is removed, use warm water, a good
detergent, and a Scotch-Brite pad to scrub the
entire surface and get rid of every trace of the old
finish and residue from the stripper. Properly
dispose of all the waste sludge and paint.
COMPOUND BLASTING
 Mechanically blasting an abrasive material or compound
against the paint is the most familiar method of removing old
finishes and corrosion. Sand blasting has been one of the
most common methods of aircraft paint removal but has
several major disadvantages. Foremost is the violent and
aggressive nature of the reaction of the sand against the
material being blasted. Sand is very hard and course and
grinds against the base material called the substrate. Blasting
for too long in one spot can make the metal thinner. When
blasted upon thin walled metal tubing, like engine mounts,
the wall thickness can be reduced to the point where the
mount is not airworthy. Sand blasting aluminum damages the
metal, sometimes beyond repair. This removes any cladding
and the soft metal stretches due to the hammering of the
sand particles, often with disastrous results. Give careful
consideration to the results before sand blasting
Media blasting
 The most popular method uses a plastic
material that removes the old finish and the
surface corrosion without harming the metal
underneath. Most systems use special
equipment that not only provides the blasting
action but removes the residue as well. In some,
the blasting media is separated and recycled,
while the removed material is available for
proper disposal.
 The used blasting media may contain hazardous
materials and may require special handling.