29-22: Masking cockpit / Masking for Air Vents

In order the paint the cockpit area, i needed to mask everything off, including masking around where the air vents will be located. These will eventually be installed with silicone, after the panels are riveted in place in Chapter 35. However, i did not want to installed them on top of the semi-glossy final cockpit paint color. Ideally, then will need the primer removed to silicone to bare aluminium. 

Air Vent Location

So first job was to cleco the panel assembly in place, then assemble the air vent assemblies to the NACA vents, then I used magnets to locate these into position over the cutouts in the fuselage sides. I drew around these with pencil. 

The assemblies were held down with magnets to the backrivet plate when screwing them together.

Then placed in position, held with magnets and traced around.

I then made a template of the NACA vent flange, so i could also mark the areas which will need primer removed at a later date.

The areas between the grey lines will need primer removed later on, and this whole area can then me masked off. 

Cockpit Masking

I used two types of masking tape - the blue tape is a waterborne paint masking tape. It has some gelling agent in the adhesive apparently to stop underbleed. We will see how that goes. For general masking i used the cheapest tape i could find. 

Air vent locations masked off. All of this area will stay in primer / have primer removed before gluing on the air vents. 

The rest of the cockpit was masked off for interior painting. Once masked, the whole cockpit (including all the rivet heads) was scuffed with scotchbrite. Then vacuumed, and wiped over with a 3M Aqua tack rag (compatible with waterborne paints). Before paint, it will be wiped again, then cleaned with Isopropyl Alcohol, then wiped again.

SOOOOOO TEEEEEEDIOUS!

Testing the Interior Paint

To keep with the Stewart Systems product line, i chose to paint the interior with EkoCrylic in Boulder Grey color. Last time i did some priming, i pulled out the old airfoil practice kit, and scuffed and primed it again. I used this to get the hang of using this paint - as you need to paint a couple of light 'fog' coats, then a 'wet coat'. I purchased the 'flattener' which is like a pumice type liquid paste which you mix into the paint. The instructions say to used it at 4:1 for a satin finish. So i shot it at 8:1 on one side, and 4:1 on the other. I think the 4:1 looks great! 

This is the small 1.3mm tip touch up gun i am using for the fiddly cockpit painting

This was after the 2nd fog coat - i am looking for a surface similar to 1000grit sandpaper

This is how thick the fog coat goes down

and this is the wet coat. It should be thick enough that when you run a finger through it, it does not sag or run. It just stays in place. 

This is with 4:1 flattener - i like this look for the cockpit. A bit of gloss but not too much.

Shed all cleaned ready to spray.