Painted vs Bare Aluminum Exterior

[Bob Thompson]

Nice looking rig!

[tslanier]

Does anyone know the cost comparison of painting vs clearcoating. Also, I would really appreciate it if anyone knows of a reputable place to have painting done on an Airstream in the Eastern US.

[CanoeStream]

Researching another issue I ran across this thread. Take a look at that painted Flying Fortress in post #7!

Originally Posted by tslanier

... reputable place to have painting done on an Airstream in the Eastern US.

Dunno Stewart. Try asking TheVAP's Colin Hyde at GSM Vehicles what sort of shops might take this on. Better yet -- call your question in to the VAP question line! Aircraft painters? We've read many posts about truck painters and they tend to use acid washes -- a BIG no-no with an Airstream.

[uwe]

The problem with clearcoating is that it is difficult to get the coating to "bite" into pristine aluminum. When painting, one can sand the aluminum first, giving it a much rougher surface before applying primer. The paint can stick to that much better than to untreated aluminum.
Can't do that with clearcoat, since it would be visible afterwards.
Look for truck paint facilities. Those have large enough spray booth and also usually have experience painting over aluminum.

[amlie]

The AS website cliams that white paint is used on new trailer roof panels to reduce the interior temperature by "7 degrees". Can anyone confirm this? I live in the Southwest, and the heat load can be oppressive.

[Bob Thompson]

My '97 Excella from "Cronology of Painting My Excella" fame has a factory painted white roof and yes, white absorbs less of the solar energy making it cooler.

On this thread I've read a lot about Plasticoat being the only clearcoat for aluminum. I may have an alternative. Last winter I had a brainstorm and invented the item shown below. To finish the aluminum components, I first did an alumiprep wash, then did a CLEAR alodine conversion coat (available from Aircraft Spruce, Inc.), then I painted it with clear Imron. Most people do not know that Imron starts out as a clear base then pigments are added to it to achieve the desired color. I used the clear base with no pigments. So far, the Imron is doing great, and it has a very near match to Airsteam clearcoat. Some people may not know it, but Imron is one of the few products which retains it's color over a long life with almost no yellowing. Where other linear urethanes yellow over time, Imron does not.

Durability? Time will tell, but it's doing fine so far.

[Bob Thompson]

For the record, I don't think the clear Imron would work on polished aluminum. I am convinced it needs a "texture" to "lock into" to keep from peeling.