Sanding Undercoat & First Red Top-Coat

Sorry for the delay with painting, I’ve been very busy!

Yesterday I sanded down the undercoat. It came up extremely smooth, really impressed. I put the red (RAL 3020) on with a Mohair roller and a Purdy 1.8″ brush. I used this brush for all the other layers also. Purdy’s are made of synthetic hairs rather than natural. This allows for a much smoother application and no hair loss.  After rolling the paint on I did a final drag over with the paint brush, I prefer light brush strokes than that awful orange peel effect you get with a roller.

This was the first top coat of red, so it’s patchy. Reds never cover very well the first time, unlike grey or white. The second (possibly final) coat of red will make a massive difference, and because its gloss any remaining marks should be removed.

Hopefully I should be painting the next coat tonight – the drying time is 16 hours. Gloss’ cure time is 10 days, so no more sanding. If your wondering why some of the cockpit is still grey, thats because those areas will be covered with either carbon fibre vinyl or carpet.