RC Painting

[SKDaddleTooSkier]

I am an old school RC boater, build my own wood boats. My paint has gone bad. I used to use K&B Superpoxy and Ultrapoxy. I need fuel proof and water proof for wooden boats. What do people use for a good looking durable finish?

[green-boat]

First of all welcome to the forum.

I personally like adding color additives to my epoxy/resin coatings. That way if you chip the boat, you have solid color down thru.

[Kmot]

What color additives do you use g-b?

[MILLERTIME]

Tom,
Tap Plastics.
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/category.php?bid=7&PHPSESSID=200709232024521620760803

[green-boat]

I get the color additives at an autobody supply or West Marine. Pretty much any place that sells fiberglass supplies. My Albemarle's hull is done with black on the outside and grey on the inside.

[Kmot]

Awesome! I just learned something fantastic. Thanks guys!

[SKDaddleTooSkier]

When you use Epoxy / Resin with dies that will provide a color coat over modeling plywood or do you mostly use it over a glass hull. I am concerned that Epoxy over wood is too thin and brittle and may chip and crack in usage. I went over to a large local hobby store and dug through their shelves to find some vintage K&B Ultrapoxy. They must have had 60 cans of color or which half were cub yellow. They only had 2 cans of catalyst so I bought both of them. I don't know what they are going to do with 55 cans of color and no catalyst. Hopefully K&B gets back into pridictable production.

[craig_c]

OK, a quick proviso... I haven't used this stuff yet, but I am going to, probably in my next wood project. If, as advertised, this could be great.

Like you, SKDaddleToo Skier, I used to used pretty much only K&B and HobbyPoxy in my building (if I wasn't using lacquer), but with the VOC regs and such, they were driven off the shelves.

However, recently I came across Klass Kote {US Mfg. Site} (http://klasskote.com/index.html) which is the same type of two part epoxy coating we were used to. In talking to them, I also found out that the hardener will kick, IIRC, the SuperPoxy as well.

This is off the Canadian distributer (http://www.klasskote.ca/)'s website FAQ: Can I use KLASS KOTE components (epoxy, catalyst & reducer) with other epoxies?

Testing appears to indicate that KLASS KOTE and Hobbypoxy/K&B Superpoxy are freely interchangeable. That is to say, that any of the components of any of the three will work equally as well together as the "correct" brand.
The US Site added the caution:
However, we cannot recommend KLASS KOTE catalyst for use with K&B Ultrapoxy. When tested, Ultrapoxy would not cure properly and was never fuelproof, even when mixed with Superpoxy catalyst.
Here is a PDF of their Product Data Sheet (http://klasskote.com/library/KlassKoteProductDataSheet-02-11-07.pdf)

This is their PDF mix chart for FS, Luftwaffe, IJN and other colors (http://www.klasskote.ca/KKMatchedFormulasBook-04-06-07.pdf) as well as an HTML of the old Hobby Poxy mixing charts (http://www.klasskote.ca/colourmixing2.html)

Now here's one that another modeler mentioned, and it's on my checkout list as well... if for no other reason then the VOC rules in California for pigments are going to really tighten next year according to the guy down at the auto paint shop I usually buy from... all pigments are to be water based.

Nelson Hobby Direct (http://www.nelsonhobby.com/paint.html)

Our NELSON Hobby Paint™ is made for us by System Three Resins®, Inc. in Washington. System Three is the first company to manufacture full-scale aircraft quality polyurethane paints and a two part epoxy primer that can be thinned or reduced with water. Their products are used extensively in the Industrial, Aerospace, Marine, and Automotive industries for several years. The same quality paint and primer are exclusively offered to the hobbyist by NELSON Hobby Specialties The NELSON Hobby paint and primer are perhaps the safest painting products available for general purpose use by the hobbyist. Excellent results are obtained, even in a home workshop environment. . . .

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. . . There is no concern about water coming in contact with the paint after the paint has dried. The paint isn't going to wash off when water comes in contact with it. Once the water has evaporated, additional water contact has no effect. This paint was marketed by System Three® Resins has been used for years on fiberglass boats that are constantly exposed to salt water, rain, ice, and direct sunlight. Also the paint is marketed to the home built full scale aircraft market.
FUEL PROOF

NELSON Hobby paint with the addition of the recommended Cross Linker additive (only 8 drops per ounce of paint) allows the use of 40-50% nitro fuels. The paint can be used without the Cross Linker, on solid surfaces, when gasoline or low nitro glow fuel is used.

BTW, though I have heard of it happening, I have never had epoxy crack over wood. Epoxy remains slightly more flexible than do polyester resins.

[SKDaddleTooSkier]

This Nelson Hobby Paint may be my salvation. I have only a limited stock of Ultrapoxy and the key colors I want to use for my current project boat. I should be good, but I have several other projects in mind.... I enjoy building and creating at least as much as running. I am hoping my next project, a gas (not nitro) boat will make the running more fun and less nasty chemicals. I can still taste nitro and I have not run a boat in a couple years. I am finishing my second build of a SKDaddle Too and a Dumas DragonFly II that I built 20 years ago, painted 3 coats, sanded through and shelved.
Thanks so much for the input. I hope I can stay on track to finish a couple boats. I have a .15 sized boat that I converted to electric two years ago. It was my first plug and mold fiberglass boat.

[jerryj98501]

I have been using Klass Kote for about a year and a half and I love it. With the demise of K&B, this is the best alternative. I have found that you don't want to layer clear coat many coats over white as there is some yellowing. Talking to the rep, he said just to add some clear to the white and let it go at that, it gives a nice shine. Clear over the other colors dosn't seem to bother the colors. Jerry J.

[SKDaddleTooSkier]

Thanks to all for their input. I have some great suggestions and hopefully can launch some new boats. I have a Dragonfly Mark II hydro with a K&B 3.5cc outboard and and SKDaddle Too with a K&B rear intake 3.5cc.
The SKDaddle Too was my very first RC boat back in 1975 with a McCoy 19.
The K&B should have more than 5X the power. I am hoping to surprise my nephews on our family vacation next summer with some high speed fun.

Thanks to all!

Mark