Polyfiber Mark II Paint for Metal

[22LD]

Has anyone used Polyfiber's Mark II paint for metal? There's not a whole lot of information out there. Would like to know more about durability, etc. It IS a two-part catalyzed paint but does not contain the isocyanates and therefore does not require the fresh-air respirator. I've been told it is not water-borne and is easier to apply than Stewart. Comes in all the same 50 colors of Polytone.If anyone has used it or knows of someone who has I'd really like to get some feedback. Thinking about using is on some interior metal panels first as a test.

[Battson]

I used a Polyfiber paint on metal, but I have never heard of the Mark 2 paint. I used Polytone.

[22LD]

Jonathan, according to Polyfiber, it is not "quite as resistant to chemicals" as Aerothane/Ranthane, but more so than enamel. Application instruction are actually in the Ceconite manual. Not sure if it's been around for a while. Not crazy about being a guinea pig if it's new.

[Battson]

For my money, Polytone is only good on fabric surfaces which you expect to repair often. For painting metal, good chemical resistance, achieving a top quality finish on fabric, etc Polytone would not be my first choice.

[gseiter]

I planned on trying it on the remaining parts I have to paint. Wing, tail, gear fairings, wingtips and nose bowl. Everything else is painted with Aerothane which I am not that crazy about. I find it difficult to apply(compared to Polytone and enamel) and worry about my few remaining brain cells. My painting days are over until spring weather so I won't be able to report for a while. Hopefully someone can test drive it and give us a report.

[BTAZ]

As I get ready to paint my wings, I was wondering if anyone has used the Mark II paint and their experiences.

[Battson]

Did anyone end up trying Mark II for Metal? I am about to order a whole lot... but I still have time to switch back to Polytone or Aerothane if anyone has had bad experiences.

[Battson]

Here's some results for Polyfiber Mark II for Metal. You see in here on the cowl, compared to brand new Polytone on the rudder fabric. Note the Polytone is a matt finish whereas the Mark II is glossy. You can use Polyfiber flattener to reduce the gloss for a better match, although I have not done that.

IMG_20171218_203948.jpg

IMG_20171218_203958.jpg

It's an easy paint to spray, whether on fiberglass or metal at any angle. You can put the first coat down heavier than their Epoxy Primer, no need for a tack coat. You can spray it just like you spray Polytone or any other Polyfiber coat (Polybrush, Polyspray). It covers well, two coats is enough to get a full, rich colour.

It flows out slowly and takes a long time to dry, giving a high gloss finish. It becomes semi touch dry in about 60 minutes, but even after 24 hours it's still plastic if you pick at it. Full cross linking must take a week.

Time will tell how well it lasts against the bugs and fuel spills. I can report back.

[Battson]

Well the paint has fully cross-linked and cured now.

I have worked with it a bit, and it's certainly a much nicer paint than Polytone in terms of finish, strength, and adhesion. The gloss was easy to achieve and it's very reflective, you can see your reflection in the paint. I find it very easy to clean grease and other nasty chemicals off without them leaving a stain on the paint. Mark II also tolerates screw heads pressing down, some scratches and scrapes without being damaged, whereas Polytone would chip off the metal in those same situations.

Mark II is hard to repair though, compared to Polytone. You can't simply spray spot fixes into Mark II, they make a mess with overspray and losing the gloss to the surrounding area. So I would not use it on areas which will need a lot of repairs.

I would also say the difference of gloss is only obvious in low light conditions, illuminated in full daylight the different finishes look well matched.

[nichzimmerman]

Jon, and others with experience to share regarding polytone over metal,

Did you originally paint your wings and other metal with Polytone? And if so, what is your experience with it?

I've been leaning in that direction because I cant find another product that 1) can be color matched to Oratex yellow, 2) is easy to apply and repair, and 3) doesn't require a space suit to protect myself with, and 4) doesn't require $$$ equipment (Stewarts). Plus, polytone is 1/5 the price of Mark II and the company told me if they have to color match the first gallon is going to cost double, which would make my total cost ~$2500 vs ~$500 for polytone. For a working plane, sounds like polytone is a reasonable contender if properly applied.

-Nic

[svyolo]

Even with a perfect color match to Oratex, the texture is going to be different, and thus how it appears in various types of light. Sometimes it might look the same color, sometimes very different. The paint and fabric finish will also change at a different rate over time. I wouldn't sweat spending a bunch of money to get an exact match.

I bought Stewarts Federal Yellow. Very close. They offered to color match ($$$), but they agreed with my opinion that I wrote above.

[jaredyates]

I used it on the landing gear shock struts and horizontal stabilizer struts recently, with the method of spraying the first layer into a tacky coat of EP420. So far it is holding up well. This is what Collin Campbell does on his planes as I understand it.

[Battson]

Jon, and others with experience to share regarding polytone over metal,

Did you originally paint your wings and other metal with Polytone? And if so, what is your experience with it?

I've been leaning in that direction because I cant find another product that 1) can be color matched to Oratex yellow, 2) is easy to apply and repair, and 3) doesn't require a space suit to protect myself with, and 4) doesn't require $$$ equipment (Stewarts). Plus, polytone is 1/5 the price of Mark II and the company told me if they have to color match the first gallon is going to cost double, which would make my total cost ~$2500 vs ~$500 for polytone. For a working plane, sounds like polytone is a reasonable contender if properly applied.

-Nic

I did 100% Polytone on the whole plane first time around (with Epoxy undercoat on metal). Overall experience: Good to paint, bad lifespan.

Getting Polytone on metal was tricky, but not actually difficult. It does chip off easily around screws or edges where the paint doesn't wrap around the edge of the metal.

For the wings, the trick was getting an Epoxy tack coat down on the whole wing (one side) and then getting the Polytone into it before it set too much. Once the white coat was down, then it was easy to apply the yellow Polytone on top. You need white base coat if spraying red or yellow. Nothing covers like white.

The finish is chalk and cheese, Polytone does not look half as good as Mark II.
Durability - Polytone is vastly inferior in terms of durability. Even the contents of bug's insides stain the Polytone if not cleaned up ASAP. Wings are not a repair item (normally), so high gloss Mark II looks good and stays good. It also cleans up really easily. Whereas Polytone is just a colour, it also fades fairly quickly

[zkelley2]

Use Aerothane(same people, same colors) for the metal parts. Polytone for the fabric... and since we're talking oratex, no polytone at all. Polytone is a terrible paint on metal and not very durable in general.

[nichzimmerman]

I read about Aerothane, but am personally against using something that requires that much bodiliy protection. I just noticed that a Mark II gallon "kit" actually consists of 2 total gallons and covers 400 sqft, whereas the Aerothane is one gallon and covers closer to 200, so price per sq ft actually favors Mark II. And that only makes it 2x more expensive than Polytone, not the 4x that I originally presumed. Leaning toward Mark II now, but still waiting for the company to get my piece of Oratex in the mail to see if they can match it.

Thanks for the feedback all.

[zkelley2]

Personally, I don't care how water based or friendly a paint is, I'm using a fresh air breathing supply and a paint suit.

The polytone does not hold up to solvents like gas well. I know this really well from experience having polytone on fabric wings. The paint around the filler neck and behind the gas tank always looks like crap.

[PaulSA]

What is wrong with taking a sample of the fabric paint to an automotive shop and getting some 2-pack to match? As has been mentioned, the different texture of the metal/fabric finish is going to mean that the match is never going to look exact.

I wouldn't use anything but the "correct" paint for the fabric but the metal is a different issue and i'm sure can be done a lot cheaper with good results.

[Battson]

What is wrong with taking a sample of the fabric paint to an automotive shop and getting some 2-pack to match? As has been mentioned, the different texture of the metal/fabric finish is going to mean that the match is never going to look exact.

I wouldn't use anything but the "correct" paint for the fabric but the metal is a different issue and i'm sure can be done a lot cheaper with good results.

I have yet to hear a good story about using auto paint on aircraft. Sure it looks great a first, but after 1,000hrs of flight?
Aircraft metal parts flex and vibrate a lot more than autos, and I understand the paint needs to be flexible enough to deal with that in the long term.
I can't speak from personal experience, but the word on the street put me off.