Exterior Finishing
Exterior Wrap-up
Applied N-number decals to both sides of fuselage by taping decal sets to sides and “hinging” decals on top with blue painters tape. Right side worked better to prevent bubbles by cutting numbers and letters apart after taping the entire side to the fuselage. Applied pink vinyl stripe to fuselage, wings, ailerons, tail surfaces, rudder,…
Vinyl Stripe Prep
Used 1/2″ fine line tape to create layout for vinyl striping. Applied tape to wings, ailerons, tail surfaces, and fuselage sides. Temporarily applied green masking tape to fuselage sides to help guide N-number placement. Hours Worked: 0.79
Color Sanding and Buffing – Part 3
Finished color sanding and polishing process with left and right side of fuselage. Used same process as previously described. Opted to not color sand blue paint on fuselage sides. Polishing complete! Hours Worked: 1.85
Color Sanding and Buffing – Part 2
Wet sanded and polished LH wing, aileron, and flaps using method previously described. Spent more time on blue paint as it shows imperfections much more than the white paint. Hours Worked: 1.59
Color Sanding and Buffing – Part 1
Began the process of color sanding and buffing painted surfaces. Starting with the tail, wet sanded each surface with 1000 grit sanding sponges to knock down high spots and imperfections. Avoided sanding rivets and focusing on one area too long. Sanded until surface felt smooth and most orange peel was gone. Wiped area clean then…
