Great Planes Tracer 46 Kit - GPMA0400 - Manual (Page 37)

Painting Butyrate Canopies With
Top Flite LustreKote ®
Top Flite LustreKote is a high quality, fuelproof paint that
perfectly matches Top Flite MonoKote. The paint is well
suited to putting a high quality finish on ABS but does
have a tendency to curl materials such as styrene and
butyrate.
Do not paint the clear butyrate canopy or styrene with
LustreKote directly from the can. It can cause the
plastic to curl. We recommend Formula-U for painting
the clear canopy directly from the can, or the
following procedure can be used for successful
results with LustreKote.
The following procedure allows you to airbrush LustreKote
with good results. The recommended procedure requires
that the paint be sprayed into a jar or plastic mixing cup.
This is best done by spraying the paint through a small
brass tube or straw into the jar. For best results spray no
more than 1/2 oz. of paint into the jar at a time. As the
propellant “boils off” it will cause the paint to foam slightly.
Leave the paint in the open container, stirring every 15
minutes until no more foam appears on the surface of the
paint and the paint has warmed to room temperature. This
allows the propellant and some of the thinner to evaporate
out of the paint. Depending on the amount of paint in the
jar, this process may take about 1 hour.
After allowing the propellant to boil off, use an airbrush to
spray paint the canopy. If the paint is too thick to spray
properly, it can be thinned with a small amount of lacquer
thinner. Do not thin with more than 40% thinner. In general
about 10% thinner will adequately thin the paint for
airbrushing. The paint can also be brushed on, but brushing
will not produce the high quality finish of spraying.
If you have any doubt about the material you are painting
we suggest that you try painting on a small piece of
leftover material to be sure that you are satisfied with the
end result.
❏
1. Start with the elevators and stab. Cut the covering
from the hinge slots – don't just slit the covering but remove
a small strip the size of the hinge slot.
❏
2. Drill a 3/32" hole 1/2" deep in the center of each hinge
slot. A high speed Moto-Tool works best for this. If you use
a regular drill, clean out the hinge slots with your #11 blade.
❏
3. Without using any glue, fit the hinges in the elevators
or stab. Do not glue the hinges yet. As you join the
elevators to the stab, confirm that the hinges are equally
inserted in the elevators and the stab. Insert a small pin in
the center of the hinges to keep them centered.
TEMPORARY PIN
TO KEEP HINGE
CENTERED
DRILL A 3/32" HOLE
1/2" DEEP, IN CENTER
OF HINGE SLOT
AWAY FROM THE SLOT
CUT THE COVERING
Join the Control Surfaces
FINAL HOOKUPS AND CHECKS
37