Painting Chex With Tony Russo

[WOODisGOOD]

I get asked alot about how I go about painting checkerboard and pin striping on all the planes I build. I will assume that if you are going to tackle this sort of thing that you are already familiar with how to prep and prime the surface for painting, so I'm not going to go into much detail on that end. With most fiberglass parts on the market you can simply wet sand them with 320 to remove any mold release such as PVA (poly vinyl alcohol ). This, combined with a wax and grease remover, will ensure that there are no release agents left on your part to be painted. This is the most important step in any paint job, and especially in checkerboard patterns because of the amount of tape that is involved.

I first start by spraying a basecoat of white. I always try to paint the darker checks over the lighter colors so I will start with a basecoat of yellow. Next, I painted the half circle of red. I use paper to trace circles on and then cut them out and use as templates for the half circles. Next, I start taping off the checkers. You should first measure to see what size checks you want to paint. In this case I did 2" checkers and wanted 3 rows not counting what was going into the baffle area. You are only going to paint every other row. This is the most time consuming part but you need to take your time with it. Its all worth it in the end. Once those are dry you can mask off and paint the remaining rows. If doing any other art work or pinstripping I recommend spray a coat of intercoat clear or just a light coat of clear. This way if you mess up a strip you can wet sand it off without affecting the checkers or any other underlying paint. This will also help with hiding the tape lines and making the final clearcoat smooth with no ridges.

I first wet sand my first coat of clear with 600. You dont need to sand much, just enough to scuff up the clearcoat. For pinstripping I use the House of Kolor lettering enamel and the 0000 Excaliber brush. These items should be available on the INTERNET or at your local paint and body shop. As far as how to pinstrip I was for the most part self taught. I recommend getting some of the checkerboard Ultracote and use that to practice on. You can use thinner to wipe the Ultracote clean and reuse it. Also you will want to thin the enamel a small amount so it comes off the brush easier. I pour about a 1/4 oz into a small cup and then dip my brush into the thinner as needed. Use a coffee can lid and drag the brush through the enamel on both sides. The trick is to get the right consistency of paint and thinner. Its really not difficult and will add alot of detail to your next model or to and existing model. Its also safe to apply over all coverings and vinyl.

[WOODisGOOD]

Some more shots...

[Dangerous Dan]

If I understand you free hand the pinstrype with a brush? Looks great you have mad Talent!!

[aerofli]

What brand of tape do you use?

[WOODisGOOD]

I use the blue 3m fine line tape.

The pin strips are freehand but its not as hard as it looks. You can buy all the stuff for about 40 bucks and try it on some Ultracote.

[GremlinX]

Thanks for sharing... heck, it took me 3 tries and a brutalized cowl to make the baffle! It's all a learning curve away!

[CSpaced]

Cool article, thanks for sharing!

[Luiyo]

Those checkers are sick

Hope can make another Dalton to put some

[Redneck Shaun]

Great artical Tony!!!! Thanks for sharing you secrets of the trade! I still think it takes a little more talent then you give yourself credit for though .

It would be great to see more post along this line if you have time?.

[xtreem3d]

great info tony....i have been using a mack 00 and now i realize why it's been so hard to get the smaller lines...btw my buddy is just about reay to fly the 47% ultimate he got from you...he's thrilled !!!!! here's a shot w/ some of the graphics,
steve

[ShortBus]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Redneck Shaun
	Great artical Tony!!!! Thanks for sharing you secrets of the trade! I still think it takes a little more talent then you give yourself credit for though .

He tells you how easy it is so you go and try it and F!!! up. Then go crying to him and get him to do it for $$$$$$$$$$. LOL


Just kidding. I like the pin stripes!

[Redneck Shaun]

	Quote:
	He tells you how easy it is so you go and try it and F!!! up. Then go crying to him and get him to do it for $$$$$$$$$$. LOL

LOL!