This is topic Airplane Graphics in forum Letterhead/Pinstriper Talk at The Letterville BullBoard.


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Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
 
Dis guy will be flying his little airplane over to a nearby airport. I'm gonna drive over and check it out. It's a small plane,seats about 2 or 4 people. He wants some vinyl grahics on the, I think it's called "Fusalodge", the back end. I'd like to use 3M ControlTac vinyl, but maybe I should try to use 3M™ Aircraft Exterior Graphic Film VS7704. But 3M will only sell it to properly trained users. What I'm asking is, "Has anyone here ever done some graphics on a small airplane?"
 
Posted by Chuck Churchill (Member # 68) on :
 
We have put small vinyl letters on a private corporate jet. I think it was Avery premium. Jet flies high and fast. Never had a problem with it
 
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
 
...and FAA inspectors stay low and slow.
 
Posted by Michael Boone (Member # 308) on :
 
I always used paint.....
once....gold leaf for numbers
 
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
 
ORACAL when it 1st came into production, had a C-47 with ORACAL all over it. i would say vinyl is good under 3-400 MPH. i dont know if you remember the guy had a jet powered car and was trying to set land speed record in Bonneville. after a couple of test runs with the car, IT HAD VINYL STICKERS, the speeds he hit removed the VINYL. they had to get some old sign painter out there to PAINT THE LETTERING.......so it wouldnt come off.)))))
 
Posted by Sonny Franks (Member # 588) on :
 
I've done several helicopters with 3M high performance, but their top speed is around 125 mph....
 
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
 
Alicia, just sell him some magnets! [Wink]
 
Posted by Neil D. Butler (Member # 661) on :
 
Magnets won't work Ian, you should know that.... Airplanes are aluminum ... sheeesh! lol

I've done my fair share of airplanes over the years...here's one of several dash 8's we did and yes that tail is completely wrapped... Alecia I never had any luck using control tac of any kind... I found using Arlons High tac Vinyl probably the best so far.

 - [/IMG]

We put a clear coat of frog juice on the leading edge only of the Vinyl.

 - [/IMG]

[ November 27, 2012, 07:24 AM: Message edited by: Neil D. Butler ]
 
Posted by roger bailey (Member # 556) on :
 
I second what Neil says , and clean first with Rapid Tac or TacII

Roger
 
Posted by Neil D. Butler (Member # 661) on :
 
Yes we always clean with rapid tac as the final cleaner.. always... one other note....what was I going to say???? Oh Yea.. lol we always degrease with a good quality automotive cleaner... to get any fluids off first then the final clean is Rapid Tac.
 
Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :
 
Back in the early seventies, I got this cart from a hospital that needed to get rid of it. It would hydraulically raise and lower and it was a narrow bed, like an ambulance gurney. We used to letter the numbers on the underside of the wings. I remember playing the game of moving in time to prevent drips squeezing out of a black fitch from landing in my eye. Got plenty in my hair though. Laying on my back was the most comfortable way to do these. Many of the planes we did then were fabric.

[ November 27, 2012, 09:19 AM: Message edited by: Rick Sacks ]
 
Posted by Dale Feicke (Member # 767) on :
 
I think the high performance would be the way to go too, Alicia.

Is this a prop plane? If it is, even if the vinyl came off, it'd be behind the engine, most likely.

I always had ghastly visions of vinyl coming off of one of those corporate jets, with the engine in the back. In the Air Force, they always warned us about FOD (foreign Object Damage), and even stuff like a ballpoint pen, or a hat, or comb, could cause engine damage to a jet intake. I imagine a big wad of vinyl wouldn't be a good thing either.
 
Posted by Steve Luck (Member # 5292) on :
 
Alicia,
I've lettered some small prop planes before and never had any problems. I even put graphics on the underneath side of the wings. ALWAYS use high-performance vinyl for this kind of job, which I'm sure you would do anyway.

Sign-cerely, Steve
 
Posted by Neil D. Butler (Member # 661) on :
 
We've lettered Hundreds of aircraft over the years, High performance is a good bet for just small lettering, I would'nt use control Tac all the same.
 
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
 
I just looked at the little plane. It's a light plane, metal frame with this "Cloth" overlay, seats two. Or, and no rivits. I might go with 3M high proformance.
 
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
 
Just don't use an Xacto knife to trim any graphics on the substrate...
 
Posted by Neil D. Butler (Member # 661) on :
 
If it's fabric, maybe you should Paint!
 
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
 
See, that's why I was thinking of going with the ControlTac vinyl. I don't wanna have'ta make any pinholes to release air.
 


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