Inspecting Aircraft Paint

At first glance, your new paint job looks beautiful. As you take a closer look there appears to be minor defects that occurred during the process. Streaks, runs, specks and dirt in the paint are unfortunate. Some can be corrected with carful grooming and polishing. Preventing these minor mishaps, the paint shop needs to washed and clean prior to the final coat being applied. Also the experience of the painter and the touch of the application is the key to a successful paint job.

“Runs” in the paint are due to an application that is too heavy. Small runs can be carefully shaved and then polished. Even for the best painters this is difficult and runs can be seen even after buffing. Large runs cannot be corrected and will result in large areas being stripped and re-panted. “Rag Marks” are due to residual solvents left on the fuselage during preparation looking like wiped streaks. The vapors get trapped beneath the paint and can cause the finish to bubble and blister. In some cases these areas can be polished and buffed out.    

Fish Eyes

“Fish Eyes” occur when dust and dirt in the paint area get caught the stream of paint during application. At 40 PSI they are then shot back into the paint creating what appear to be small creators in the finished surface. Fish eyes can be shaved or lightly sanded out and then with a fine airbrush can be touched up, then buffed out and polished. If they occur in a white finish they a heard to find, but if the occur on a dark painted finish they will look like spot marks or blemishes in the finish.

Orange Peel

“Orange Peel” is an effect due to an inconsistent mix of paint and air being applied. The surface looks pebbled and lacks a high gloss finish. Minor orange peel can be polished and buffed, but large areas are difficult and will typically look worse than before. There are also areas where paint is applied to thin or to thick. These conditions area again credited to the painter and their experience in painting business aircraft.

No paint facility wants to spend the time or money re-painting your aircraft, so they are always confident that these minor issues can be corrected. In some case the can be, but in many the simply cannot. Polishing and buffing can repair minimal defects but if they are significant they will not be able to remedy these areas. Over buffing can cause burn marks and visible swirls in the paints finish. A properly applied paint job with a Teflon protective coating should last between five to eight years and is dependent on whether the aircraft is hanger kept or not.