Rustoleum vs Aerotech Plastic Fins and Nose

[Oakuss]

Hi, all, I'm getting ready to paint an Aerotech Barracuda kit. It has a plastic nose and fins. The paint brand most readily available to me is Rustoleum. Has anybody here done an Aerotech kit, particularly using Rustoleum? Is there anything I should avoid (like primer on the plastic parts)? I note that a special primer is made for plastic; do I need to use that? (Definitely increases the difficulty; it'd be nice if I can use the same primer on the whole rocket.) Any advise would be appreciated.

[pantherjon]

I am sure you can use the same primer on the whole thing..I use the Wal*Mart Colorplace brand primer and have painted over it with Rustoleum paints with no problems on my Aerotech Mustang and Sumo...

[falingtrea]

The fins have never been a problem for me. They are a different tyoe of plastice from the nosecone. The nose cone is a another issue though. I have seen many different suggestions on how to get paint to stick to a nosecone, like dipping it in hot water, or "tempering" it with a blowtorch. I guess the issue is either the material being used or the mold release.

[tbzep]

Hi, all, I'm getting ready to paint an Aerotech Barracuda kit. It has a plastic nose and fins. The paint brand most readily available to me is Rustoleum. Has anybody here done an Aerotech kit, particularly using Rustoleum? Is there anything I should avoid (like primer on the plastic parts)? I note that a special primer is made for plastic; do I need to use that? (Definitely increases the difficulty; it'd be nice if I can use the same primer on the whole rocket.) Any advise would be appreciated.

Scrub the plastic real good with a Scotchbrite pad. This will get rid of any mold release compound and open up the plastic a bit to give the primer something to adhere to. Use whatever primer you normally use and you should be good to go.

[Oakuss]

Ok, I'll do the Scotchbrite pad thing. Plus I've already washed the nose with dish soap and have been sanding the heck out of it to get rid of the seams and the slight texturing I can feel closer to the tip.

[Mikus]

I just finished my Aerotech Cheetah last week with Rustoleum primer and old-formula Krylon. No problems to report.

[tbzep]

Ok, I'll do the Scotchbrite pad thing. Plus I've already washed the nose with dish soap and have been sanding the heck out of it to get rid of the seams and the slight texturing I can feel closer to the tip.

If you've already sanded the whole thing, that's good enough. I just use the Scotchbrite pad out of habit. If you are still a bit concerned about primer adhesion, you can wipe the nosecone and fin can with rubbing alcohol just before application to get any dust and body oils off that may have accumulated during sanding and handling. The alcohol will evaporate by the time you get it outside to paint.

[jdud]

I was just about to start a similar post. I sanded the nose cone of my StrongArm to remove seam lines and get it ready for primer, and then shot it with DupliColor. It is now flaking off. So, I would not use DupliColor (or any lacquer based primer I suppose).