Hi toliver
Your doing a great job. Was paging down through your pictures and I think I spotted your flying suit by the door. LOL
Bob

LOL, That's my test pilot for the maiden flight. LOL, hopefully I wont need a suit of armour to go fly!

Hey toliver;
You won't. Built right, and your are, they all fly great. Easy to handle and very forgiving. You will enjoy it. Be patient, you will get there. :>)
Bob

So close, yet so far. Just keep plugging away.

After 5 light coats of paint

Is that rolled on or airbrushed? it looks so smooth!

I added Floetrol to the paint and then thinned it 20% with windshield washer fluid. I rolled it on with a foam roller and then tipped it with a foam brush to smooth out the roller ripples. The floetrol makes the paint flow out nice and smooth.

Painting the trim

Wow, that is stunning.  When you say thin 20%, what do you mean?  Also, does the temperature rating of the washer fluid matter?

you may have mentioned it but I can't find it, what paint are you using, I looks great.

When I say 20% I mean 20% of the volume of paint I am mixing. For example, I've been mixing the paint a pint at a time. So 20% of 16 oz = 3.2 oz. So I add 3 oz of thinner to 16 oz of paint = 20% thinner. I don't count the Floetrol as thinner as it is almost as thick as the paint. My formula is = 16 oz of paint + 3 oz Floetrol + 3 oz windshield washer fluid which is actually a little less than 20 % but it seems to be just right, flows out nicely and levels itself to minimize brush marks, but retains its gloss. I'm using the cheap walmart brand windshield washer fluid.



Thanks cdlwingnut. I'm using Behr Premium Plus High Gloss Latex. https://www.homedepot.com/p/BE.....int-805001/100175675

Excellent. I'm gonna get those things and paint a test panel.  Thank you for the help!

Quoted from cdlwingnut

you may have mentioned it but I can't find it, what paint are you using, I looks great.

The fuselage trim after 5 coats of paint.

...

Shoulda used frog tape, but I think some 1/8" silver pin stripping will cover up the bleed.

looking very, very sharp

Very nice paint job.  Last photo: I would suggest very thin pin stripe tape on the edges.  Pick up at most auto stores.  Again a nice paint work.
BobN

Are you going to put drain holes in the wings and tail feathers and fuselage ect or did I miss seeing them? I like your paint?

Quoted from aeronut

Are you going to put drain holes in the wings and tail feathers and fuselage ect or did I miss seeing them? I like your paint?

I bought drain holes to install but I haven't installed them yet. I don't feel like they are necessary so I haven't decided if I will install them or not. I don't recall seeing any Minimaxes with drain holes but I may be mistaken.

Quoted from bobnafe

Very nice paint job.  Last photo: I would suggest very thin pin stripe tape on the edges.  Pick up at most auto stores.  Again a nice paint work.
BobN

Yeah I wanted to use silver 1/8" pinstripes but I may have to settle for black as silver is proving hard to find.

toliver66,

My minimax has drain holes everywhere, both wings, ailerons, fuselage, tail feathers, etc. If any water gets in at least it can drain out again.

Yup I put drain holes in mine also. I have had a couple of occasions when they were put to good use. I flew up to Patton, Maine for a little fly in and a shower occurred while I was there and I got water in the airplane and once I was forced to tie the air plane out overnight and it rained during the night. The holes worked but flying it right after the shower really worked to get it really dried out. Water is really sneaky stuff it will run down the wings and onto the wing attach fittings and into the fuselage. It can run down a raised aileron and into a wing.I hope your plan works out ok for you.

Painting and polishing the fiddly bits of the landing gear and yoke.







Waiting for new hardware to reassemble everything. Which is a shame cause all of this AN hardware was brand new 22 years ago and was just installed but never stressed in flight. But now it is rusted and corroded and I could never trust it.





Polished up the quadrant while I was at it.

It didn't occur to me that you could just buy a throttle like that.  Oh well, mine is already made!

looks really good!

Thanks. Its a little heavy, but its smooth and has adjustable tension. I like it.

This is all the parts there are to the flap mechanism.





Painted and polished up.