On Fri, 7 Aug 2009 11:17:37 -0700 (PDT), canuck_bob
wrote:

I appreciate the advice regarding Stits. My plane was originally
covered in Stits, nice choice.

The simple fact is that my plane has sat in my little hangar for years
and I will not fly it unless I can do it cheap. My budget for a
complete refurbish would not cover the expense of a certified system.
Costs skyrocket here in Canada with exchange, duty, broker fees,
hazmat shipping. Faced with not flying or accepting a cheap
alternative the decision is easier to make.

The Hipec System is produced locally so I am researching it. Thanks
for the line on the Stewart System they have a Canadian supplier and
ship without hazmat it appears.

To answer Mike.

There are lots of successful latex paint jobs, and lots of duds as
well. A Pietenpol builder actually did controlled tests of the UV
blocking effects of different latex paints and found colour was not an
issue. Almost everyone uses an accepted fabric from suppliers and one
of the accepted glue systems, often from Polyfibre. Top quality white
primers are fine for the base coat and the mechanical bond is reported
to be fine. Failures come from applying the coats too thick leading
to cracking later and sloppy colour coat application.

I found Veeduber's thread on flying on the cheap and am looking into
earlier practices of using varnish. I am going to locate some fabric
samples and experiment. I'm thinking a guy should be able to tint a
good exterior varnish with silver tint (aluminum paste ?) for UV
protection.

The most common complaint is the one Rich voices. Auto poly paints,
even with plasticizers, often fail by cracking and delaminatining and
peeling.

I would appreciate any experiences with alternative methods please.

tell me why you are contemplating replacing the stits.
what is wrong with it?

I ask because the damn stuff doesnt deteriorate in a hangar. if it is
just the paint finish that is stuffed then that can be repaired.
you can spray rejuvinator over it to replasticise the finish.
you can wipe the finish off with mek if it is polytone.

are you sure you need to replace the stits at all?
Stealth Pilot