Finger Paint...
Painting this thing was supposed to be easy. Many hours were spent researching what paint formulas were use. Two books on the Daylights have conflicting information. I also corresponded with folks to see what they thought. The orange shade selected is below.
I like this picture. Can't wait until the pilot and lettering are put on. The Dzus 1/4 turn fasteners (silver screws) haven't been painted yet but will be.
Here's the pilot with the brass diamond plate rough cut for the steps.
Here's were things went wrong. Days after the orange was prayed on I spent a ton of time masking the pilot trim straps. I painted it a gray color but it looks WRONG! The 4449 uses stainless steel. Been trying to find out if the Daylights built in 1943 used stainless steel or was painted, and if it was painted, what color? One book says it was painted "aluminum bronze" and may have changed to "silver gray" in 1947. The same book also shows a picture and just has "aluminum" for the pilot trim. I may end up taking the paint off and painting it a "silver" shiny color. Anyone have the "real" scoop on what was done with the pilot trim? This picture makes the trim look "white" when in fact it is gray.
Here's a perfect example of the "gray" paint not looking right. After I masked the numbers on this tiny piece, it looks like I will have the opportunity to do it again because I'm going to sand blast this clean and start all over. May use the same "silver" shiny paint that I plan on using on the pilot trim.
