Painting of the repairs in the plywood cover of the Snoopy

Suomeksi

After we had patched the holes in the plywood-covered wings, ailerons, horizontal stabilizer, and elevator, those patched spots were ready for painting.

We do not intend to paint all through the patched parts of the Snoopy, but the patches only. This is because in restoration we strive to preserve the original paint surface whenever it is possible. The painted surfaces of the Snoopy’s wings and tailplane still remain in excellent condition. That became evident when prior to fixing the damaged spots we cleaned the plywood surfaces from the dust and dirt that had accumulated during decades. The washed surfaces, most likely painted with Miranol-paint at the time, looked like newly painted.

The painted and repaired areas were re-painted with Isotrol oil paint that produces a paint surface similar to Miranol. It only required first defining the original blue-grey hue for toning the Isotrol paint. This created us a little problem.

Even though all the plywood-covered parts of the Snoopy had been painted simultaneously with the same blue-grey paint, those paint surfaces had become covered with patina or faded at a different pace during the decades. There were distinct differences of hue between painted parts of the Snoopy. Thus, the hue in the colour chart that matched for example the colour of the left wing, did not match with the elevator. We had to settle for a compromise in defining the hue, by choosing one that in average corresponded with the Snoopy’s patina-covered painted plywood surfaces. The formula for this hue became +CT101 3,2GR/0,5 l KAAVA, and the Isotrol paint was toned accordingly.

The paint job was done with a brush, Isotrol paint being brush friendly. The paint covers extremely well already at the first time, and it smoothens also extremely well when applied with a brush, forming an even, semi-glossy surface. After the paint has dried, the covered surfaces can still be polished with mineral spirits.

The paint job was done inside a painting tent or a tent-like cover beside the restoration workshop of the Finnish Aviation Museum. It can be warmed and has effective ventilation. Thus the patchwork of plywood surfaces on both wings, ailerons, horizontal stabilizer, and elevator received a beautiful blue-gray Isotrol coating in the painting tent.

After the painting, there was still some work to be done on the Snoopy’s left wing, because patching the plywood cover of the wing had destroyed some of the letters in the registration marking OH-XEA. The letters O and H had to be complemented. As the marking had been made on the wing using black contact plastic, we decided to do the same.

Black contact plastic was purchased. The lines were marked with sticky tape on the wing to define the location and size of the missing parts. Thereafter, the missing parts of the letters O and H were drawn on transparent rice paper to make a template for them. Placing the rice paper template on top of the black contact plastic, a carpet knife was used to cut through the rice paper the missing part of each letter. These letter parts were then precisely placed to complete the damaged O and H, which succeeded perfectly. Even by a close scrutiny, the seam between the original letter and its complementary part cannot be detected.

The restoration work of the plywood-covered wings, ailerons, horizontal stabilizer, and elevator has thus been completed.

Photos by Lassi Karivalo.

Translation to English by Hannu Mononen.