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alternative to Lizard Skin

484K views 341 replies 84 participants last post by  39 master 
#1 ·
Since RB's Obsolete had the Cool-Car ceramic insulation on backorder and did not inform me after 3 weeks of waiting on it I have done some research. Seems all the high priced ceramic paint on insulating materials aka Lizard Skin, Cool-Car and such are a simple mixture of an exterior latex paint with ceramic micro spheres added to it. Having been a radio control aircraft enthusiast I have used ceramic spheres mixed with epoxy to form various fillets on model aircraft. I would buy these ceramic spheres (Micro Balloons is what they are called) in bulk from either Aircraft Spruce or Wicks Aircraft Supply. A gallon bag of the spheres cost about $6.00. You can see the potential cost savings here. A one gallon pail of exterior latex house paint, add some Micro Balloons to it and you basically have the same thing as Lizard Skin or Cool-Car for a mere fraction of the price. A 2 gallon pail of Lizard Skin is about $160 :pain:

Vince
 
#3 ·
Heartbeat said:
Vince,
A couple of Questions: 1. Would you use the whole gallon of micro spheres in the gal of latex? 2. What would be your suggestion of application method? I see that RB's would like to sell an $80 gun for application of CoolCar.
Thanks,
Heartbeat
Will have to play with the amount to add to a gallon of exterior latex. That will depend on what application method I choose to use (brush, roller, or spray). To get it thin enough to spray may require several coats. I am thinking a gallon bag of Micro Balloons will be enough for three or more gallons of paint. The Gun advertised on RB's site is basically an undercoating gun that you can buy from Harbor Freight for less than $15.
 
#4 ·
Vince

I have a question about your idea on micro ballons, if you mix with latex paint would it adhere good to the bottom of the car or would it be advisable to only use it on the inside of the vehicle? It seems like latex would not be a very good mix, I am no expert by a long shot but how would it hold up to heat say in the roof area, would there be any special prep on the body before painting it on or rolling? Would this mixture be close to the same as the lizard skin or coolcar? If it is that easy to produce why in the world would they charge so much for the stuff?

Sorry to ask all these questions, but your idea sounds great and I may do this when the time comes myself. :thumbup:

30dee
 
#5 ·
I have used exterior latex before to paint a radio control airplane. This was a scale WWII P47 with a wing span of 86 inches. The entire aircraft was polyester fiberglass primed with automotive primer. I went with flat latex because it more closely approximated the paint job that was on the planes of that time period and the color match was easy with the mixing at the local stores, This P47 was powered by a 2 stroke gasoline engine of 62cc. The finish was extremely durable holding up exceptionally well to the gasoline. I did this following an article in a popular radio control magazine.

Now with the Lizard Skin: At the Louisville NSRA Nationals I saw a demo of Lizard Skin. When I saw it it looked like thickly applied paint. It did not have a smooth surface, it actually looked like well...like Lizard Skin. Hence the name I assume. In order to get it sprayed with enough film build it is going to have to be applied thick. The Lizard Skin guy said it could be applied either on the outside of the bottom or on the inside. Since the bottom of my 34 is painted I will be applying my mixture to the entire inside floor. roof, trunk, doors, and firewall. The instruction for applying Lizard Skin were no different than what you would see for applying any kind of paint. Free of dirt, debris, oil and grease. I saw the gun he was selling and it was nothing more than a under coating gun, but with a smaller tip. The tip was about 1/4" compared to the 3/8" of an under coat gun. It was a suction feed gun that has a tube you put down into the material. Personally I would not want it on the outside of my car because of how it looks. On the inside ever thing is going to be covered by upholstery so it will not be seen. I have the utmost confidence that the exterior latex will adhere extremely well to the underside of the roof and will hold up very well also.

I will take some pics of the process and the results and post them here.

Here is a picure of the P47 that was painted witth latex house paint. That photo is about 5 years old and the plane still looks good, no I have not crashed it :)


Vince
 
#6 ·
Vince - Ya got me thinking now. I had completely thrown out the idea of using ceramic insulation due to the cost and have used some foil backed stuff from Juliano's inside and on the floor and firewall - but this has rekindled my interest. Nice thing about this concoction is you can use whatever color you want, and I may consider the underside of the floorboards since I have yet to prime or paint them (they will be epoxyed regardless). Since I've been long away from model airplanes have no idea where to buy micro-ballon spheres. Do you have a good source? Keep us up to date.

How are you making out with the 1/4" Volara foam? The small piece of 3/8" neoprene that I got with my Volara makes a LOT good sanding blocks.

Dave

Dave
 
#7 ·
302/Z28 said:
I have used exterior latex before to paint a radio control airplane. This was a scale WWII P47 with a wing span of 86 inches. The entire aircraft was polyester fiberglass primed with automotive primer. I went with flat latex because it more closely approximated the paint job that was on the planes of that time period and the color match was easy with the mixing at the local stores, This P47 was powered by a 2 stroke gasoline engine of 62cc. The finish was extremely durable holding up exceptionally well to the gasoline. I did this following an article in a popular radio control magazine...........................Here is a picure of the P47 that was painted witth latex house paint. That photo is about 5 years old and the plane still looks good, no I have not crashed it :)


Vince
Didn't realize you were into RC Scale. I was the 1985 Scale Masters Championship head static judge. Been out of the hobby for several years but still working on my book which contains a selection of 5 view scale drawings for scratch builders. I've completed 75 aircraft and want to have a total of 100 before trying to find a publisher. Most are little known versions of popular aircraft and some are total odd balls. By the way, nice P-47.
 
#8 ·
Vince

Thanks for the answer, and I agree with you on the undercarriage of my vehicle. I will be pleased to see pictures of the progress on your car, not that I haven't already, which is beautiful by the way!!!!! I wonder how many coats would give good coverage and sound proofing, and it would be fine put on with a brush or roller because it will be sight unseen under the upholstery.

Thanks again and keep up updated :thumbup:

30dee
 
#9 · (Edited)
30dee
Two coats should be sufficient, they are laid on fairly heavy. This evening I tried some using my sandblasting gun and it worked perfect.

Centerline
Been into R/C since I was about 19 years old. I think I was the first one to ever fly an R/C plane at Cam Rahn Bay AB, Vietnam :D

Dave
The 1/4" Volara foam has worked out fantastic, I even used it under my running boards. I tried spraying the Weldwood Formica glue but it would not do well so I just brushed it on.

I have been getting my Micro Balloons from Wicks Aircraft Supply . They have a nice online catalog, just look under composites.

This is my bag of Micro Balloons, it is not quite a gallon any longer. You have to be careful with this stuff as it is microscopic phenolic glass spheres and they are very light. It pours a lot like a liquid and unlike a powder. It will not clump as a powder will. It floats on the slightest breeze, so wear a dust mask when using them. I have not seen an MSDS sheet on it, but I would not want to find out what it could do to your lungs.

I am mixing up some Micro Balloons and a gallon of exterior latex house paint. I had the house paint tinted a very dark gray. I had to pour out almost half of the paint in order to add the Micro Balloons. It took the entire bag to get to the consistency I was looking for. You want it thin enough to spray with a large nozzle, but thick enough so that it does not sag on vertical surfaces as you build it up. As stated earlier the bag was not quite a full gallon as I had used some. I feel confident that a full one gallon bag of Micro Balloons and about 3/4 gallon of paint is just about right.

Edited note: Do not be temped to use a power mixer as it will shatter the micro spheres and diminish the insulating qualities.

Vince
 
#12 · (Edited)
FWIW
Some have expressed that maybe Lizard Skin is some magical formula specifically made for automotive use that justifies it's exorbitant price. People will believe what they want to believe and that is fine. For those that need a little more assurance that there is nothing magical about these hi tech ceramic coatings you can go online to Hy-Tech Thermal Solutions and look up product SC#1000. SC#1000 is 80% by volume microscopic glass spheres.

Hy-Tech Thermal Solutions is a NASA spin off company located in Melbourne Fla. SC#1000 is available for about $39 a gallon.

Vince
 
#13 ·
302/Z28 said:
FWIW
Some have expressed that maybe Lizard Skin is some magical formula specifically made for automotive use that justifies it's exorbitant price. People will believe what they want to believe and that is fine. For those that need a little more assurance that there is nothing magical about these hi tech ceramic coatings you can go online to Hy-Tech Thermal Solutions and look up product SC#1000.

Hy-Tech Thermal Solutions is a NASA spin off company located in Melbourne Fla. SC#1000 is available for about $39 a gallon.

Vince


Thanks Again !!

So Wicks sell some for $6.50 and these guys sell for 11.00 which is best or they both the same!!
 
#14 ·
solidaxel said:
Thanks Again !!

So Wicks sell some for $6.50 and these guys sell for 11.00 which is best or they both the same!!
Your welcome. $11? Make up your own mind, at 80% by volume per gallon you can buy two one gallon bags from Wicks, and one gallon of latex paint. Pour all of the paint into another can except 20%, then fill that with the glass spheres. Mix up another gallon and still have some latex left over. Or order two gallons from Hy-Tech at $39 a gallon pre mixed and ready to spray.

Vince
 
#16 · (Edited)
302/Z28 said:
FWIW
Some have expressed that maybe Lizard Skin is some magical formula specifically made for automotive use that justifies it's exorbitant price. People will believe what they want to believe and that is fine. For those that need a little more assurance that there is nothing magical about these hi tech ceramic coatings you can go online to Hy-Tech Thermal Solutions and look up product SC#1000. SC#1000 is 80% by volume microscopic glass spheres.

Hy-Tech Thermal Solutions is a NASA spin off company located in Melbourne Fla. SC#1000 is available for about $39 a gallon.

Vince
NICE LINK!

Probably going to put all others out of business!!

I was thinking of begging Lizard Skin for a sponsorship because lightweight insulation is key for the Hudson build.
 
#17 ·
Thanks guys, just out of curiosity I ordered two gallons of SC#1000 from Hy-Tech. They came in last evening. The mix looks a little different than what I mixed up but that is to be expected as I did not know how much Micro Balloons to add to the paint. This mix is like a paste more than anything. If you stick a paint stick into it and pull it out you will leave a little mountain that stays there. The instructions that came with it says you can spray it with an airless sprayer as long as the tip size is 3.0mm. This stuff is very light weight as you would expect at 80% Micro Balloons. The only downside that I can see is that it is only available in white. I don't see why it can't be tinted though. I have not been able to spray any insulation yet as the temp has been below 50 for about a week.

Vince
 
#18 · (Edited)
Is this the correct product

SC#1000 Super Hi-Build Thermal/Sound Supression Coating
1 Gallon: $59.95...5 Gallon: $299.75

As ths was in tne e-mail string

Hy-Tech Thermal Solutions is a NASA spin off company located in Melbourne Fla. SC#1000 is available for about $39 a gallon.

Also see this

#1000 Insul-Flex Insulating, Waterproofing Elastomeric Wall Coating
1 Gallon: $32.99...5 Gallon: $164.95



I also have been into R/C for about 20 yrs.

Regards,

Steve
 

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#19 ·
Bart said:
Is this the correct product
SC#1000 Super Hi-Build Thermal/Sound Supression Coating
1 Gallon: $59.95...5 Gallon: $299.75
Steve
That is the right stuff, but they have increased the price on it. I just checked my invoice and they charged me $39 per gallon plus shipping.

Nice P51 by the way :thumbup:

Vince
 
#20 ·
We have been a dealer for Lizardskin for about two years and have had great results with the product and it does what it says. I would have to agree that after we put the $ exchange on the dollar and brokerage fees that it adds up. But when you look at this from a different approach its like this.The cost to have a shop install any other form of insulation cannot compare as you can cover about 50% more of the interior with this and you create a 100% waterproof barrier and a 20-30 degree reduction in heat at the thickness of your credit card.This is like buying 3 products for the price of one and with 0% waste,also what I like is that it does not add any thickness that affects the fit of interior panel's. When it comes to install time I would say that its half or less to other methods and twice the results. When we try to reinvent the wheel sometimes it cost more and we might not achieve the same results and we spend our hard earned money is it really worth it on the chance that we hit the formula right?And we really would not know if it was right until we had out interior in and a few hard road miles on the car so what would the cost be to remove the interior a second time to re-insulate?
Jason
 
#21 ·
Jason
I do not think anyone was saying anything negative about Lizard Skin other than it's price. It is a great product, there is no doubt about that and it is considerably cheaper than other methods of insulation. However there is nothing mysterious or magical about it's composition. Ceramic insulation has been in the industrial arena for going on ten years now. There are numbers of insulation specific companies that offer comparable products at a considerable price savings. Being in the chemical industry with access to engineering data relating to protective coatings, it was not to difficult to do some research on ceramic insulation. Once I found out what it is I was amazed at the brilliantly simple formula and how inexpensive it is to duplicate. My suggestion was just that, a suggestion, a person can make up their own mind about what they wish to do. :)

Thanks for the information
Vince
 
#23 ·
bnewsom said:
What would happen if the micro spheres were mixed in with an elastomeric coating such as Cool Seal? Cool seal is a mobile home coating that waterproofs and insulates. Obviously it will stand up to varying conditions.
Bob
I also have a gallon of Kool-Seal that I bought locally for about $20. I thought it may be the same thing, but as you have discovered it does not have micro spheres. However it does sound like it would be perfect for our use if they were added. I would add 80% by volume to the Kool-Seal.

Vince
 
#24 ·
302/Z28 said:
I also have a gallon of Kool-Seal that I bought locally for about $20. I thought it may be the same thing, but as you have discovered it does not have micro spheres. However it does sound like it would be perfect for our use if they were added. I would add 80% by volume to the Kool-Seal.

Vince
Vince, Pop the lid on the Kool-Seal :cool: . It is really a heavy bodied oil base material and not very nice to put on the roof of your camper. I think stirring in the micro spheres might destroy them.

Dave
 
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