On Friday, May 29, 2015 at 3:30:32 AM UTC-4, Philip van de Donk wrote:
Coming winter I am planning to have my ASH-26E repainted (in Acryl + clearcoat or PU) as its' gelcoat is gradually coming to the end of its life. I want to combine this with the regular engine maintenance, solar panel installation on the engine doors etc.

I currently have orange markings on the glider in the form of stickers.

At the refinish I want to have the orange markers back on. However I am still in doubt whether to have them painted or have stickers again. My worry is that when you have them painted, that the color will wear out and that I need to have the glider repainted on those spots.

I know that stickers do have a limited lifespan but those are easily replaced when the colors start to fade.

But painting is tempting now that I plan to have the entire glider repainted anyway.

So what is your experience with painting of orange markers? How long will the colors last and what method/paint did you use?
When painting, any tips on how to prolong the life of the colors?
What method do you recommend? Stickers or paint?

Of course the degradation of the colors is dependent on the amount of UV the glider is exposed to. So I give an indiction of UV exposure for my glider. It is in the trailer when not flying, with the exception of some weeks of mountain flying/competition flying where I keep my glider rigged and keep them in the covers. The trailer is in the hangar most of the time.

I have purchased the "security fluorescent red paint" and the clear top coat from Schempp Hirth. My cross country mates tell me they can see my glider from far off before they can see other gliders with red or orange markings on their gliders. There is something about this specific security paint that works very well.

Forget what the UK study says. Once I was flying with eight other gliders near the Grand Paradiso mountain (the Alps) against the rocks covered with snow. We were all pushed in tightly because of dense cloud cover at this altitude. the only gliders I could spot immediately were those that had the security markings on their gliders. The others I could only spot when very close. Too close for comfort. Tense situation. Made a believer out of me.

Again, not all paint types, even if they appear red or orange will have the visibility that this security paint has. Highly recommended. I have tried the security red foil and was not nearly as happy with it. It also takes much more skill to apply without wrinkles and still have the problem of tough edges with the foil.