COCKPIT SEAT REPAIR - COMPLETE!

The seat repair is complete!  Once the 2000E was dried, I sanded it out using a combination of a 6" random orbit sander and hand sanding (on the edges).  After sanding, I re-taped off the area to be painted.  Lesson learned...make sure the tape is adhered well along its edges.  I had a bit of paint that seeped under the edges of the tape in a few areas.  Nothing anyone is going to notice except me, but it is a fine detail I will pay closer attention to next time.

After the sanding was complete, the surface was cleaned with Interlux 202 solvent, then washed with water, then cleaned with the recommended thinner for the paint product I was going to use.  The paint finish I decided on was Interlux Perfection with Awlgrip course grit.

The first layer of Perfection was applied and Awlgrip grit shaken onto the surface.  I worked a small area at a time, first applying Perfection then shaking on the grit, then moving onto the next section, always keeping a wet edge on the paint.  To shake the grit on, I used an old nut container with holes drilled in the top.  This served as an oversized salt shaker.  I put on as much grit as the paint would take.

Once the paint had dried, I was surprised by how much of the paint had been absorbed by the grit.  At this point, excess grit was vacuumed off.  Then another layer of Perfection was applied.  After the 2nd layer of Perfection, a third coat was needed to provide sufficient cover.

A bit about Interlux Perfection.  The paint is a two part product.  I decided to roll it on as opposed to spraying because of the relatively small surface area I was dealing with.  I used the recommended thinner and thinned it out per Perfection's recommendations.  This was done with all coats of finish.  The thinning helps reduce roller marks.  There are no noticeable roller marks on the finish product.

Because this is a non-skid surface, I didn't want a high gloss surface.  I used Perfection's recommended flattening agent, which is also a two part product, to get a semi-gloss surface.  I used a 1:1 ratio of Perfection to flattener.  Thinner was added to the paint after it was mixed with the flattener and only to the recommended ratio of paint to thinner.  i.e. I didn't adjust the thinner ratio based on the total paint and flattener quantity.

The products used are not friendly to one's health.  I wore a quality respirator and gloves whenever using the product.  This included while preparing/mixing the paint.

I'm very happy with the finished product.  The non-skid has excellent grip and the finish seems to be very durable.  We'll see how it performs this season.

All that is left now is to install the traveler.  This will include modifications from the original layout.  More to follow on that later...