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    During our Boston Airfield Marking Symposium an issue was discussed comparing application methods concerning surface painted signs. Specifically, the forum surrounded the appropriate cure time for the red holding position sign backgrounds before painting the white characters over them. An FAA Certification Inspector in attendance recommended the airport issue a NOTAM for a 24-hour period to allow the red paint to cure overnight, subsequently painting the white characters the next day.

    In general, the potential problem with painting the inscribed characters over a background without allowing for proper cure time is the underlying coating can crack and fail prematurely. Very often we discover these failures during our airfield marking audits and identify the marking as potential FOD. In order to allow for more curing time and reduce the chance of marking failures, it is a best practice to issue a NOTAM defining any areas containing non-standard markings for a 24-hour period. There is no national guidance on this subject as of now, however, regional certification alerts have been released detailing the recommended practice - you can download it while you're here.

    Ideally, all surface painted signs and any painted background should receive the same consideration before applying more paint on top of them. On a perfect sunny day with warm temperatures and low humidity, the necessary cure time can be decreased, and characters can be applied the same day. However, it's worth discussing this new procedure for when Mother Nature isn't nearly as cooperative with your painting efforts.

    Check out the What's New? column for more tips and changes to the marking AC.

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