2 replies to this topic

[Coolstuff55]

Hi all,

 

I've almost finished all of the rust repairs and then the shell is away for blasting. I am going to give it a go painting myself and have lots of questions.

 

I bought etch primer a long time ago, and recently bought all the rest of the supplies (filler, high-build primer, 2K topcoat etc) from a much better supplier. He said etch primer would work with the system he sold me buts its not the best. The internet recommends epoxy. 

First question, should I keep the etch primer for bits and pieces and buy epoxy for the shell or will etch be fine?

 

Second, what order do I do things? Everyone seems to have a different opinion. 

At this stage I'm thinking primer as soon as it gets home from blasting so no surface rust appears. Then over time start filling any small dents, etc with filler, and block down and repeat until its all flat. Then a few coats of high-build primer and a final block down. Then seam seal. Then final 2K topcoat with wet sanding, cutting and polishing for shine.

 

Anything I have missed or need to change?

Any help much appreciated.

 

Cheers,

Matt

 

 

PS. the 2K topcoat he sold me doesn't need a clearcoat, he said its pretty much a clearcoat with some colour mixed in, and will be ideal for me with great shine. The car is not going to be a daily driver, just a sunday driver in the summer.

[bluedragon]

I would get an epoxy primer that your paint supplier recommends. The etch primer will work since your supplier has cleared it for use with the other topcoat supplies, but he says it's not the best for the products you have. In that case, better to invest more into the optimal product for such a labor intensive job.

 

If the car is going to take a long while to complete (i.e. more than a few weeks from stripdown to final coat) I'd go with epoxy as well, unless you have a fully enclosed, low humidity workshop to store the project in.

 

Finally, with etch, you'll have to sand off the etch primer wherever you apply filler, then prime over the filler. Ideally, you'll finish all the bodywork before applying primer. Filler can be applied over epoxy (in fact, IMHO that's the ideal usage) though, if you wait until after the epoxy cure window is closed, you'll have to scuff the epoxy primer 1st befire applying filler.

 

That's why an etch primer coat isn't the best choice for a long term project where you need to protect the metal for a long time while one does a bit of this and a bit of that.

 

Basically, etch has advantages in production shops where they turn the jobs out on a steady, quick paced schedule. The epoxy process takes longer, but is well suited for long term restorations or projects because of the moisture resistance after application.

 

 

Dave

[Furyan]

 Your initial plan is good, any rust you see that doesn't sand off  after blasting treat it with something like Deox gel then epoxy everything that can rust straight after blasting, remember to sand and de grease thoroughly before the epoxy because if that don't stick everything you put on after won't stick!, then as Dave says above really.

 

Epoxy is best and can be filled over without exposing the metal again. I've used Lechler and Novol both are good but shop around as prices vary a lot.

 

Remember though safety first as you are using 2 pack paint and that can be very bad for your health. Good luck.