A very good alternative to 2K primers to bare metal is Rust Bullet. Though it is a little pricey it's definately worth the money if you want to protect your car. Before you do your body work (except for replacing panels or pieces of them) spray RB on the bare metal, then do your body work and filller work. This doesn't allow rust to form again on the repaired areas. Once applied you sand with 150 grit and use a normal hi-build primer to prep for paint.
Any concerns abt RB substrate being incompatable w/ some primer/topcoats? I don't know much abt bodywork/painting ... Just asking. Nice work on those panels ... Did them in ur home garage?
You've hit it on the head..right on the money. I get a good laugh and cringe watching the bigshot restorers on TV putting filler putty on bare metal, then priming. Fine in a dry environment I guess.. if you dont live by an ocean. Imagine painting a piece of metal (steel) that will be under salt water. The most challenging type of painting. We acid clean, then epoxy paint the same day before any corrosive oxygen, (nasty stuff, and yes we breathe it) can get a foothold. I guess the rust bullet or por15 paint has acid in it and is very impermeable to moisture or something..you have to kill the rust then keep it sufficated with paint. I use Ospho (phosphoric acid) then Interlux 2000 or Pro-Line high build 3066-1 epoxy primer. Then....I do 3M or Evercoat Formula 27 fillers and fairing. More primer, tie coats then paint.
Yes. The BEST way to restore a car is to get it down to bare metal. Spray an etch or epoxy. After the epoxy has cured, lightly sand and do filler work. Then use a good primer surfacer. If using an etch, then spray a hi build surfacer, block sand and do filler work. There is an old argument that fillers are direct to metal. Any body filler company will tell you their product with adhere direct to metal. And they are right, they will stick. However, they have no corrosion resistance. I have seen countless vehicles that have been repaired later on in life. During the repair process the existing body filler was sanded down, under it was pure rust. I just saw this again this past Monday. Will it work for a while, yes. But long term and it will rust underneath. It drives me crazy watching all these TV shows like Overhaulin where they do all this body work on bare steel. I would put money on the fact that Chip Foose does not do that on the Million $$ cars he builds for paying customers. ................ The big problem I have with the product in this thread is that it is a 1k product. There is no hardener. That makes it a thermo-plastic. Meaning it can be reflowed or softened, like laquer. To be a thermo- set it has to be a 2k, or 2 component and have a hardener. I don't trust anything that is 1k, personally. Glenn
I'm definately not a professional body man, just a DIY'r. I did do it at home in my garage. This product is the same type they use for marine applications, except this one is designed for auto applications. I used their metal etcher as well (wow!) which did a fantastic job prepping the bare metal for spray. I'll certainly have to give it some time to see how it all comes out, but from those I've spoken to and the testimony I've read and heard it should work well. It takes a minimum of two good coats, and they also sell a product called 'black shell' you can use for the second coat, which is basically the product in black. Took a 1.8mm nozzle on my HVLP, and turned the pressure up to 40psi. I could have thinned it (they sell a thinner also, of course), but once the gun was set it flowed out real nice. Make sure you mix it real well (it took me about 6 or 7 minutes), and you can't shake it to mix it.
Forgot the question concerning compatability. From everything I read it is compatable with paints and primers. One neat thing is that once is has cured, you can use their metal etch to prep it for primer and paint. Tough stuff.
Please don't take offense to this, as I am not attacking you personally. I am a tech rep for a paint company. It is my belief that what ever paint line someone is using, they should stay completely within that line. I don't care if someone wants to spray their car using Rustoleum. But if you are, use all their products from the ground up. They have chemists making sure their products are comaptible with their own products. I would never mix DuPont with PPG etc. Some guys will say they are compatible. But I assure you, no one at PPG has tested to see how their products work with DuPont. Because they don't care. In my job I get sent out to look at paint failures all the time. All the aftermarket (Transtar, Upol, SPI, etc, etc.) companies say their products are compatible with the major brands. But when something fails they all seem to start pointing their fingers in other directions. The painter mixed it wrong, or over applied, or, or, or. It is never their product for some reason, even though it was suposed to be compatible. There are many good products out there, and this may be one of them. For me personally, I don't trust it. But again, thats me. If it works good for you, and others, well...Great. Glenn
That's a good point. I'll let you know how it goes once I paint it in the spring and watch it throughout the summer.
Like they say....if you think hiring an expert is expensive....try hiring an..... I appreciate all the experts on here, no matter what the subject.
Too funny Craig. But you see, I am not expensive. I offered my advice for free! Now, if you want me to paint your car, you will pay dearly.
You should see a car up here that had filler direct to the metal. Nasty. Corrodes and bubbles real fast. Our guys here were really fussy about that when they did my car. I had no idea filler didnt go on metal. Boy did I get a lesson. They looked at me like I was an idiot for asking.LOL.
