Using paint stripper 101

[toomanytoyzz]

Got a little more work done on the hood tonight. Surprisingly I straightened it in half the time I thought it would take. If it was an older Chevy or Ford hood I definitely would need to bust the rosebud out.

I put a couple coats of mud on it and called it a night. I have an hour commute back and forth from the shop so time is ticking the minute I walk in. Anyway, the pics are the hood peened down (hard to see) with a body hammer. I was able to squeeze a dolly underneath in a couple of spots which helped out tremendously. Next couple are me laying down the filler. You can see in the one pic how runny the hardner gets from the heat/humidity (it was 89 degrees at 8:00 pm with 95% humidity). The stuff sets up EXTREMELY fast in these conditions as well.

More pics to come.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

.......and a couple more.

 

[meatloaf]

Toomany,

Is there any particular brand of grease and wax remover to use?

Thanks,
ML

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Toomany,

Is there any particular brand of grease and wax remover to use?

Thanks,
ML

I usually stick with PPG or BASF products, but any DECENT brand will work. Don't use lacquer thinner only. It dries too fast. The reason grease and wax remover is better is because it brings the contaminants to the surface. Once you wipe it down with a generous portion make sure you clean it again with a clean rag or towel before priming.

 

[wombat]

but I'm still old school and do whatever I can to get it to bare metal (quote}

Im new to body work and paint and was wondering what are the advantages to going down to bare metal?

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Im new to body work and paint and was wondering what are the advantages to going down to bare metal?

The main advantage is you get to see exactly what's going on with the panel. There are no secrets (i.e. bondo/chicken wire/newspaper/stop signs) hiding when it's taken down to bare metal. You can also run into adhesion problems if you put certain primers on lacquer or enamel paints.

I have in the past painted over original paint, but it was in really good shape. It was basically just faded from the sun.

 

[Gusb]

I've always felt that primer is one of the most important products in a quality paintjob. This is especially true when you are performing bodywork which will require using body filler. Cheap primers can cause shrinkage in the filler exposing scratch marks. For the hood pictured I sprayed a good 2 part epoxy primer down and will topcoat that with a high build 2k primer. I'll block it, apply another coat and wet sand it with 600. I usually don't use sealers unless the primer color contradicts the base coat I'm planning on using.

I'm moving around in slow mode doing a patch here, patch there, etc. I'd like to use a good 2 part primer to seal an area that I've completed that will get final prep and a top coat later when most body work is complete.

1) Can you prime an area and come back to it "weeks/months" later. I've heard if it's not within a week you would need to scuff and re-prime before final paint? Which I would think would just give you more protection under the final paint in the long run?

2) Can I safely use a good 2 part primer in small amounts with say a touchup gun in the garage without setting the house on fire, poisoning the guy next door, etc. What kind of mask setup/cost would offer adequate protection?

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

I'm moving around in slow mode doing a patch here, patch there, etc. I'd like to use a good 2 part primer to seal an area that I've completed that will get final prep and a top coat later when most body work is complete.

1) Can you prime an area and come back to it "weeks/months" later. I've heard if it's not within a week you would need to scuff and re-prime before final paint? Which I would think would just give you more protection under the final paint in the long run?

2) Can I safely use a good 2 part primer in small amounts with say a touchup gun in the garage without setting the house on fire, poisoning the guy next door, etc. What kind of mask setup/cost would offer adequate protection?

Thanks for any feedback.

You can definitely leave epoxy alone for months without any problems. Most epoxies have a 48-72 hr window before you have to scuff before applying any other high build primers/top coats etc. I ALWAYS let it cure past 72 hours to let it set up real good.
As for spraying it you should be fine especially if you're spraying small sections of the rig at a time. The hardner is what packs the punch, but it's no worse than POR15 or any urethanes out there. I would definitely buy a quality spray mask. These are the ones I use 3M Professional Series Respirator Medium. You can buy replacement filters for around $15-$20,. They will last awhile. I just reseal it in the original package. Spray masks are definitely something you don't want to "penny-pinch" on.

 

[wdFJ40]

What will you user for the top coat over the Montana Big Sky? Sounds
like something I should look into.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

What will you user for the top coat over the Montana Big Sky? Sounds
like something I should look into.

Do you mean what high build primer or base coat? I just got finished knocking down the plastic today and applied the last coat of metal glaze. Once that is sanded smooth I will shoot it with Montana's 2k high build primer. Then I'll block it with 320 up to 600 and either use the epoxy as a sealer or reapply the 2k and wet sand it. All depends on how it looks after blocking. More than likely I'll have to wet sand it, but this isn't going to be a show quality paint job.

If you want to know about what basecoat I'll be using, it will be RM basecoat/clear coat system. Here's some pics.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

..........and the last few. I am hoping to finish this up within the next week or so, and lay some paint on it.

 

[wdFJ40]

Yes that was what I was refering to, base coat, top coat. Everything I have read, or heard, says use the same brand of product from primer to top coat. So I was wondering what you going to use on top of all the "primer layers". I was thinking of using PPG products.. Kind of curious if PPG would be OK on top of the Montana products.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Oh yeah. The paint manufacturer is going to tell you to use only same brand products regarding paint systems. That is because they are in business to make money. Rarely do bodyshops use ONLY BASF, PPG, Sickens etc. when painting cars. With that said, don't skimp out and buy krylon furniture primer and think it's going to make the PPG base coat, clear coat adhere properly. A good rule of thumb is trying to stay within $50-$60 from one manufacturer's system over another. That way you know you're getting a quality product which is acceptable for todays urethane paints (which are currently getting fazed out by water born systems----thinkin' green). With the montana epoxy system vs. PPG's DP series you only get 1 gallon and a quart with PPG because of the 4:1 mix ratio. Montana gives you 1 gallon of primer with 1 gallon of activator due to the 1:1 mix ratio. It's also about $50 cheaper. I'm all about saving $$$.