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Recommended sequence to paint a tub


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Hi folks,

 

Just wanted to get peoples take on what the order/sequence in which to paint a freshly prepped tub.

 

The current situation is that its been blasted and primed with a 2pak epoxy primer. Ive since gone round and finished off some flatting and repairs to get the tub ready for paint and where I have flatted/gone through the primer layer, repaired with some good quality epoxy etch primer where I have needed.

 

So...what sequence of priming, painting, underseal and seam seal do people suggest?

 

I have some more 2pak primer, underseal (paintable) that I want to do the wheel arches and the underside of the tub, seam sealer and then Id like to paint over everything to get the nice 'one colour' look with a base and 2pak clear.

 

I was going to primer the areas that I have repaired first

Then, I was going to underseal the arches and floors

Then seam seal everywhere

Then finally base + 2pak clear over everything.

 

Which areas to paint fist?...apertures/shuts boot and engine bay, then everything else or what do people recommend to minimise overspray and/or damage to areas already painted?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Andrew

 

 

 

 

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Nope.If you are using an etch primer then make sure its a good one and that it has been blasted into all the seams properly. Then using a good quality brushable seam sealer go round every sing seam on the whole car inside and out with it working it right into all the seams. Where its a visible seam i.e. under the bonnet of in the boot then smooth it out with a wet finger or some spirit wipe on a rag. Leave for 24 hrs and then go round again in case there is any sinkage or shrinkage and touch in as required.

Turn shell upside down.

Then stone chip the entire underside of the shell and the inside of all the wings. Dont put it on too thick as it will shrink back. leave for 24 hrs then 2 pack prime the entire underneath and the inside of the wings. Paint the entire underside with 2 pack paint making sure you mask off the inside and the underbonnet and boot area.

Then turn the shell back over and mask off the underneath. 2pack prime the rest of the car with the underneath all masked off then paint with the material of your choice. All outer panels can be painted separately unless you are doing it in mettalic in which case you will need to paint the insides of all the panels and then refit and mask all the inside surfaces then paint the whole car as one piece.

I would never use underseal as it dries out and cannot properly be overpainted, same goes for body Shutz.

Stuart

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Thanks Stuart and the photos really help.

 

I used the wrong product terminology. I do have stone chip (its made by Soudal and its Anti-gravel - http://www.soudal.com/soudalweb/productDetail.aspx?w=8&p=476&ID=2685

 

So, seam sealer first

Then Stone Chip underside and arches

Paint the underside (base + 2Pak clear)

turn the car back over - prime the upside and paint.

 

I`ll be doing the outer panels at a later date as Im going with the same green as I had before (non-metallic)

 

Im assuming the same process for the outer panels? (seam seal inside, paint, the outside prime & paint?)

 

Thanks Stuart again.

Edited by AndrewP
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Yep thats pretty much about it, the outer panels do need the seam sealing round the folds of the outer skins to the frames. TBH I wouldnt bother with clear over base underneath, I would get the same colour in solid and use that to save time and materials especially as you cant really tell the difference unless it runs you over! Oh and thats a dead link just goes to home page not product. I use this one http://www.express-paints.co.uk/upol-gravitex-stone-chip-1-0l/

Stuart.

Edited by stuart
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Andrew,

 

The only thing I would add to what Stuart said, is a word of caution about Epoxy Primer. You have mentioned using etch primer in some areas and if you intend to use epoxy again you must mechanically remove the etch primer as they are not compatible. The epoxy will not stick if sprayed over etch. There is a lot of info on line if you search 'etch/epoxy primer'

 

Cheers

 

Graeme

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Andrew,

 

The only thing I would add to what Stuart said, is a word of caution about Epoxy Primer. You have mentioned using etch primer in some areas and if you intend to use epoxy again you must mechanically remove the etch primer as they are not compatible. The epoxy will not stick if sprayed over etch. There is a lot of info on line if you search 'etch/epoxy primer'

 

Cheers

 

Graeme

Its another reason why I dislike "Etch" type primer. My way is with the Bonda prime which is compatible with all.

Stuart.

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I followed Stuarts advice when I did my TR3 tub. It took several days with a lot of masking and re-masking but it was a great sequence and product recommendations. I found that while the tub was inverted on the saw horses it was a good time to paint under the scuttle before the tub was flipped over to paint the top side.

 

Just feel glad that you dont have a spare tire cubby to paint.

 

Stan

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Interesting read for me.

I was planning to use an epoxy primer straight to the body after gritblasting, but apparently that is not the preferred option.

For my learning and understanding: why is a bonda primer better than EP?

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So how much stone chip do you need

Is the u pol black that comes with a gun and 1 litre canisters any good?

 

I used 4 liters on the underside of my TR3 (under the tub, under the outer fenders, inside the doors). It was the gray Gravitex and shot with the Upol gun. My buddy likened it to using a gattling gun. I bought 5 liters to be sure I had enough.

 

Stan

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Thanks guys.

 

Hopefully the link works now..?

 

I wasn't aware of the issues with etch and epoxy primers. Most of it can be sanded back easily enough as I'm basically using it as a protection on bare metal areas that may have been exposed during repair.

 

What's the recommended process for repair, fill and then protect?

With a 2pak primer, don't people find it a faff and wasteful in mixing a quantity up for what might only be a small area of repair?

Are there off the shelf aerosols that are suitable? Most available here seem to only be suitable for 1k/acrylics however?

Edited by AndrewP
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Interesting read for me.

I was planning to use an epoxy primer straight to the body after gritblasting, but apparently that is not the preferred option.

For my learning and understanding: why is a bonda primer better than EP?

EP has no anti rust properties whereas Bonda rust is Zinc base. Especially good if its going to take a while to repair the tub and its going to be sat for some time without top coating. You can use whichever system you prefer I am just recommending what I know works and keeps on working in very long term testing (25yrs plus)

Stuart.

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So how much stone chip do you need

Is the u pol black that comes with a gun and 1 litre canisters any good?

That Upol Gravitex is available in black/grey/white so I use black for dark colours, grey for mid tone colours and white for very light colours.

Stuart.

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Thanks guys.

 

Hopefully the link works now..?

 

I wasn't aware of the issues with etch and epoxy primers. Most of it can be sanded back easily enough as I'm basically using it as a protection on bare metal areas that may have been exposed during repair.

 

What's the recommended process for repair, fill and then protect?

With a 2pak primer, don't people find it a faff and wasteful in mixing a quantity up for what might only be a small area of repair?

Are there off the shelf aerosols that are suitable? Most available here seem to only be suitable for 1k/acrylics however?

From a bare metal panel I always Bonda prime first then repair what metal repairs are required then block the whole panel so you know where the filler/lead is required then bare metal that area and repair then bonda prime the whole panel again. Then 180 grit that and 2K prime then flat with 600 w/dry and then topcoat then 1200 and polish with Farecla G8 then Tcut then 3M Final glaze. Do not apply any wax for at least 6mths to allow all the solvents to escape.You can just make up literally a cup full of 2K primer if that is what is required to do any final blow ins over spot repairs, its just a faff that you have to strip and clean the gun again. This teaches you to plan repairs properly!

I wouldnt use any aerosols as your never entirely sure what they contain and it can come back and bite you in the arse further down the re-finishing process.

Stuart.

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Hi Folks,

regarding the etch primer. We used it a lot on the aircraft at BA because of the Ali alloy skins for the fuselage.

Ali Alloys form a corrosion protective skin on their surface that stops the normal primer sticking properly.

 

The etch primer contains Phosphoric acid that pickles the surface and allows the primer to stay put.

 

EP shouldn't be required on steel as it doesn't produce the same protective skin that Ali does.

 

Perhaps some stainless steels may require it.

 

Roger

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<snip> its just a faff that you have to strip and clean the gun again. This teaches you to plan repairs properly!

Stuart.

 

:lol: not wrong there..and never a truer word said.

Problem at the moment here is the humidity tends to turn any fresh metal to rust pretty quick and so the quicker you can get it covered, the better.

 

Roger...thanks for that info.

 

Based on the advise I`ll go get some 2pak epoxy and use that where I need rather than an etch primer out of a can. Hopefully I can remove most of what I have already sprayed by flatting back a little before going over the repairs with a good quality 2pak primer.

Its one of the problems with doing this type of work inbetween everything else. Some nights Im lucky if I get 1 hour on the car when really you need to have enough time to guide coat, flat back, fill, flat back, prime, flat back, guide, fill etc..etc..all before you hit the sack for the night!

Ah well...first world problems and all that.

Thanks everyone once again.

 

Andrew

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Just a brief update.

 

Flatted back and sprayed my first few panels of 2pak at the weekend. All the proper mask, gloved and bodysuit on and a sealed garage to ensure the safety of others before any questions.

 

All I can say however is what a difference.

Im reasonably comfortable with spraying acrylics + clears and whilst I can get a good gun finish, it always needs flatting back.

With the 2pak however it goes on like glass and stays that way. It helps that our temps are around the 25-30 degrees at the moment as well which means a steady curing process.

 

Im confident in the 'doing' bit of the tub now and as Stuart has said...it makes you plan your repairs, paint and masking to ensure you paint the parts you want to paint, and mask the bits you have already painted and/or dont want to get overspray on them.

 

Cheers

Andrew

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Be careful masking off previously painted parts to make sure that they are sufficiently dry/cured so you dont leave tape marks on what you have already painted.

Stuart.

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