Paint Experts Question - Paint Types

Way back in time when I use to do my own paint I was told not to mix primers & paint always used the same be it acrylic enamel, straight enamel or lacquer I always used the same primer & sealer. This new stuff I think you have to be a chemist

 

The Summit paint is made by Kirker you might give them an email and ask. They also sell their paint direct and through places like Autobody Tool Mart (which is where I bought mine)

 

I kinda agree with @58 willys. We have to be chemists now.

For a single stage urethane top coat, I would recommend a catalyzed primer. You can buy 2k urethane primer. I also very much like 2k epoxy primer. My favorite actually but it has a little learning curve.

Doesn't Summit have a recommended primer to go with that top coat?

 

Your primer is probably about the same as Rustolium rusty metal primer, oil based alkylid. Good primer for a tractor, car trailer, or floors of an old Jeep, but I wouldn’t want it under a good single-stage or base/clear paint job . At minimum, you’ll need a good sealer between them. I’ll defer to the experts…sterlclan?
-Donny

 

I’d scuff the current primer and spray a coat of whatever primer sealer that Summit recommends for their paint. Spray color as directed by Summits paint instructions.

 

I’ve used Kirker paints in past years for a couple overall resprays, both acrylic and polyurethane. Overall, I’ve been happy with the quality, but have used a higher-end clear over the single stage for one job. The acrylic lost most of its gloss after a couple years (on garage doors), but otherwise has held up well. For the price, its decent paint, in my opinion. I was buying it at the Daytona car show from a vendor for as little as $20/gallon. The urethane was$ 35-$45/gallon a few years ago.
-Donny

 

if the paint topcoat is activated (hardener or activator) you should use a 2k primer under it if you have already primed with something that isnt hardened use a 2k sealer after sanding the primer before topcoat. if the old school primer is old like a year or so you "may" get away with just shooting some topcoat. the problem is the activator tries to activate the primer and swells the sanding marks in said old school primer. Ive sprayed kirker paints and as long as everything under the paint is hard and solid they work fine. all paints benefit from a solid base.

 

98% of the finish is prep. 2% the actual paint. clean, dust and oil free is the way to a nice finish.

 

IMHO, unless you have bodywork to do, 80 grit is too coarse.
Try 280-320 if you're going to spray filler primer. Use 400 for sealer primer. If you wait for the sealer to completely cure before spraying color, sand with 600 grit. Professionals are now just waiting for the sealer to flash off (based upon the manufacturers recommended temperature and time) and spraying color over the sealer with no sanding.

Here is possibly my most important advice. Like we stated above, you have to become a junior chemist. Begin a relationship with either your paint manufacturer's tech line or your local jobber store. By jobber, I'm referring to a shop that sells paint to professional body shops. Such a jobber will employ auto paint professionals. They often know the chemistry of their product line.
I've been spraying for over 40 years. To this day, I ask questions of my jobber manager. Chemical formulations constantly change here in Kalifornistan.
At the least, you'll have one activator for the sealer and a different activator for the color. Maybe two more activators if you're using filler primer and a clear coat. Theeeeeennnnn, they often use different reducers as well.
To show the amount of chemicals a person can acquire, this is my everyday cabinet.


This is just the tape and tack rag drawer.


These are the not so everyday items plus bulky stuff like the rolls of masking paper (no newspaper!!)


I bought this sanding block kit from my jobber. I highly recommend it.




Best success to you.
I'd also be interested in which gun(s) you will be using. These are my guns. One Binks, two Devilbiss and two Iwata.


I heard many good things about Harbor Freight guns so I bought this $200 model for spraying sealer. I was not impressed and have to resand the sealer to eliminate the texture.

 

Not a painter, but just had my new steel dash panel and my existing glove box door refinished in the same glossy Ensign Blue (9T) as the rest of the vehicle.

The painter informed me that options for this older color are very limited, maybe even one, so he used PPG OMNI MTK Acrylic Urethane Single Stage Paint.

The results are outstanding, on both the primed formerly bare steel new dash and on the previously painted glove box door.

 

I agree about the Dura-Block sets. Good for sanding filler and primer (with appropriate grit). They also sell the sets for sticky paper vs hook&loop if that’s what you use.

Looking at @Stakebed ’s spray guns, prompted me to bring up the use of the 3M PPS paint liners. While there are pros and cons to them. For the home DIY; they may be handy if using only one spray gun and painting “wet-on-wet” (color over sealer that flashed over). By the time you get around the tub and parts, it may be time to start color. Using the PPS cups/liners means you don’t have to clean the cup, just the gun. So quarter turn of the cup and it comes off, a quick wash of thinner in the gun, and attach the cup of color that was set up in advance, and go. They are also nice because you can purge the air from the liner to spray with the gun upside down in areas like wheel houses etc. Again, there are pros and cons (like price).

Stakebed, Does one of those guns identify as a paint gun?

 

I like the Nason line of primers and paints. I have been using the Ful-Thane single stage paints. They hold up well and are very durable.

Need to try the cup liners. Good luck on the paint job.



Dave

 

I use nason almost exclusively mostly base clear. I won’t spray black as a base coat clear job only single stage As I feel it gives a depth of gloss not possible with a clear. 99percent of my gun use is pressure fed no stopping to fill cups that way.

 

What do you recommend for a fresh air supplied respirator?
Been thinking about the Breathe Cool II system.
Got loads of filters for the respirator, but I think I will get the fresh air supplied respirator.
https://www.turbineproducts.com/respiratory-protection/

Tyvek Hood or full face mask?


Dave

 

I haven't tried the cup liner system yet but all the pros have switched. Makes a lot of sense for them in regards to less cleaning.
For the application you mentioned, ideally a painter would use one gun to spray a sealer and a different gun for color mainly due to primer generally requiring a bigger fluid tip. I spray sealer or direct to metal with a 1.8mm and color with a 1.3mm.

Ever since I was a wee lad and started painting, I used Dupont. One piece of valuable advice I was given was to find one brand and stick to it. I've sprayed Imron, Lucite, Centari, Chroma One and Chroma base.
Now Dupont got bought out and I have to spray Nason. Easy to use but not as high quality as Dupont. If I needed a show quality finish I might have to use Spies Hecker.

 

He is correct. The toners needed for old colors are not being universally produced. So some colors cannot be accurately reproduced/mixed in all brands.

 

@Dne007 has a really nice system.
Maybe if we all call her name she'll post a photo?