MattF
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Decided to ask because this subject is beginning to bug the life out of me now. I understand the general purpose of primer in that it should theoretically bond better than paint alone to surface, provides a grippy surface for the topcoat, can have properties which can, to some degree, prevent rust formation and also allows a surface to be built up, but..., is it actually necessary? Take for example a piece of rough cast. The metal is clean, will never, (hopefully), be in an environment where rusting is a concern, and there's no requirement to make the surface look smooth. Can an enamel paint be applied straight to bare metal with no serious drawbacks?
The surface enamel becoming chipped on occasion and requiring a quick touch up isn't a problem. It just seems a lot of phaff applying a primer/undercoat when the very nature of enamel is that it's supposed to be a hard surface coat, once hardened, (hence shouldn't just peel off or such), which you know may need touching up on occasion, but which seems to suffer the same symptoms if it gets a knock whether the surface underneath is primed or not. So, in short, will it bond to the metal surface suitably without primer?
The surface enamel becoming chipped on occasion and requiring a quick touch up isn't a problem. It just seems a lot of phaff applying a primer/undercoat when the very nature of enamel is that it's supposed to be a hard surface coat, once hardened, (hence shouldn't just peel off or such), which you know may need touching up on occasion, but which seems to suffer the same symptoms if it gets a knock whether the surface underneath is primed or not. So, in short, will it bond to the metal surface suitably without primer?