Taking a car back to bare metal etch or fill first ?

[islandjj]

Hi could any one offer advice please.

I'm preparing the body work on an mga 1960. I want to Take the car back to bare metal and prep for the colour coat.

I'm going to use poly discs to take the old paint off maybe grit blast any rust spots.

Then is it best to fill or ectch prime first?

Its just that I've been advised to fill first. Is it not best to cover with rust inhibitor then etch and then fill ( its easer to see where to fill if the etch is on )

OR can I get away with using an epoxy primer straight on the bare metal then fill.

Kind regards

 

[richie00boy]

Filler should not go over etch according to manufacturers data sheets. Some say to epoxy then fill, but I think it's better to put filler on bare metal as then you only have one edge to show.

To help highlight areas needing attention when it's bare metal, put panel wipe in a hand sprayer and give the panel a quick spray. It will gloss the panel and then evaporate.

 

[langy]

Epoxy is a modern and far superior way to do it, epoxy first then fill, no problem loosing the edge.

 

[islandjj]

Thanks for the prompt replies

Thanks for the prompt replies, are you saying I do not need to etch if I use epoxy (some of the panels are Aluminum) ?
What epoxy makes would you recommend ?
are they 2K ?
as I can borrow air fed mask

kind regards

 

[langy]

Thanks for the prompt replies, are you saying I do not need to etch if I use epoxy (some of the panels are Aluminum) ?
What epoxy makes would you recommend ?
are they 2K ?
as I can borrow air fed mask

kind regards

You either use etch or epoxy primer, you can't fill on top of etch but you can epoxy (can you see the advantages already)

I don't know the standard your looking for but I'm painting 50k cars and I don't take any chances on paint problems so I like to epoxy then do any fillerwork needed then I re epoxy , this way everything is sealed from everything else as epoxy is an excellent sealer, no chance of moisture getting to the bare steel and causing problems.
Disclaimer Other people will have their own ways of doing it.

 

[langy]

Thanks for the prompt replies, are you saying I do not need to etch if I use epoxy (some of the panels are Aluminum) ?
What epoxy makes would you recommend ?
are they 2K ?
as I can borrow air fed mask

kind regards

I use Lechlar epoxy primer, there are other makes but I don't find them as good.

 

[islandjj]

Epoxy on Aluminium

Thanks for the reply, I want to have a good finish the boot and bonnet are Aluminium,

will epoxy bond straight to this. ?

I like the idea of getting the metal sealed as soon as possible with epoxy.

kind regards

 

[vdubz]

the boot and bonnet are Aluminium,

will epoxy bond straight to this. ?

Yes http://www.paints4u.com/pdffiles/29107.pdf

 

[langy]

Thanks for the reply, I want to have a good finish the boot and bonnet are Aluminium,

will epoxy bond straight to this. ?

I like the idea of getting the metal sealed as soon as possible with epoxy.

kind regards

Yes we use it on aluminium bodies, put a bit on and try and scrape it off once hard you will then see how well it adheres, etch also never goes as hard as a epoxy

 

[islandjj]

cheers

cheers
These forums are brilliant for getting advice, so i'll take it down to bare metal then epoxy as soon as possible to avoid any oxidation.
ps if I've got slight pitting on some of the metal, is it crucial that I remove all the rust in the pits ie will the epoxy seal this in. ?

regards

 

[steveo3002]

you want to remove as much rust as you possibly can ...otherwise it will be back to haunt you

 

[langy]

cheers
These forums are brilliant for getting advice, so i'll take it down to bare metal then epoxy as soon as possible to avoid any oxidation.
ps if I've got slight pitting on some of the metal, is it crucial that I remove all the rust in the pits ie will the epoxy seal this in. ?

regards

Although the epoxy is corrosion resistant you really want to get it as clean as you possibly can before priming.

 

[Chickenjohn]

Might I offer a third option???

I only found out about this range of paints because the suppliers (IPCS ltd) moved in next door to my workshop a year ago.

They sell the worlds best rust inhibiting paints made by Branth Korrux, German TUV approved paints. http://brantho-korrux.co.uk/page4.html

I've been using their primer called "Nitrofest" which can be used over bare metal, and stabilises slight surface rust remains (from level "St-2" which means faint metallic sheen). No need for an etch primer, it is rust inhibiting and you can fill over the top, and the primer is also waterproof and you can apply cellulose or 2K over the top. AND, you can also use filler over the top of nitrofest.

http://brantho-korrux.co.uk/page12.html

The Branth paints are currently being used to protect Margate sea front railings.

 

[anjum]

I use Lechlar epoxy primer, there are other makes but I don't find them as good.

Have you tried the epoxy-mastic for the underbody by rust.co.uk? I'm thinking of trying it on my xjc, it sounds good as it's presumably thicker but as I haven't used it yet, I'm not sure.

I normally use the Lechlar epoxy as well, but haven't compared it to anything else as it seems to work and is very well reviewed. It can be used over aluminium or galvanised provided it's weathered and keyed lightly.

 

[langy]

Have you tried the epoxy-mastic for the underbody by rust.co.uk? I'm thinking of trying it on my xjc, it sounds good as it's presumably thicker but as I haven't used it yet, I'm not sure.

I normally use the Lechlar epoxy as well, but haven't compared it to anything else as it seems to work and is very well reviewed. It can be used over aluminium or galvanised provided it's weathered and keyed lightly.

No i've not tried it nor likely to really, the cars we build are finished underneath to the same standard as on top, I've always found the Lechlar epoxy to be excellent stuff, On the odd ordinary car i've done i've found 4 coats of epoxy and the gravitex stonechip to be more than perfect protection.

 

[islandjj]

Hi thanks for all the advice on the forum,
which lecher epoxy primer do you use
LECHLER BINDER TYPE EPOXY PRIMER OR
LECHLER EPOXY PRIMER MIX

I'm not sure what the difference is

 

[MG David]

The Lechler product code for the paint is 29107 and for the hardener is 29370 or 29371. The people I use only list 29370. I guess the difference is activation speed.

You will also need some of their thinner which is 00516.

Hope that helps