Okay, I'm getting the car ready for paint (84 Camaro), and I am not liking what the primer I bought is doing. It's really freaking runny, and no matter how I try to adjust the gun it still runs. Supposed to be single-stage etching primer.

I'd prefer something with the consistency you find in the aerosol primer cans. Is aerosol primer necessarily bad to use if you intend on using real paint? Is there any kind of primer out there that is meant for spray guns but isn't runny like this etching primer is? I don't want the urethane primer....won't get my money's worth out of it until I can afford to replace a bunch of sheet metal that will rust back through again in 3 years. Give me some advice about the primer, please.

 

Would spraying through a screen help.

nate

 

What's wrong with urethane primer?? I got a gallon and the hardener for a whopping $93. It goes on smooth and by chance you get a run, which is hard to do, it sands right out. Here's a pic of my car primered up (shooting for painting next weekend)...

 

I'm not saying anything's wrong with the urethane primer, I hear it's the best you can use; it's just that I'd be wasting it on my car because I have panels that were rusty. Even though I sanded the rust away and converted the stuff that was left, it's only going to end up coming back in 3 to 4 years in my climate. So it's not really worth using the good stuff until I can afford to weld in some new metal.

ddn69....screen? what?

 

Well I like epoxy primer over self etching primer it well do a great good at keeping out moisture over metal as far as the rest of the car i use a 2K urethane primer

 

about the paint being runny... what did you use to clean and prep the car. if theres any dirt, oil or grease the primer wont stick to the car that well, and may run. try lowering the pressure to the gun also and do some more lighter coats on it.

 

sanded the surface and wiped it down with laquer thinner, then laid on a few thin coats. Pressure was lowered as far as it could go. Maybe I got cheap primer?

 

Why are you using etch primer? I didn't see if you mentioned that the car was stripped to bare metal. I think etch primer is only designed for bare metal. Etch primer is very thin spraying on and contains acids to "etch" the metal.

I sprayed my Iroc last fall but it was down to the bare chassis to sheetmetal everywhere. Then I used a urethane 2K surfacer.

 

I've only done spots where metal was exposed. Perhaps I should just break down and go with the Urethane after all. Laquer primers aren't supposed to be that great, are they?

 

Etch and sealer/treater primers (i.e. galvaprime) do not have pigments/fillers (i.e. talc) to let you know you are covering the area. You have to watch (with lighting) how wet you are applying them. If you are spraying to see color/coverage, you'll run it.

 

ahhhh I see. I wish I had known that when I bought the stuff. Thanks for letting me know that; I'll have to get some regular primer on Monday. How well does laquer primer work?

 

I don't know too much about laquor paint /primer but I do know that for simplicity sake urethanes are the way to go these days. The ease of setup, spray and long term result make them the best bet.

You should visit this website and ask around:
www.autobodystore.com


Check the bulletin boards.

 

Thank you, MikeC.86Roc