Tom and list,
Paint Help
OK Tom you asked......depending on the application there are a number of
options. The products you mentioned are not familiar to me but I would
suggest that if you go to the trouble of taking the floor down to steel that
you want it to last. I would recommend this procedure for items that will
not see HIGH heat. (Except headers and engine blocks) I used this approach
on a differential a while ago and it lasted 16 years. The most important
steps are 3 and 4.
1. Take metal to bare state (media blast is preferable to sand blast as
it is less damaging to the steel).
2. If you sand blasted the steel lightly sand or wire wheel to smooth
the steel a bit
3. Clean well with a metal etching product like metal prep and follow
the instructions carefully. Wear safety glasses and gloves as you are
dealing with acid. Rinse thoroughly with water to neutralize the acid and
completely dry with a cloth and compressed air.
4. Within 1 hour use a metal etching wash primer (Sikkens 580S or
whatever our latest etching product is as I work with financials and not the
paint anymore) and be careful not to run the primer as it will become gummy
and will not dry where it is too thick. Apply an even coat and ensure that
it is covering all of the bare steel.
5. Apply any filler or putty over this etching product.
6. Reapply etching primers anywhere bare steel shows up.
7. Use Colorbuild Primer Surfacer / sealer mixed the color that you
will want to paint the steel. This will prevent a different color showing up
WHEN you chip the paint. Be realistic it IS going to happen so use products
that will minimize how visible it will be.
8. Topcoat directly over the Colorbuild sealer without sanding within
the time application window.
9. Let dry or Clearcoat
Our local Technical guys can give the exact specs with mixing ratios etc.
for each step. The process described is intended to provide restoration of
current auto manufacturer 10 year rust protection. In salt spray test we
scratch a panel down to bare steel and blast it for a few months and the
test showed that only the scratch rusted with little to no migration of rust
under the other coating.
In the area you are in there are a couple of shops that use our product
North Ranch Bodycraft is one and Tony's Body shop in Oxnard is another.
Whether they will do restoration work is another question. If you are in
there asking about restoration don't mention my name as when I consult to
those shops I chastise them for doing such unprofitable work. We do have a
branch in Oxnard if you want to buy stuff 805-988-4636 and Jeff Baker would
be the best person to answer your questions and you can tell him that I said
to call because we work for the same company.
I hope that helps.
Tim Ronak
The Sikkens guy
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