Paint Gurus, few Qs

[Crazy68Dart]

Looking for some help from paint/body guys that do this day in and day out.

So the body/paint work on the Dart has started.  I have been doing a lot of research on the "proper" method of priming and painting.  It looks like the recommended method is strip to bare steel (which I want to do anyway) and do the metal work.  Next, use an epoxy primer for corrosion resistance.  After that, scuff, do any body work and high build priming.  Get everything pretty, and as a final step before the base coat, use a sealer of some type over the high build primer and body work.  Does this make sense?

Few questions...

Can etching primer be used in place of the epoxy primer?  Yes, no, and why?

Is a sealer before the base coat really necessary?  Yes, no, and why?  Understood it seals, but is the reason this is necessary is that the high build & body work is porous, or are there other reasons?

Thanks all!   

[doug 371]

i like to use epoxy rather than etch primer...etch while it is corrosin resistant, is made to be just basically dusted on...not 100% coverage...it gives the high solids something to bite to...epoxy fills really well and is nice sanding...epoxy is what is also used for sealer...it fills sanding imperfections and covers break throughs to steel or bondo so patches dont show in the paint...if ur bodywork and prep is really nice and no breakthroughs anywhere u can spray without sealing...if u just have some small breakthroughs, u can just spot etch or epoxy before the base goes on...hope this helps

[eldubb440]

i use epoxy primer thruout the entire process

[Crazy68Dart]

i use epoxy primer thruout the entire process

Does it have decent build qualities?  What brand do you prefer, or is it a trade secret?   

[doug 371]

i use epoxy primer thruout the entire process

do u use high solids? i'm thinking of doing the next 1 in epoxy only?

[eldubb440]

isnt high solids just an epa thing to keep more on the car and less in the air?........i dont really pay attention to weather its high solids or not.......i like U-tech epoxy, pretty much the same as sikkens but  costs much less.........if i was going "high dollar" id use Glasurit brand.........

i actually been out of the business for over 10 years, and im not up on the latest products; im open to new things, but my jobs look darn good and they last.  my amx was painted in 1989, heres the finish as of last summer.......this was done in Glasurit back in the day

[eldubb440]

Does it have decent build qualities? 

i have no problems with it filling 80/100 grit bodywork scratches.........i like to finish my bodywork with evercoat finishing plastic sanded with 80/100...........buried with 3 coats of epoxy........after blocking with 180/220 i bury it in another 2 coats before finish sanding with 320/400/ and  600 if im goin base/clear........yeah, i probably over do it

[flyboy01]

Generally etching primer should be used on bare steel, and not sprayed over other materials. It literally etches itself to the steel creating a bond that can only be sanded off. It was commonly used by the factory for many years. Over top, you have to add another coat of primer, either a sealer or high build. Some high build primers also have the ability to be used as a final primer to be sprayed over. If you use etching primer as your first coat (it should really only barely cover the metal, almost see-through) you need to make sure that the primer yopu are using is compatable with the etch. I have used Featherfill G2 over etch exclusively. It is also an excellent primer for filling scratches and leveling, it has almost no shrink I have ever encountered.

Epoxy primer is literally epoxy. It turns into a plastic, which makes it very tough and somewhat weather resistant, which means that you can literally drive around and not wory about the surface rusting from moisture (regular primer is pourus and is not waterproof). If you spray epoxy, the surface has to have some scratch to it since it is a mechanical, not chemical adhesion, it needs to bite into the sanding scratches to stick on bare steel. Epoxy is typically used under body filler when a car is stripped, but with etch, its best to remove it before putting filler over the top of it. Epoxy can be used as a sealer too, you just reduce it a little more. The brand I use recommends adding 10% reducer to thin it for a sealer.

What did I use?
Etch on any bare surface.
body filler on bare steel
Featherfill G2 over it, block sanded.
Glaze and filler over any imperections.
Featherfill G2 over it, block sanded again.
Glaze over any imperections.
Featherfill G2 over it, block sanded final time.
Epoxy primer sprayed over top as a sealer.
Basecoat.
Clearcoat.

[doug 371]

Does it have decent build qualities? 

i have no problems with it filling 80/100 grit bodywork scratches.........i like to finish my bodywork with evercoat finishing plastic sanded with 80/100...........buried with 3 coats of epoxy........after blocking with 180/220 i bury it in another 2 coats before finish sanding with 320/400/ and  600 if im goin base/clear........yeah, i probably over do it

that's good info...i been thinking of giving up on high solids for a while...