Made a mistake and need advice on what to do….

drdan

drdan

Promoted Users
So I’m working on one of my old cars had it down to bare metal and epoxy primed it. Did some light fill work and thought I would go ahead and epoxy then 2k.
Well…. My dumbass mixed 4-1 and sprayed it. It’s supposed to be 1-1. I’m not a professional like most of you, I’m a very serious hobbyist so I do as much as I can by myself and ask a lot of questions so be easy on me. Should I let it sit and then re-sand and reapply the epoxy or re sand and apply the 2k?
I’ve always had good luck and a routine of putting the epoxy primer then doing the light fill work one coat of epoxy, then 2k from there for blocking before paint. If someone has run into this before, I am all ears.
 
drdan said:
So I’m working on one of my old cars had it down to bare metal and epoxy primed it. Did some light fill work and thought I would go ahead and epoxy then 2k.
Well…. My dumbass mixed 4-1 and sprayed it. It’s supposed to be 1-1. I’m not a professional like most of you, I’m a very serious hobbyist so I do as much as I can by myself and ask a lot of questions so be easy on me. Should I let it sit and then re-sand and reapply the epoxy or re sand and apply the 2k?
I’ve always had good luck and a routine of putting the epoxy primer then doing the light fill work one coat of epoxy, then 2k from there for blocking before paint. If someone has run into this before, I am all ears.
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You need to call or text Barry, I think I would do what he says.
 
4:1 i can bet barry is going to say it all has to come off. i dont believe any of that is going to cure correctly and even just a slight residue of uncured stuff is going to make for areas where anything that goes over it is going to have weak adhesion. epoxy gets soft in the heat. pretty sure any residue of that left on the car and your going to have spots bubbling when the car get super hot in the sun.
 
I hate to be Mr. Bad News but you need to take off now, I can state from many calls if you don't depending on how much driven it will come apart in 3 months to a year.

I should add where they took advice on YouTube and just mix the next coat properly and it will mix with the first coat. Nope.
 
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I had a text last night someone mixed the 2k primer 4.1 with the universal activator, i can only advise if I'm given the proper facts so hopefully that was not you as epoxy is a distant stepchild.
 
Barry said:
I had a text last night someone mixed the 2k primer 4.1 with the universal activator, i can only advise if I'm given the proper facts so hopefully that was not you as epoxy is a distant stepchild.
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It wasn’t me. I simply made a mixing mistake. I guess I’ll let it cure a little bit so I can sand it back off. Thanks for the reply
 
you may want to try wiping it off with some acetone or fast reducer. the sooner you get on it the better. letting it cure and sanding would be my last option because its probably going to stay somewhat gummy and clog sandpaper up like crazy
 
drdan said:
It wasn’t me. I simply made a mixing mistake. I guess I’ll let it cure a little bit so I can sand it back off. Thanks for the reply
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Thanks!!
A lot of people refer to epoxy as a 2k so wanted to make sure i gave the right advice.
 
UPDATE: for anyone making a stupid mistake like I did… I used brake cleaner and a razor blade to remove the incorrect mixed epoxy primer. It’s a little work but not bad considering the alternative. I primed 2 fenders, partial fender and partial 1/4. (2 different cars) anyways, the partial panels came out good as I re sanded and carefully inspected after epoxy removal. 1 of the other fenders looks ok after removing the epoxy. Tomorrow I will finish removing the Apoxsee from the other fender, re-sand, and then carefully inspect before reapplying the correct way. I really appreciate the advice and not being treated like a rookie in which I’m not. I’ve been doing this stuff for 40 years, but sometimes my memory just gets to me. I don’t know why I was thinking 4–1 Instead of 1–1 but it is what it is and I’m on my way to recovering and getting these panels fixed correctly
 
@drdan I really like the fact that you didn't wring your hands too much and just attacked the problem. I used to post on an Oldsmobile forum a long time ago, your avatar pic reminds me of a drdan (Dr. Dan?) that posted there. Then again my memory gets pretty fuzzy these days.
 
drdan said:
UPDATE: for anyone making a stupid mistake like I did… I used brake cleaner and a razor blade to remove the incorrect mixed epoxy primer. It’s a little work but not bad considering the alternative. I primed 2 fenders, partial fender and partial 1/4. (2 different cars) anyways, the partial panels came out good as I re sanded and carefully inspected after epoxy removal. 1 of the other fenders looks ok after removing the epoxy. Tomorrow I will finish removing the Apoxsee from the other fender, re-sand, and then carefully inspect before reapplying the correct way. I really appreciate the advice and not being treated like a rookie in which I’m not. I’ve been doing this stuff for 40 years, but sometimes my memory just gets to me. I don’t know why I was thinking 4–1 Instead of 1–1 but it is what it is and I’m on my way to recovering and getting these panels fixed correctly
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Everybody makes stupid makes sometimes.

LOL, also you must be doing voice to text. My dumb phone also spells epoxy as "Apoxsee."
 
Treeslayer said:
im a total dummy on this stuff but to me epoxy is not 2k........i may be wrong still lol
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Epoxy absolutely is a 2 component primer because it has a primer and an activator (virtually every refinishing product we use is). But colloquially, when anybody says '2k' it's in the context of urethane high build primer.
 
Epoxy of course is a Two komponent product
Many times on the tech line I have to back up and ask what product are we talking about, not being rude but can't give a good answer if I'm thinking something different than what you are talking about.

This week I had a perfect example, this shop is restoring a car with a value of around 2 to 4 million, a great shop and the painter is top tier as talked to him I bet 50 times over the years.
I had to call time out and clarify what went over the aluminum as I had a simple mind overload as he was reviewing everything as we were trying to figure out the percent of reducer we were going to add to the epoxy for the sealer coat to base.
Always better safe than sorry later.
 
Drdin,
One thing I say very often on the tech line when someone makes a mistake is, DON'T feel bad let's just fix it now instead of later after the car is done as every painter including myself has made the same mistake before.
 
Lizer said:
Epoxy absolutely is a 2 component primer because it has a primer and an activator (virtually every refinishing product we use is). But colloquially, when anybody says '2k' it's in the context of urethane high build primer.
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yes, i just always think of any epoxy being two equal parts. i understand it dont have to be, its just how i think of it.
i learned a lot on this forum even before i joined it. but i suppose i will always think two equal parts when i think of epoxy. or even poly for that matter.
 
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