Sealer or non-reduced Epoxy??

[W.A.R.]

Ok, I have been restoring cars for a little over 16 years now. Was a hardcore PPG person until I started having problems with their dplf.

Now, I have never sprayed sealer.....ever. I have always ended my priming with either k36 or k38 2k primers, then final sanded with the usual 500-600 and shot my color.

So I guess my questions would be, should I start epoxy sealing before color? Or can I spray 1 or 2 coats of non-reduced epoxy and wet sand that before I lay my color down?

I've always assumed the final paint finish over sanded primer compared to over a sealer was better because of texture/orange peel and trash/dust that you could possibly get with the sealer. I don't know, maybe I'm over thinking this.....

 

[Airbrusharthart]

It will work out fine either way but sealer will give better color uniformity and long term adhesion

Also orange peel is a non issue with sealer its thinned out and you spray one light coat it goes on slick.

 

[Arrowhead]

I've been finishing up my primer work by sanding with 320 and then 2 coats of epoxy thinned just a little so it lays a little slicker then wet sand with 600. This works for me and it has saved my but a couple of times although it not how most here approach it, it is a lot of extra work sanding the epoxy. I've had sand scratches show up that were missed in the 320 sanding of the primer and the two coats of epoxy gives me enough material to sand them out. Plus any sand throughs of the primer into metal or filler are uniformity covered by the two coats of epoxy. But that way I know I won't have any bleed though of any bodywork and it's my safety net / catch all. The one step I might add is a very light reduced coat of epoxy just before base as it would help promote adhesion by adding a chemical bond and not just relying on mechanical bond of the base to sanded epoxy according to Barry and some other experienced users here.

 

[chevman]

Just going by memory so I could be mistaken, but I think Barry said he uses unreduced epoxy as sealer, then sands it and applies the base within the epoxy recoat window to get both mechanical and chemical adhesion.

 

[W.A.R.]

Once again, thanks for the responses!

 

[jcclark]

Epoxy thinned 50% sprays really smooth and makes a great sealer.
But the best thing about using epoxy is it increases adhesion tremendously.
Since I started using a epoxy sealer coat on all the bumpers I do,
I've noticed a huge reduction in the normal road rash they usually get.
It's a noticeable difference.

 

[Bob Hollinshead]

Ok, I have been restoring cars for a little over 16 years now. Was a hardcore PPG person until I started having problems with their dplf.

Now, I have never sprayed sealer.....ever. I have always ended my priming with either k36 or k38 2k primers, then final sanded with the usual 500-600 and shot my color.

So I guess my questions would be, should I start epoxy sealing before color? Or can I spray 1 or 2 coats of non-reduced epoxy and wet sand that before I lay my color down?

I've always assumed the final paint finish over sanded primer compared to over a sealer was better because of texture/orange peel and trash/dust that you could possibly get with the sealer. I don't know, maybe I'm over thinking this.....

Not over thinking at all, one more step does offer more chance of texture problems and increased dirt but if you're shooting base and have the time it's easy to shoot your sealer coat of epoxy and a couple coats of color or intercoat clear then let it cure up enough to denib and correct any issues by spot sanding before applying the final coats of color. This IMO has been the quickest and easiest while providing the best results.

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Ok, I have been restoring cars for a little over 16 years now. Was a hardcore PPG person until I started having problems with their dplf.

Now, I have never sprayed sealer.....ever. I have always ended my priming with either k36 or k38 2k primers, then final sanded with the usual 500-600 and shot my color.

So I guess my questions would be, should I start epoxy sealing before color? Or can I spray 1 or 2 coats of non-reduced epoxy and wet sand that before I lay my color down?

I've always assumed the final paint finish over sanded primer compared to over a sealer was better because of texture/orange peel and trash/dust that you could possibly get with the sealer. I don't know, maybe I'm over thinking this.....

Not over thinking at all, one more step does offer more chance of texture problems and increased dirt but if you're shooting base and have the time it's easy to shoot your sealer coat of epoxy and a couple coats of color or intercoat clear then let it cure up enough to denib and correct any issues by spot sanding before applying the final coats of color. This IMO has been the quickest and easiest while providing the best results.