What are the benifits of epoxy only (no 2k)

S

strum456

Oldtimer
I have been experimennting with the all epoxy method for a while now. I like the convenience of using only one product and the satisfacction that I am probably doing a better job.

What seems to work the best for me is 1 coat over my body work, then a coat over the whole panel 30 min later, then a reduced coat of a different color sometime later that day. I let the parts sit in the sun for two days while I work on something else. The epoxy blocks darn close as good as Turbo after the second day in the sun.

So, what am I gaining by doing it this way vs using Turbo or some other 2k?
 
Great question. I'm interested in the answers as well for I have been debating going this route for some time now. One plus for the Turbo is the speed at which it cures thereby cutting days out of your prep time. A second would be the amount of build per coat which would also reduce prep time.
 
Just my opinion-Better Durability, it's just a tougher product, better solvent resistance, more stable, better overall gloss retention.
Look at Shine's work on the old vettes, he is seeing much better results after switching to epoxy. I do use Turbo (good stuff!!!) for some surfacer work and I've used many many different 2K's and also a few epoxy hybrids over the years-some had shrinkage issues(sometimes showing a year later) some sanded better than others... Some were near $250/gallon!

But for me, given the quality of Barry's epoxy any time I can get work done using the epoxy start to finish I feel the job just can't be done any better.
 
Because of the expansion and contraction rate, epoxy has a lot of flex and strength.
 
well ..... i usually get a cussing over this but not here hopefully. i've been doing corvettes for a while. on and off for a good while. there is no polyester product that i have found that did not telegraph . i know some of you swear by it but with exception of gel coat and old featherfill nothing else worked. for me anyway . i used marine grade epoxy in the old days and i can tell you . once it cured you could run over it with a frieghtliner . ppg , dupont and especially shrink and wrinkle made some of the most pathetic epoxies i ever used. i knew epoxy was the base i wanted to work on. 0 shrinkage and no thermo reactive.. enter barry what's his name with the epoxy from hell. spi epoxy is as close to an old vette body as you are going to get. the epoxy is slightly stronger than the old degraded polyester body. so in a sense the body just goes along with the epoxy. the 57 vette has been done now for a few years and has seen lot's of parking lot time at shows. no shrinkage, no telegraph , no die back. i'm harder to please than a fat gal with an attitude . if nothing changes it's all good.
barry messes with my epoxy and i'm buying bus tickets , beer and porkrines .
 
Shine,

The people that give you a hard time about using epoxy for blocking must have never tried it. I seem to be using less and less Turbo these days.

Would you say that epoxy is 100% shrink free by the time it can be sanded? I'm assuming epoxy would have even less shrinkage than Turbo...
 
I did a 67 Mustang Convertible a couple of years ago. That car has nothing between the metal and base other than SPI Epoxy. To be honest, there are a few coats of epoxy in some areas. I sprayed 2-3 wet coats and then let it sit for a couple of days before blocking. There have been absolutely no issues with the paint or bodywork(metal work only) showing up.

paint112.jpg


Aaron
 
Now there is another Master Craftsman we have on here that probably goes unnoticed by many.. Did any of you read that as I did.. NO FILLER< NO 2K PRIMER NO POLYESTER!!!!

That is all metal with epoxy, base and clear.. Just amazing to me.. Freakin Bad Ass Aaron!!
 
now i told a fib there. there was some problem with the 57 vette. i used some duraglass to hit some small places. every damn one of them telegraph. there will never be anymore of that worthless shit in my shop. once again polyester bit me in the ass.

most of the crap i got over this was from dupont nut huggers who think you have to use just what papa d says . and then there is always the posers who pretend to be something they are not. nothing like a shop monkey who thinks he knows it all. funny how most never post any proof of any of their claims. one thing they forget is after 40 years at this i know folks around the country who can check on them.
 
Bondoking;8843 said:
Now there is another Master Craftsman we have on here that probably goes unnoticed by many.. Did any of you read that as I did.. NO FILLER< NO 2K PRIMER NO POLYESTER!!!!

That is all metal with epoxy, base and clear.. Just amazing to me.. Freakin Bad Ass Aaron!!
Click to expand...

Agreed. That mustang looks straight as can be. Very nice work.
 
everything in my fb pics i dont use anything but epoxy paint and clear..maybe a little filler if needed. no 2k. i even pump epoxy through my little airbrush to lightly fill some small low spots. its just gotta be really warm....
 
I appreciate the comments. The fact is that I used that process because of Shine. I had done a S-10 a while before that Stang. There are a couple of spots where the 2K shrunk up on me and shows now. The Stang belongs to a guy that is located at the Pentagon, so he is a distance from me. I did not want to take a chance on any problems, so I took the advise of an expert. He told me that the epoxy does not shrink up. Having seen many photos of his work, I decided to try his method. I think it was well worth the work.

BTW... The primer that shrunk up on me was not SPI. It was supplied by the vehicle owner.

Aaron
 
What's the building properties of SPI epoxy? compared to normal 2K, and high build 2K?
 
I think Barry said 3 coats of epoxy = 2 coats of high buiild.

Aaron, that mustang looks awesome. How did you pull that off with no filler? You must be amazing at metal work!
 
strum456;8874 said:
I think Barry said 3 coats of epoxy = 2 coats of high buiild.

Aaron, that mustang looks awesome. How did you pull that off with no filler? You must be amazing at metal work!
Click to expand...


Strum I think its 3 coats of epoxy = 2 coats of Regular 2k, not the high build brother.. It doesnt build that thick
 
The way I see it, the amount of build is almost as much the sprayer/gun as it is the product. Now, I know that some products will naturally build more, but 2 different sprayer and their guns will definately get different results.

Strum....It isn't magic. Just a lot of time with a slapper, a hammer and dollie. OH... and a lot of patients.

Aaron
 
All I can say Aaron is that the owner of the mustang is really lucky.

You are right BK...regular 2k not HB. What are your thoughts on Turbo mixed 4:1:1 vs epoxy? I never thought it was that much thicker than epoxy coat for coat. Im just going by how long it takes to sand through it...I don't really know.
 
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