Primer options....

I'm due to start doing up my 2a that's been spread around the house and garden for a couple of years
Any recommendations for what primer to use, I've got bare a bare steel bulkhead and front rad panel, galvanised doors and door tops and everything else is painted that'll want rubbing down and painting over. Don't know if I can face doing it with my air compressor so I'll probably buy rattle cans....

Thanks in advance

Its about time

See here...…….https://paintman.co.uk/shop/

kevstar said:

Its about time

See here...…….https://paintman.co.uk/shop/

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What's about time?

Cheeky oik

I don't know what type of primer to buy

Oi @callisr you ever sprayed owt?

Marmaduke said:

I don't know what type of primer to buy

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I've been using Autotech etch primer off the zone - with good results on ali and steel, so far.

On corroded (pitted ) surfaces, I've been following this up with Autotech primer filler - which apart from the daft colour ( banana yellow FFS ), seems to offer good coverage and good results - then I've been spraying Tractol enamel with a gravity fed gun...

The only thing I've found with the Autotech stuff is that the price is a bit all over the shop - sometimes cheaper on fleablag, but then sometimes cheaper on the zone .... good stuff though

You'll probably do a lot better using your compressor & a spraygun!
The galv bits will need a mordant wash & etch primer or the paint won't adhere & will flake off later. 2k (as in 'two component') etch primers are better than the one-pack aerosol variety esp for steel.
Whatever primer you decide to use you need to get the Technical Data Sheets (TDS) for it as this will give you all you need to know about the way to use that particular material. These should be available from your paint supplier or you might find them online. Same advice applies to your remaining paint.

Disco1BFG said:

I've been using Autotech etch primer off the zone - with good results on ali and steel, so far.

On corroded (pitted ) surfaces, I've been following this up with Autotech primer filler - which apart from the daft colour ( banana yellow FFS ), seems to offer good coverage and good results - then I've been spraying Tractol enamel with a gravity fed gun...

The only thing I've found with the Autotech stuff is that the price is a bit all over the shop - sometimes cheaper on fleablag, but then sometimes cheaper on the zone .... good stuff though

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I didn't think I could use etch primer on painted stuff or filler....

Use etch primer on the exposed Allly/baked bean can.
And normal primer on the rest, filler primer on any slightly rough bits..

'Tis worth noting, primer is very porous so try and keep large amounts of water IE Rain away from it

Marmaduke said:

I didn't think I could use etch primer on painted stuff or filler....

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Well, er, - but, er, Yeah, probably not supposed to - but hasn't caused me any problems yet .... possibly better to just use the etch on the bare ali, and "normal" primer everywhere else ...

Though, if you've got a nice solid clean steel bulkhead, I strongly suggest the best treatment for that is galvanising - I'm virtually certain you know this already

Disco1BFG said:

Well, er, - but, er, Yeah, probably not supposed to - but hasn't caused me any problems yet .... possibly better to just use the etch on the bare ali, and "normal" primer everywhere else ...

Though, if you've got a nice solid clean steel bulkhead, I strongly suggest the best treatment for that is galvanising - I'm virtually certain you know this already

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I do but I'm to impatient to get it done I'll be selling it when it's finished anyway...

if you are doing bare steel or painting over galv steel with body colour, you can use fertan the rust converter, once it has been on for 24 hrs iirc and washed off it will have coated the metal and acts as a primer so you can paint straight on to it.

never tried it on birmabright or whatever it is the panels are made out of

Marmaduke said:

I do but I'm to impatient to get it done I'll be selling it when it's finished anyway...

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How much do you want for it the way it is & il paint properly

kevstar said:

How much do you want for it the way it is & il paint properly

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6 grand

Marmaduke said:

6 grand

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6k it must be a nice motor why not treat it to a nice paint job instead of rattle cans, it deserves it
Any pics ??

Marmaduke said:

Oi @callisr you ever sprayed owt?

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Yeah but I wouldn’t follow any advice I give!

I have used acid 8 etch primer with good results in the past.....
You only really need a light coat on bare aluminium (and I think you can use it straight on galv if it has been aged), then normal primer everywhere else.
What I did notice though, when I rollered my 90, the paint I used from arc-rite softened* the etch primer and made it sort of draggy when I was rollering over it. Dunno why and there was no reaction or I’ll effects...

One piece of advice I can give with some authority is forget about it in this weather unless you are spraying in a heated, dry environment. The weather now is too damp or too cold or both!


*(not sure this actually happened but it was definitely different to roller over than the military paint)

Acid-8 is single pack & if you needed to take it off a rag & gunwash thinner will do the job nicely so possible the thinner in the paint you were using was indeed softening it.

callisr said:

Yeah but I wouldn’t follow any advice I give!

I have used acid 8 etch primer with good results in the past.....
You only really need a light coat on bare aluminium (and I think you can use it straight on galv if it has been aged), then normal primer everywhere else.
What I did notice though, when I rollered my 90, the paint I used from arc-rite softened* the etch primer and made it sort of draggy when I was rollering over it. Dunno why and there was no reaction or I’ll effects...

One piece of advice I can give with some authority is forget about it in this weather unless you are spraying in a heated, dry environment. The weather now is too damp or too cold or both!


*(not sure this actually happened but it was definitely different to roller over than the military paint)

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Interesting to know - @Ratae is most likely correct in the suggestion that the solvent in our paints (usually xylene-based) is having an effect on the Acid-8 below which is alcohol-based (data sheet indicated it can be thinned with industrial methylated spirit). We always recommend a test patch when overcoating a product that isn't one of ours due to this potential issue

^^^Sound advice re the test patch.

Takes me back to the days of synthetic enamel vs cellulose. The factor I worked for in the 70's were Valentine agents & we sold three vehicle paints, cellulose, spraying synthetic (Valflash) and brushing synthetic (Valrex).
Whilst it was unusual for car bodyshops to use other than celly, bus/coach & commercial vehicle builders used the synthetic.
Applying celly over synthetic would usually result in all sorts of interesting reactions from the synthetic - & we used to sell a lot of isolator (usually Barcoat) which if in doubt - or had had problems - the bodyshop would spray over the existing finish before applying fresh paint.
I was in the trade when the 2k isocyanate paints came out & stood the game on its head.