Paint question, statement

[innerware]

I went the other day to buy some black epoxy primer. Went to two different paint stores. Second one told me that there really is no such thing as "epoxy" primer. That they are Urethanes and two part catalizing paints. The term epoxy is used to represent a two part mix and cure. Is this true? I ended up trying a product that is new to me and I haven't heard of. It is made by Evercoat and it is called "Featheredge" It is a two part polyester primer that is supposed to fill well as well as sand well. I sprayed some on my car last night and we shall see. It sprayed well. I am at the stage where I am trying to get some color on the car to help me finish the body work. I didn't spray the whole thing yet. But the stuff is pretty cheap at 20 dollars a quart and 50 something a gallon.

 

 

Any opionions on the Evercoat product? Anyone want to tell me if I was told the truth about "Epoxy" paints?

 

Thanks all

[iaconsultants]

Well in some ways you are told correct that you can not buy epoxy primer but you can buy the regular epoxy paint which in effect is useless without having the epoxy primer. Epoxy primer is a mixture of a epoxy yellow color pigment and a catalyst which is very toxic and therefore can not be sold to individuals. There are a few companies that do buy this stuff on a regular basis which are military contractors (Raytheon, Northrop, Boeing, etc. and some ship building companies). The paint works well for brake parts and wheel hubs (I used it myself and still have a small amount left for touch ups). The problem with this paint is that it is better to cure it with an oven than trying to air dry because the primer has to usually dry for about 48 hours and the desired color coat has to once again dry another 48 hours. With an oven you can be finished in about 4 to 6 hours. With a 12 hour wait between coats for cooling. Epoxy paint makes a very glossy paint coat which would supprise you based on how chalk looking the yellow primer coat will look. I liked it a lot for my brakes and I will probably use it for my steering rack but I would suggest not using it. Sorry if it sounds like talking out of both sides of my mouth but you should know some negative things about the epoxy paint. 1) it is like a glue that will get in places you don't want it and you have to chip it away or pick it out with a sharp object. 2) It can get chipped off fairly easily 3) It is atoxic chemical and you have to buy a licensed customer to buy it. 4) you will get runs and drips and you can not stop that unless you have all the special paint equipment, which you need a license for. 5) temperature range is up to around 300 degrees on a non-flexible or expansive surface which means sold steels not for radiator end caps because it will crack and chip off. 6) both the colored epoxy final coat and the primer have two parts that need to be mixed to work and must be mixed close to instructions. If you want to know more drop me a line. Also you can buy epoxy spray paint at home depot (I believe Lowes also) but they do not have primer so you will have to clean everything very well.

Robert

[innerware]

Thanks for the reply. Really it was just because most people here refer to the two part paints they get as epoxy paints. That I guess was where my confusion started. The "Featheredge" stuff I used from Evercoat seems really nice. It sands super easily and doesn't clog paper. The cure time I think was quick as I left it over night in a cold shop and it was fully cured by morning. I had no real need for actual epoxy paint. I have a project I am working on and I was hand laying up fiberglass matt with epoxy resin (non car related). I thought I would overcoat it with epoxy paint for a better paint to surface bond. Thanks for the info. I thought there really was an epoxy paint out there. It just confused me when I was told there was not. So people are using Urethanes for the most part aye?

[DavyZ]

Hopefully RacerX can also comment as well; I'm sure he has worked with the stuff as well. You might want to PM him or email him. Just a thought.

 

Looks like you've gotten good advice so far from iaconsutants.

 

Davy

[Nismo280zEd]

evercoat makes some pretty decent products. That primer sands very nicely if memory serves me well. Epoxy primers and paints can easily be obtained and just about any boat store. Not as hard to find as you might think. Yes they are toxic but so it epoxy resin which you can order through the mail with paying hazardous cargo tax. However I'm not so sure you'd want epoxy paint on your car body. Epoxy is generally a hard brittle substance once curied, unless you pay big bucks for the really good stuff it's not going to flex without cracking. It'd be better used for things like wheels, suspension pieces, control arms, valve cover, pulleys, brackets, engine blocks, things of this nature.

Hope that helps a little.

-Ed

[innerware]

Thanks. I have been using epoxy resin with fiberglass and carbon fiber in a composit accustic guitar I have been making. I was just trying to get epoxy paint so everything was the same. Plus, reading all I have here on this board it seemed that many were using epoxy paints in there automotive applications. Where as in reality it was either two part polyester, or urethane paints. I ended up using a single stage black urethane for the guitar. It looks great and has a nice thickness to it. I guess I just didn't realize how rare epoxies were in its use in automotive applications is all since the term was used a lot. Thanks for all the clarifications I recieved on the subject.