Self Etching Primer Removal

[Jplush]

i am SLOWLY working on my '68 Vert. The last owner took the car to metal and removed all of the mud in the car. For fear of rust, he coated the entire car with self etching primer, with a roller. What would be the best process for removal? Chemical? Sanding? Blasting?(if so, what media?) Thanks!

 

[Kern Dog]

Etching primer with a roller?
Just sand it with a D/A and 180 grit paper. Get it level and go from there. Good idea to wear a mask of some sort. Etch primer has chemicals that help it bind to the metal better than regular primer.

 

[Dicer]

As with most body work getting things down to bare metal is the best choice. Applying it with a roller is excessive, but probably did you a favor. Chemicals I would not use in this instance, rather use sand like quartz “white play sand” black diamond is far too aggressive unless you have rust in the rockers. Sanders would work fine in this case also, if the primer stays in the rusted pitted ares, its doing its job.

I would like to express some concerns here now, some not all etching primers are a bio-hazard. The one mainly is Zinc Chromate, a yellowish green color, used extensively on aircraft 30's on up. This compound was a useful coating because it is an anti-corrosive and anti-rust primer. Since it is highly toxic it also destroys any organic growth on the surface. So sanding this would require a pretty good resperator and not a disposable face mask. Then you will contened with having this dust cirulate around the shop area for years to come. This compound is slowy being diminished, but maybe someone with a old gallon of primer and a roller had a chance to use it.

 

[Jplush]

Thanks guys!I believe that it is just the self etching. I am familiar – and have – Zinc Chromate. My father retired from the aircraft maintenance field.

 

[adamm]

I just went through this exercise in my engine bay and found that even using 120 grit was more work than I wanted. When I switched to 80 it came off real easy.

 

[dibbons]

I recently strpped my floorboard for paint and began with 120 grit as mentioned above. It barely scratched the surface. My advice is be plenty aggressive and bring on the heavy artillery if need be.