Self etching primer.

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68383GTS

68383GTS

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I have been tring to get my Uncle to help me for the last month.He promised to help on the 67 Formula.He has painted cars for over 30 years and I would rather him do my primering and painting.But at this point I have gave up on him and I am going to do it myself.
I bought self etching primer and regular primer real good stuff according to my Uncle.My question is on the self etching primer how many coats should I apply?I was thinking 1 or 2 just enough to cover the metal since I will be going over it with the other primer.Can I do body work on top of the self etching primer?Is it ok to spray the self etching primer on and not apply the other primer for a few weeks or so?
I have primed and painted before a few times but it has been about 8 years.I like to doing my filling on top of primer and not bare metal, is this a good idea?I see most people put the filler right on top of the bare metal.
Any tips from the bodymen and painters here on FABO would be really helpfull.

Thank,Jim
 
You need the tech sheet on the brand of self etching primer your using, Not all is applied the same way. Your better off doing your body work over Epoxy primer. Thats whats recommened.
 
Self eching primer is old school. Good quality epoxy primer is the best first coat to put on the car. And with epoxy you should spray some high build primer on within a day before it gets too hard. As far as filler I put that on the bare metal if its going to be on the thicker side. If I am filling a very shallow low spot then put it on top of the primer. I recommend autobody101.com for some good body work and paint info. No need to have a pro do the body work and prep if you educate yourself.
 
Self etching primer has always been thought to be good against corrosion, I find that it isn't. It really is good for adhesion, as it etches the metal with it's acid base. It basically eats into the metal to hold on. I prefer a good epoxy primer as well for corrosion resistance, or a good filler primer that is corrosion resistant can save you a step. NCP 270 is a good one of those. I have always done my bodywork over bare steel with no troubles. It's the new "craze" to put your filler over epoxy. Too many people watching Chip Foose. Epoxy primer in general does not sand well, it gums up and rolls up. If you choose an epoxy do not use a NON SANDING epoxy, it will cause more headache's than you want. If your car only needs minimal bodywork, then strip the entire car to bare steel, epoxy (or a good corrosion resistant filler primer). If you go with epoxy first then finish with your filler primer. Then your car is coated and ready to sand. After the car is coated you can go back and grind down the small spots that need filler work and spot prime them. My problem with doing bodywork over epoxy is that you have to sand the epoxy to get the filler to REALLY stick (I'm talking 36 grit) and by the time you do that, the epoxy is gone. People suggest "scuffing" epoxy to get your filler to stick, if you are using a true body filler and not those light weight feather sanding fillers you need a much more aggressive sand scratch to hold the filler to the car. Scuffing epoxy to get filler to stick is a joke at best.
 
P.S. Self etching primer is not suggested to go over body filler, minimal overlapping is ok.
 
I already have the self etching primer Guys.I am using Sikkens color build plus black primer and Transtar self etching primer.Just doing the engine compartment for now.
 
I'm not sure where you are in your project but etching primer is for over bare metal only. its not meant to be spayed over filler.It has acid in it that will react badly with filler. There are some primers that you can get away with putting filler over but body filler is best if put over clean properly prepared metal. I would find all your low spots dings and dents. Mark them with a grinder so you can find them after you strip the paint off.then do all your filling and straitening .the areas that aren't covered with body filler spray ech primer over. its ok if you dust a little ech primer on the filler but don't get carried away. Then spray the whole car with high build primer.
 
I have not sprayed anything yet hope to late today.I am doing the engine compartment right now.
 
67Dart440GT said:
PPG DP and PPG DPLF are non sanding epoxy primers, they sand like bubble gum and clog the hell out of sandpaper.
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That is what everyone says but that was not my experience. I put one good coat of epoxy on the car and then high build over top of that. Then whenever I sanded through I would spray some epoxy on the bare metal area then high build over top again. Never had any gumming up problem. It seemed to sand the same as the high build primer from what I could tell. All sanding was done by hand with blocks. I am not a pro just relaying my experience.
 
340sFastback said:
That is what everyone says but that was not my experience. I put one good coat of epoxy on the car and then high build over top of that. Then whenever I sanded through I would spray some epoxy on the bare metal area then high build over top again. Never had any gumming up problem. It seemed to sand the same as the high build primer from what I could tell. All sanding was done by hand with blocks. I am not a pro just relaying my experience.
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If you sprayed the two wet on wet they may have actually bonded as they should through chemical adhesion, this may have made the epoxy easier to sand. I have actually sanded into epoxy that was sprayed and finished with base and clear months after curing and it was still gummy.
 
I have never had any problems sanding PPG epoxy primer. I am no pro either, just basing on my experience. I shoot PPG almost exclusively. I have had very good luck with it.
 
Primed........:blob:
 

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