How to Protect Metal Til Painting

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PostPosted: Fri May 26, 2023 9:17 pm
Hey Guys,

My truck has been losing its clear coat and I have decided to repaint it.

I am new to paint and body work. How do I protect the truck after doing body work and before Paint? Progress is slow and I am hoping to Paint this summer. I bought a rattle can of primer that I spray on sections after I'm done. Is this enough?
..........(Truck is my daily driver and is outside and on the road).......

Thanks in Advance,
Tom



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PostPosted: Sat May 27, 2023 4:33 pm
tkos wrote:Hey Guys,

My truck has been losing its clear coat and I have decided to repaint it.

I am new to paint and body work. How do I protect the truck after doing body work and before Paint? Progress is slow and I am hoping to Paint this summer. I bought a rattle can of primer that I spray on sections after I'm done. Is this enough?
..........(Truck is my daily driver and is outside and on the road).......

Thanks in Advance,
Tom
Hi Tom,

Although the rattle can primer is better than bare metal, I think most of the Pro's will tell you that the rattle can stuff is crap. I've always thought that that kinda acts like a sponge when it is bare primer. IMO, I would be spraying some epoxy primer on it If it were me. Having said that, a bandaid fix might be so get some top coat on it that you will sand off when you are ready for the final paint. Just my .02

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PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2023 8:46 am
Have you read the Sticky Post at the top of this forum: How to Prep For Paint?

Basically the ideal process is to strip to bare metal. Apply two coats of a quality epoxy primer (read: not a rattle can) and wait 24 hours.

I usually block sand very lightly over the epoxy to reveal low spots. At that point you can then do your filler work directly over the epoxy.

When everything looks decent you have two options: 1. you shoot another coat of epoxy and let it set until you are ready to finish the panel. At which point you will need to sand it all before applying 2k build primer. 2. you shoot 2-3 coats of build primer and then do your block and wet sanding steps. Then you shoot sealer (reduced epoxy is often used) over the entire panel and let it set.

You do not want your panels sitting in 2k or etch primer as they can absorb moisture and contaminants. Much better to be in epoxy primer or covered in sealer.
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PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2023 11:39 am
I had a similar concern. The parts I’m spraying were too intricate to hand sand all over again. Cowl covers with vent holes etc. FYI total garage painter here.

if it’s just a door or some other flat panel, it’s easy to scuff later. You just 80 grit on a DA or by hand until it’s at least 95% showing sanded steel. Hard to get that last 5% (as long as it’s not concentrated) and you definitely don’t want to be removing steel beyond the surface. Corners and edges thin out easily to spend your time in the middle of the panel and only take 1-2 passes on the edges. Then 2k epoxy after the usual blowing and cleaning. Put the panel aside. Can sit like that in your garage forever. Then ready to paint, apply guide coat gap you don’t miss any spots) and scuff with ~220 or similar until all the black is gone. Try not to go too aggressive. It’s just scuffing. Apply primer and move to the next steps

On the intricate hard to sand pieces: I hand scrubbed the panel/part with phosphoric acid until surface rust was gone, and any remaining hard to reach areas were converted to black. Then I washed the panel with high pressure from a hose and continue scrubbing until I was confident all the acid was diluted and gone. I then immediately dried the panel outside in the sun (pick a hot day) and used my air hose to blow out any nooks and crannies. Key is to get rid of the water sitting on the panel immediately until it’s bone dry. You get a slight tinging of yellow flash rust, but that’s easy to scuff on flat areas and not that big a deal elsewhere. After I am absolutely sure there isn’t a drop of water left, I wrap the whole part in kitchen plastic wrap (surran wrap) to keep humidity and dust off the panel. Then I just store it away until I need it.

Key is to remember, you only have a set number of day(s) to top-coat epoxy before it’s too hard to accept a new surface without scuffing. Intricate parts are a PITA to scuff because of all the corners and edges. Really gotta get in there. On those parts I won’t epoxy until I’m ready to primer and/or filler.

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