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Date:         Wed, 2 Mar 2005 07:03:24 EST
Reply-To:     RAlanen@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: POR 15
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 01/03/2005 5:32:54 PM Eastern Standard Time, LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

a word on POR-15.. its good (expensive) stuff, but its not a cureall. if you dont properly prep the surface, or redo the seams, or stop the rust at its orgin, POR-15 is useless..just a band aid. POR-15 will not stop rust. its just a epoxy based coating. its a tough coating tho.. only reccomended for underbody applications, or suspension parts, or other parts that dont get subjected to UV rays or need to be topcoated. in otherwords, its fine to use in your wheelwells etc, but i wouldnt use it on the outside of your van where it needs to be topcoated..

Chris, you have reported quite a good bit of information on repairing rust but I will have to disagree with you on a couple of points about the POR-15. It's is not any kind of Epoxy based paint. Epoxy's are two part paints, paint and curing agent. POR-15 uses humidity to cure. The higher the humidity the faster it cures. Once cured nothing can penetrate it's glass like surface. It can be used anywhere on a vehicle not just undercarriage. Yes, it is ultraviolet ray light susceptible and will turn a chalky grey in the sunlight but that does not harm its capacity to protect the metal. On exterior surfaces it must be top coated with primer or paint before it sets. Best method is to apply primer as the POR-15 becomes tacky to the touch. It can be top coated after curing by either sanding so that ALL the surface is dull and I do mean ALL, any where it is shiny the topcoat of anything will not stick. That said POR-15 is now selling a product called Self-Etching Primer and can be sprayed on top of cured POR-15 which will allow a top coat of whatever primer or paint you wish. Using POR-15 to repair seam rust is in my opinion the best way. It stops further rusting if you clean out the seam and I mean CLEAN, follow the prep instructions and do both sides of the seam. You do not want to get the POR-15 too much beyond the rusted area on to fresh metal, just enough to make a seal to fresh metal. Top coat with high build primer, feather edge the resulting edge into the existing good surface then prime again in a larger area until you have a perfectly smooth surface to apply paint. Paint and good luck trying to get a perfect match. That's the hardest part unless it's white. I usually try to paint to a seam line or body line to hide the new/old finish line. Epoxy and Urethane based paints are the worst for trying to blend edges Base-Clear goes a little better but the Clear is still Epoxy or Urethane and there will always be an edge where the new and old meet. There are many tricks to hide that edge but that's best left to very experienced body persons who know them well. I recently began using POR-15 to repair perforated rust areas and so far I am very satisfied with the results. Using POR-15 paint, POR Patch and chopped Fiberglas to fill has proven to make a like new surface that will not rust again and the area is a strong as it was originally. I have not tried this in very large areas and I suspect that it will not work. For large rusted out areas the best way is still to cut and weld in new metal. Repairing small rusted or perforated areas with the POR-15 technique will not require the use of any body fillers. Some top coat surface putty may be necessary to get a perfectly smooth surface on really rough spots but most time successive coats of hi-build primer will get the surface smooth for painting. The one trick to all this is to make sure you use the POR-15 as directed. Read the instructions provided with the material. Do not attempt to circumvent these instructions and complain afterwards that POR-15 does not work for you. Clean the surface with POR-15 Marine Clean, flaky rust should be removed prior to cleaning as much as possible but not entirely necessary. It will give you a smother surface in the end if you remove the flaking rust. I usually like to use a wire wheel on a rotary air tool or spot sand blaster. Rinse the area with clear water and air dry. Apply POR-15 Metal Ready and let set until the surface becomes etched. Rinse with clear water and air dry. Now your ready for the POR-15 application. Do not touch the prepped surface with your fingers or anything else. If you contaminate the surface the POR-15 will not adhere well. Get a POR-15 catalogue and read it. You will find a wealth of rust repair & prevention information in those pages. And, NO, I do not sell the stuff or have any shares in the company. Just a very happy user of over 15 years.

Cheers,

Frank Condelli Almonte, Ontario, Canada _BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm) a VW Camper camping event, Almonte, ON, June 09 ~ 12, 2005 '87 Westy, '90 Carat & Lionel Trains Member: _Vanagon List_ (http://www.vanagon.com/) , _LiMBO_ (http://www.bcn.net/~limbo/) , _IWCCC_ (http://www.westfalia.qc.ca/) & _CCVWC_ (http://www.ccvwc.ca/) Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley _STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless Steel Mufflers_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm) _Frank Condelli & Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html) or http://frankcondelli.com


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