Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 20:33:41 +0000
Reply-To: J Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: J Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: Primer
In-Reply-To: <CAFwVvJAiUC=W8ZUjwEPiYnD2TPxiKRb=41spQX18EFJvyrNdOw@mail.gmail.com>
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Ed,
I have never had much success with painting and/or body work on days it is 100 degrees, or anything above 90 really. Paint and other body repair stuff really don't perform well at those temps. Even when I mix my own paint (Dupont Centari acrylic enamel) there is 1) cool temp reducer 2) mid-temp reducer and 3) high temp reducer, you use the one appropriate for the temps you are working in. I'm in Virginia, and have had to do some painting on my '85 Weekender recently, and I make sure I get it done before 11:00am and the really brutal temps set in. BTW, you really can't leave your work primered, as primer will soak up water like a sponge, and the metal underneath will start to rust. If you don't plan on topcoating with original color right away, at least hit it with some sort of enamel from a rattle can that you can sand off later (exception to this would be if you are using Dupont Velvaseal, which is a primer/sealer). Good luck! Jeff
Jeff Stewart
----- Original Message -----
I finally got far enough along with my body work to try my hand at spraying
primer. This could only go well. First I could not get the top off. I
tried everything: pulling, screwdriver, and finally banging the top on the
driveway. Of course, the top came off along with the nozzle, which promptly
proceeded to roll under the Doka to the exact center of the truck. Any
angle to retrieve it would fall about three inches short so I finally had to
play war dog and crawl under the truck until I could retrieve the
recalcitrant nozzle. Then of course, the nozzle wiggled around and would
not stay on so I just gave it a good push and thus primed the palm of my
hand before the errant nozzle took off again for parts unknown under the
truck. After hand cleaning, back to playing war dog and gaining the upper
hand on the nozzle. This time, I figured, I would hold the nozzle in place
with masking tape reducing the wiggle factor. This got two fingers primed
as well. After cleaning up my hand I decided to get serious so I taped my
index finger to the nozzle, to the can. This got things sort of aligned so
I tried priming the body putty, but things got sticky, then unstuck, so now
my ear and half my glasses are primed. And let us not mention the
mustache. Never mention the mustache. Primer does not taste that good,
either. With one final force of will I got everything cleaned up and using
both hands to steady the nozzle forced it on to the stem and having
successfully sprayed a small plant on the side of the driveway I went for
the body putty. To make a long story short (too late!) I sprayed the body
putty and finished just as the nozzle fell off to one side where it dangled
on half dried primer. Did I mention I had been working outside in 100
degree heat for several hours? Maybe the heat contributed to the saga.
Ed- the one with really clean fingers
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