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Hi everyone
I've been trying to find out the best options for painting my kit (fiberglass)
But I seem to get conflicting answers - some say use etch primer, some say don't, some say 2k some cellulose - does anybody have any proper experience or knowledge of the best options to get a good finish and avoid cracking in the future.
Also not sure whether to try doing it myself or finding a local expert to take it on - any ideas or reccommend painters in the Birmingham area?
Cheers
Paul
The lay up and the curves on the shell meant there was minimal flexing.
However they use the paint on traction engines and locomotives so I would say it should hold up ok.
For the 2 years it was with me I had no issues.
I would listen to Jeff H 's advice on the Tribute forum . You are getting first hand info from a guy who's been painting classic and modern cars for about 30 years .
''A mate of mine said...'' advice or advice from someone who doesnt paint for a living can sometimes lose a bit in translation
I've been trying to find out the best options for painting my kit (fiberglass)
But I seem to get conflicting answers - some say use etch primer, some say don't, some say 2k some cellulose - does anybody have any proper experience or knowledge of the best options to get a good finish and avoid cracking in the future.
Hi Paul
To put in my two penn’orth I think one of the reasons you get conflicting answers on etch primer is that no one has really done a proper comparison so it’s all a bit subjective. Personally I don’t bother with an acid etch primer, I use a 2K high build primer followed by a guide coat and a lot of blocking off before I put on the colour.
As far as colour coat goes I used a 1K with a lacquer on my first spray job but for the next three I have used a 2K and compounded it to get the finish I wanted. I also find that 2K is a lot harder finish and seems to resist chipping a lot better than 1K.
I’ve never sprayed a whole car with cellulose so I can’t comment on it. I once used a waterbourne paint on some alloy wheels and found it very difficult to use so I would never ever use it again.
I did find that putting too much paint (I ended up with 15 coats on a bonnet once) results in cracking of the paint, but in my experience most cracking is due to the underlying gel coat or grp so different paints don’t have much effect.
Finally as regards a DIY or Professional job, I think that the key to a good finish is the preparation. If you are going to prepare the car yourself then you will probably need to have all the gear (compressor, spraygun, mask/air fed visor) to spray primer anyway so you could spray the colour coats yourself. I found it the most satisfying part of the job, apart from looking at the finished car!
Neil
Fantastic work Neil. Is that a GTO based on a Porsche 944?
To the paint question I'd just add that getting a good gun and compressor is important too. I've found that a lot of the cheap ones don't give great results. Then practice practice practice. Isn't that what the donor's panels are for?
I would listen to Jeff H 's advice on the Tribute forum . You are getting first hand info from a guy who's been painting classic and modern cars for about 30 years .
''A mate of mine said...'' advice or advice from someone who doesnt paint for a living can sometimes lose a bit in translation
Hi, appreciate the nod,
I think we are learning all the time, new products come to the market every year, as many here have said, good prep is the key, however the conditions that you paint in also play a huge part in what finish is achievable.
I don't have a state of the art oven, just a heated booth with extraction, the air from the compressor goes thru five traps and we get the air quality checked annually.
I always used to etch fiberglass then go on with 2k high build primer, the results were always ok, now I don't etch but do use a polyester spray filler followed by 2k high build primer, it is recommended not to go over etch with polyester.
I take my hat off to the guys who paint at home and in their sheds, I know how hard it can be with a proper booth.
My only advice is take your time, don't rush it and do some research on the material you decide to use.
Going back to the days of mini marcos and the Marcos 1600 etc. we always used a polyurethane paint on gelcoats, mainly because it etches itself into the gelcoat and being polyurethane it's flexible. It was also used on 19ft fibreglass yachts without any problems, try SML marine paints or Jotun for more help or confusion?
I just sanded the body to remove the shiny finish, I used craftmaster primer and then enamel with the largest brush I could.
Agreed that looks good. I advocate brush painting. Lots of people just sneer and say it's rubbish, but this is generally because they have tried to brush paint with cheap brushes and unsuitable paint (ie paint intended to be sprayed) - unfortunately they don't have an open mind. My wife says I have such an open mind you can see daylight if you look into my ear!
I can understand how some people won't use brushed paints on bodywork, but why they will only spray chassis is beyond me........ You get a much thicker (protective) coat with a brush, much quicker and no overspray, and it's out of sight, so if you use a crappy brush it won't show anyway ..... Still, each to his own!
I'm even more confused now - I just spoke to craftmaster paints and they said they don't do a fiberglass primer and he doesn't know if their primer would even work or not - has anyone got any ideas what type of primer I should get?
Car Photographer I used craftsmaster high build primer.
I knew my Fibreglass was rigid with no flex. I tested the primer on the underside of the front section first and the adhesion was good.
I can only speak about my experience.
I have sprayed cars with and without etch primer and I find that as long as the prep is good (sanded and spirit wiped) I didn't notice a difference.
hwell: 
