i have just over 1/2 of the 52 striped to metal and my question is do i use filler to smoth the body before or after the etching primer goes down on the skin????? is their a easy way to smooth the body other than filler??
The best route to take is 1 panel at a time, there are 2 part primers that you can fill over such as DP-90. The best way is to make the metal as smooth as possible{ pick and file} then thin coat of filler, block, prime then final prime. The panels will be nice, and doing one at a time you wont get overwhelmed and burned out before you finish. Each time you finish a panel the satisfaction will help motivation on the next one
That is the easy way. Skim coat, then a fill coat. don't fill anything more than 1/4" deep. Even that is too much for a paying job, but on your own car it can be ok. Most people prefer to mud before primer. You can use filler over some primers. GO BLUE!!!!
as soon as the metal is bare & exposed to air 'IT IS rusting' -- no touching! - keep your visitors away from leaning their sweaty arms & hands on the metal or it will haunt you after its painted. get it etched & you can spread filler over top or get the bondo smoothed out & seal it good before primer.
the first thing I would do with a car in bare metal is 3 coats of high build primer then guide coat and block with a variety of long-short-stiff-flexible blocks so you can see where the bad spots are. is their a easy way to smooth the body other than filler?? there is no easy way to make a car cherry. it is a very time consuming process
dont know if i like primer over bare metal i kinda like something with rust inhibitors that will seal the metal. --- hate seing those 'rust dots' show up within a year after its painted. maybe new primers out today? i dont know. [/quote] I just go with what it says on the can as far as spraying on bare metal or not. as for sealing... the stuff I was using is supposed to be a sealer also until you sand on it .
if you want to avoid the mud work you could always try one of htose metal shaping discs...sunchaser? sells them and instructions, I don't know much about them
this is what i am worried about, besides rust bubbles thiers also the chance of body filler getting moisture behind it and popping so i have been told
I prefer to spray clean metal with a couple coats of epoxy primer like DP90 before any filler. Then use whatever filler then a couple more coats to seal, then hi-build primer.
Check out this site http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/homepage.htm It gives you step by step how to. It's what I'm using.
I grind to bare metal, clean it with laquer thinner, prime with epoxy primer then hammer and dolly work, 2K and/or mud, board it, seal it, paint it. You can do it a panel at a time for motivation as mentioned above. At least get some epoxy on the bare metal. This will keep it from rusting while you do the body work.
To a T. I use HOK KP2CF right after the metalwork is done and the car is stripped. Then I do a light blocking to find my low spots, filler, another round of primer and blocking, and more filler work that is needed if any, then sealer and paint.
Oh ya, filler under etching primer won't work because of the acid in most etch primers. Definitely a no go. Not sure about filler on top of it though as I'm sworn against the stuff and refuse to use it.
Agreed...I always shot my primer/surfacer over the acid etch, if used. I hate the stuff too. As long as the metal is nice and clean, primer surfacer has always treated me right, then spot grind, fill, re-prime, block, prime if necessary, block again, then seal and paint... I am sure everyone has done it a hundred different ways...
Hey, If your filler isn't 'sticking' to bare metal, than the metal hasn't been ground properly! The metal must be ground with a 24 or 36 grit resin backed disc. Do not use a cutoff disc for metal grinding! That's not what they were designed for, and may cause them to fracture. Plastic filler must have 'tooth' to adhere to the metal being filled. Otherwise, the filler will 'peal' or 'pop', and not feather out. Swankey Devils C.C. "Meanwhile, back aboard The Tainted Pork"
PPG's NCP271 is a great high build surfacer that has etching capabilities (most surfacers do not) so you can go directly over metal. Then block, filler and more surfacer as needed.
I know.....just stating that the DPs can be used many places. I don't use etching primers, there's no need for them with proper surface prep and modern epoxy and urethane primers.
Absolutely. I love the versatility of epoxy primers, more specifically the HOK KP2 I mentioned. Over bare metal, over/under filler, surfacer, whatever it takes.
Honestly I don't use much body filler in my projects. I spend the time to get the metal where it needs to be, as this is a labor of love not an income source for me, so I can take all the time I need to bump it out, so I usual only use glaze. But this, under primer, over primer argument has been going on for years and years, and different people do it different ways. I think it really comes down to how you were taught.
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