Will lacquer primer work on fiberglass, under a lacquer top coat? Looking to paint in my driveway and not die from toxic fumes. If that's not the hot set-up (for primer), what should/could I use that won't kill me and sand just as easily as lacquer primer?...under the lacquer top coat. I'm locked in to a lacquer top coat. Thanks, guys...
Can't wait to see it and hear about how it all went. I am going with the laquer over laquer primer for the same reason....I can't get near epoxies anymore. My car is steel though. I'm even going to mix my own color from PPG laquer toners I just got in.
Yes, lacquer primer will work on fiberglass. It will also show all the imperfections, so use a couple of coats of high build primer and sand out till smooth. A smooth primer coat will give you a smooth top coat.
This is a quote from another site. " I'm going to highly suggest against using lacquer paint when topcoating any fiberglass bodies, parts etc., I warn against this usage because lacquer does not have any inherent flexibility, none what so ever. Fiberglass is plastic and will expand/contract and to what degree is dependent upon the ambient temperatures. So, lacquer paint will fail sooner not later if applied on fiberglass components. If you're building a fiberglass component car - please avoid topcoating with lacquer paints!!! In California, lacquer paint for automotive use is now prohibited and removed from the automotive refinish stores. If you're going to refinish anything substantial, like a component car, please look into using the urethane paint finishes. You'll be much happier with the finish and durability of urethanes."
My car is done the old fashioned way Laquer primer ,Nitro stan and I use Enamel for my topcoat ,But I could use laquer
Sorry for the double post wanted this seperate .I understand there is better paints out there ,I also understand most show cars are laquer ,I also know thats the way it use to be done .Its the most affordable for me ,Ive had steel cars hold up for years outside ,Keeping the rods in the garage will prolong life ........My Firebird is going on 3 years outside ,,,,,,,,,Gmc Sprint was 10 yrs ,Repainted at 8 ,
Ummm, yes, lacquer primer will work on fiberglass, we had fiberglass years before urathane primers. Primed many a Corvette with lacquer in the 70's working in a Chevy body shop. 51 Merc, I see it a quote from another site so I hope I don't step on your toes but I would argue about expansion problems with fiberglass, steel expands and contracts too. I saw my 37 Chevy gasser the other day. I painted it Candy blue lacquer 30+ years ago and after I sold it it sat outside for 20 or so years. Serious lacquer checking going on but the fiberglass front end wasn't as bad as the rest of the car. I still like lacquer, both using and the final look) but fiberglass or steel it's not going to last as long as modern urathanes, thats a given.
Yes on the laq primer on fiberglass. I've done it and as long as you are not rushing it's fine. I let the last primer coat, after the major sanding is done, age for a week before final color. This gives all the fumes a chance to get out and not be trapped under the topcoat and causing bubbles and crazing later in life. Final sand w/ 400 after a week , clean and topcoat. It works for me. Frank
Nothing wrong with using lacquer on fiberglass at all, about 4 coats of primer for filling then guide coat it with a mist of flat black lac spray bomb then block sand the parts looking for imperfections, any low spots and they will show up with the black. When you spray your color be sure to use a quality thinner, no cheap gun cleaner thinner! If you live in a humid area use a slow reducer to keep it from blushing. The great thing with lacquer is if you have a mishap you wait about 20 minutes and wet sand it out and fix the area, it blends into itself fine, where if your using urethane's you will be waiting till the next day, to repair your mistake and there is much more involved in the repair process. Driveway painting, lacquer is great even for an amateur (keep it simple), Urethane's, leave that for the experienced and do it in a booth. Good luck, lets see it when it is done. Need any info feel free to message me
That's the way GM painted them for probably 35 years! Just remember, it takes a while to shrink up, so patience is necessary for a good paint job. More coats than today's paint are necessary, as well. Good paint jobs "back in the day" used to be built up by shooting 5-10 coats of paint, wait a week, or so, block it out with 400 grit wet, do it again, and perhaps again; This also will help the shrinkage problem. VERY easy to cut and buff compared with today's paints!
Can I get lacquer primer in black, or does it just come in rust color? It's been a LONG time since I did any painting...
I just bought a gallon of black (Napa calls it dark gray) just last month. Nothing wrong with laquer on glass bodies. I like to let the body work and primer sit (and shrink) for 2 weeks to a month before I apply any paint. Good luck.
I've had black, white, gray and red. And you can tint to any shade you want also. I like, cause I;m lazy, to top coat in enamal, 3 layers and done. You can spray a great old looking finish with no after sanding and buffing. But that's me. Occasional washing keeps the chalking away and gets nicer looking over time. not right for the show car shine, but right for the hot rod.
The flexibility of the laquer wont be a problem on fiberglass. The problem is all the modern laquers will check (crack) after about 2 yrs no matter what you do. Laquers are no longer used on show cars for that reason. In the early eightys the epa required all the paint manufacturers to take the lead out of auto paint and that ruined laquer. Acrylic enamel with a hardener will hold up better than laquer, but urathane is the best right now.
You may enjoy my paint-in-the-driveway post for a few laughs. I also dislike the Ill health effects of painting anymore, so I bought a full face fresh air respirator. Spendy but worth every penny. Oh yea, no problem spraying laquer primer on fiberglass before you paint. Lots more work though. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=539437
I once made a living restoring and repairing classic Corvettes. Laquer primer works very well over raw glass but I always sanded the glass with 180 paper before The primer was applied. The primer should be sprayed medium to wet and allowed to dry completely between coats. Always use a high qaulity thinner as cheap thinners will have a tendency to bridge sand sctatches and will not dry uniformly. Heres a test I learned years ago, If you want to know how high grade your thinner is put it in a clear bottle add a drop of food coloring and shake. The solvent will not take the colored pigment just the water will. The better the thinner the lower the water content...........
I've got a good quality respirator I use. Since I've had the "drips from the vent hole" happen before, that's one more "plus" for using a paint pot. I hate filling a damn 1qt cup, and trying hold the gun flat to a horizontal surface with a cup gun. We'll see how the paint pot thing works out...
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