You didn't mention if the color is metallic. A lot of the buffing recommendations will not work well with metallics. Also at this time of the year temp is key. It must be 60 or above in your spraying environment. The metal temp of what you are painting also needs to be 60 or above too and you need to maintain at least 60 throughout the drying process.
I remember guys getting sick as a dog from it, back when it was the greatest thing since white wash. I wouldn't eph with it myself. But it looks like you do have the proper gear to give it a go, good luck.
yes with the proper gear you will be fine now my next question is where are you painting? would not spray in a garage or shop atached to your house as the fumes would creap in.its good paint and will do what you want and since you already have it i would use it just be smart about it....Dave
I use AwlGrip.........In the Aro and marine industry it has replaced everything else. http://www.awlgrip.com/awlgrip-home.aspx It's perfect for frames and suspention..........We painted my boss's 41 Ford and the last show he went to he was awarded "Best Paint" Just something else to consider next time you buy paint(it ain't cheap).
It was mentioned that all acryics with hardeners contain isocyanates. That is true to a degree. Imron is probably the most dangerous. I know this because I was in the refinish game back in the day when Imron was being marketed regularly and used it some in my shop at the time. you can make light of the risk all you want ,but at the end of the day it is probably the highest risk for useage of them all. also to the orig poster- I cannot see the finish rubbing out very well at all,it is incredibly durable by design,so less than perfect results may be what you end up with. If you bought the imron banned there you can prob get some acrylic enamel as well. I recommend selling the imron to a truck refinish painter or the like and take your losses in money rather than a shortened life. I personally know of a local man who was exposed to Imron contamination via a poor mask on ONE refinish job,who actually died in less than 6 months afterwards....... he was in perfect health -a robust 43 year old man......WAS is the key word here. the manufacturer stopped selling it to body shops perse for this very reason..... they knew the risks and they chose to go the least expensive route for themselves.
I sprayed it a lot years ago, commercial vehicles. Still have some left. Used to be you'd get 3 quarts in a gallon can. The rest of the space was for reducer and the hardner. I did most of the jobs in a heated pole barn. One in a tent. Same spray procedure as Acrylic enamel, one tack coat, two wet coats. Add a third wet coat if it didn't flow nice. The reducer lets you get it thin enough to flow so there is no orange peel. Very easy to spray. Not as difficult as the laquer you are spraying on wood. You don't need to cut and buff unless you are doing a show car for trophies. I never did anything to it after spraying. Used to be that it need a sealer called "Coplar" under it. A non sanding sealer that you sprayed the Imron on as soon as it cured. I did a lot of multiple color jobs with tape lines. you had to strip the tape early to let the paint edges flow out smooth. Frank
Also make sure you use the irmon primer or as stated it will start peeling with in 3 weeks I used to love it.They used in on air craft also.Bruce.
Hey gaspumper- sounds like u like imron, if it sprays easier than woodworking laquer,then I will be fine, ww laquer is my mind ididit proof, if I could buy black laquer paint ,I would use it, my car is not going to be any 1000 point show ,thats for sure, and I appreciate everyones remarks,it just boils my ***,, that epa can ban laquer auto paint but not woodworking laquer, I have sprayed both, and couldn't tell difference,I'm just glad I started this thread, to get some good opinion's, thanks guys
My dad used Imron for years. He used it on hot rods and street machines in the '80s and it was rough on him but it sure was pretty. He painted my Corvette in 1986 using Imron Medium Blue metallic and that paint is still on it today. The car sat outside for several years, and the only issues that have come up have been bodywork-related and not paint-related. At some point in the late '80s or early '90s they changed the Imron formula and he stopped using it. He said it didn't work as good as the old stuff.
I certainly believe that the newer Imron is nothing like the old stuff,probably a good thing. I am likely going to use it, but I will be spraying in a modern spray booth, my wife will make sure that I'm using a remotely supplied air resperarator, fully enclosed helmet, gloves, she will be doing a test fit on the suit and helmet that I use. She does this health and safety deal, for a living. I going to painting this car in piece's so exposure won't be lengthy, thanks
The body shops that spray trucks should be able to get you reducer if you need it-you also may be able to get it from Napa stores that carry Dupont products. OEM truck manufacturers still use Dupont BC/CC Imron system called Imron 'Elite' Imron 5000=single stage system Imron 6000=base/clear system
66tintop......you seem convinced it will not be any risk to spray even in small batches.... this is a tip from someone who knows. Old or new Imron,probably same degree of health risk]. For what it's worth=Did you know that standing over the container and adding,stirring the activator into the paint,[unmasked] is just as hazardous to you as spraying it? that is the level of hazard you are dealing with using this material. just be careful and not sorry..... Yeah I hear the naysayers=I'm just an old guy .....overcautious and all, but I didn't get this old breathing this stuff in recklessly.....
From another "old" guy who has sprayed many gallons of Imron, its tuffer than frog lips, it lasts for almost ever, and it is dangerous....that said, if you're dead (no pun intended) set on using it, I would use nothing short of a 'Haz-mat' suit to do it. Good luck...
I would use the Imron and do exactly as lawman says. That stuff will coat your lungs. Unless we were in a hurry we used to try and let our Imron painted stuff hang in as dust free an environment as possible for at least 30 days. I am vacillating today on a project that will get painted in the fall, lacquer or Imron. I am leaning heavy toward Imron but it could change again. I like that stuff, we used to use it on our bikes because it was durable as a hammer. All of you fellas need to pay heed to choprods, if you want to know how to survive find someone who has survived and do what they did.
Hey Guys am I going to be safe if I use the proper remote air helmet and suit, u guys tell me, I don't want to croat over a paint job ! tell me what safety stuff you guys use ,thanks 66 tintop hey choprods thanks for your concern, maybe I should buy some single stage poly ,what do u think ? thanks
When I worked in the truck shop in the early '80s we usually only used the half face mask unless we had a gang of guys painting one truck, then some of us used a pressurized face mask. The owners set rules for us and them. Their rules for us, the workers, had to be followed to the letter. The rules for the owner, well that was another thing. The one rule I remember was we were suppose to get blood samples tested every six months to make sure we weren't harmed by the paint, mostly IMRON, we sprayed. This was supposed to be paid by the company. I worked there 5 1/2 years and never had any blood drawn. Regulations have gotten tighter since I worked in the industry so maybe now they actually have to do the test. When I first started in the business I got a job at a small body shop that didn't have a paint booth. We sprayed in the open shop. The very first project was the tilt nose of a semi tractor that we sprayed with Centari. I helped the owner spray and after the last coat the owner pulled his mask off. Being new I followed. That was about 9am on a Saturday morning. By 2pm I could hardly breath and started coughing up blood. I was young and stupid and didn't seek medical help. I stood in a hot shower until the hot water ran out, still coughing up blood, but it seemed help. I couldn't breath easily for a day or two.
Lots of us have sprayed Imron and many other paints over the years. Many of us got lucky. Here is one solution. I learned about this product from the Target 550 thread http://www.ppg.com/coatings/refinish/en/products/envirobase/Pages/default.aspx If it is good enough for Treit and Davenports streamliner it must be good! I am going to try this stuff on my lakester.
Talked to an old timer one day, he had been painting for years. The very last job he did was also the very first Imron job done in the area. He sprayed it, and it tore him up so bad he can never even be near paint again. We have sprayed exactly one job with Imron in the last 25 years, at that was only because a good customer had already bought the paint himself. Never again. This was on a semi, we were spraying 2-3 a week with Centari or Ful-Thane and they came out great every time, smooth with a good shine. That Imron job, despite practice and every precaution, was the most orange-peely thing we ever did.
Alright Guys ,while I still have some breathing capacity , I hear your concerns, What the HELL should I use, single stage what ? Bc/cc is not an option, I just don't like it on an old car ! Thanks guys Ps anyone want 3 gallons of black imron cheap ? 66 tintop
You said you still do lacquer in your woodworking. Lacquer is lacquer is lacquer. The last time they did it in automotive colors there were some trace metals removed, but the PPG black and PPG DCA-468 clear is the same formula for the last 30yrs. Ya want black lacquer, use it. Imron should never be cut and buffed regardless of the "...and I did mine 10yrs ago and..." stories you hear. It removes the top surface that makes Imron so chemical resistant. So you don't want bc/cc due to the 'new paint' look, and frankly I don't blame you. It's almost too wet looking when you strive for an authentic finish from the past. Here's an idea that you might want to try out 1st. Add a small of amount of flattening agent to the clear. Yeah, I said it, flattening agent. Just about now there's several reading this thinking I've inhaled too many fumes for even suggesting such a thing. Go ahead and lay out your color and get a couple coats of clear on it. Afterward, sand it all down to like maybe 1200 and get a nice flat surface. Mix up your clear with about 20% add'l reducer so it flows out nice and produces smaller orange peel than w/out, and add enough flattening agent to just remove the excess "wetness". Apply 1 , maybe 2 light coats and leave it alone. Your dangers will be dirt and sags in the final finish, but even waxed and clean that wet paint plastic cellulite look should not be there. It should look like an old OEM oven baked lacquer job, but the panel quality and color will be the straightness and showy finish, not the ultra deep gloss. I know what you're looking for and it's difficult to achieve. So let's say that's not worth the effort, here's the last idea, but you better be commited to going for it. Spray your color in single stage, whatever color you want. Again, add some extra reducer to the last coat to make the peel smaller. Here's the commitment part. Right away, and I mean like within 12-20hrs, cut and buff the car complete. It's gonna go real fast and easy because it's soft, but it's also gonna be easy to burn with the buffer so the finer you sand the better. It has to be all done within 36hrs of application. What happens next is that as it final cures it's going to 're-peel' just a wee bit. Not much, not very big, but it's gonna happen. The end result is more OEM than the showcar wet look. The other caution to that process, all the paint residue in the sanding water still has solvent in it. If you let it sit too long on the sanded areas it's gonna bite in and leave water marks. To avoid this you need to focus on top down sanding and keeping the area flushed with clean water. Any longer than 5min or so, you got water stains that will require re-sanding. Watch your compound splatter too as it will leave pimples in the finish as well. Hard work? Lots of effort? ****in eh right it is, but if you really want to remove those new paint values this is what you have to do. Believe me, I know how crazy it sounds and how labor intense it is, but if ya wanna make an omlette ya gotta break some eggs.
Thanks for all the advice, I just got off the phone with my paint supplier for my woodworking finish's. they have jet black laquer and water white gloss clear laquer, I am going to buy a gallon of each and do a test panel (old spare ) then I will place it outside, I can screw around with flattening paste. , I will see how it holds up while it sits outside for a few weeks ,one thing about laquer is that it is very forgiving to repair for myself, I do not need a finish that will outlive me. , thanks. Well that laquer they won't work, wishful thinking !
66tintop,one last thing I remembered. being exposed to/around The parts sprayed with activated Imron and being in the booth should not be something to take lightly even after an overnight dry.....it will be a very strong smell/presence and will take days to die down to an acceptable level where no mask is required. Ok I'm done . Thanks for listening to these guys who have advice to help you.....
remember Kenny, he has a fresh air suit. Not teh hogs nose we have painted cars with in the past. I still like the idea of that PPG stuff that can be sprayed in sandals, go read the Target 550 thread. That paint tests out in salt immersion and other aspects better than Imron!
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