Hot Rods Are all paint hardeners created equal?

Not for a show paint job, but more for a driver quality paint job…anyone have problems? A Nason quality project, that will be stored indoors.

 

Yes and no
Paint products start out even. Resins made at chemical plants.
Those resins are modified by paint manufacturers.
Nason is good stuff. So is just about any other brand I’ve used
I dont mix brand A paint with brand B hardener.
Some do and have no problems.
I’d test it before I shot my car

 

Don't know if they are interchangeable between brands, as I have never tried it. I always used the same brand products, as paint products are too expensive to experiment with. I do know that there is fast and slow catalysts just like slow and fast thinners.

 

I've gotten lucky a couple times mixing and matching brands on stuff that really didn't matter. Like the signal red por15 top coat I used some nason reducer and hardener in to see if it'd lay smoother and take less than a weekend to dry. But most times it's like finding an old case of hand grenades from WW2 in a soggy basement and randomly pulling pins. While there's a good chance most the grenades are duds a couple may still blow up

 

So, you got pics of the red POR 15 topcoat. I'd like to see it.

 

I recently ran into a supply issue while trying to finish a project. I had a can of Shop Line 2:0 clear but no hardener, I also had some Lumabase hardener but no Luma clear. Mixed them and I didn't notice any issue shooting, drying, sanding or polishing. I would not recommend it though. And if it was a high dollar paint job I wouldn't have done this.

 

I'll have to get pics Monday if the tank is still at work. It looks worse than it is because after I sprayed it outside a wind gust blew a bunch of dust into it lol. But it laid out and dried nicely though otherwise

 

I have done it with acrylic enamel and not had any problems.

 

What exavtly are you asking? Can hardeners and paints be mixed between brands? Do more expensive hardeners give better results? Without knowing what you are doing it's hard to say.

 

Not sure if I would mix and match, but I did I would mix up a few ounces and do a test.

 

Honestly, mixing products happens every day.
I know several shops that use generic reducers and hardeners.
I’ve used a lot of generic reducers
A lot of malfunctions can be traced back to out of date products used in a pinch.

 

Nason single stage…with generic reducer and hardener…for a driver quality paint job.