[BIG DOG]

So from what I've been reading there is a time after you epoxy primer that you can put on filler primer or body fill without having to scuff the epoxy.The same with the base you clear after a certain time .I assume that the next products bond into the first layer of product .But after they harden you have to scuff them to get the next product to stick .I kind of knew this about the color and clear but I didn't realize that with the epoxy.We used to sand after everything 15-20 years ago.This is sure a great thing when all is going smooth but what about when something goes wrong or in my case I'm doing it all by myself. How do you meet the time windows say from the epoxy to the filler primer ?What are the time windows? I was going to epoxy my car then work at the rust repairs which will take a couple of weeks .Then I would have to scuff the whole car to put on the filler primer. How would I get around this as it would be nice to epoxy then filler prime within the window so as I would not have to scuff it ! Sure would take a lot of the work out of it .I don't know if this is clear or not the thing is my car is on a rotisserie so it's not like I'm working on the top I have to do the top and bottom. What do people do ? Like I said I'm a slow army of one may be able to con some part time help but then I'll be a slow army of two!
Thanks!

[CDJr]

Your P-sheets should give you the time window, ehhh. For epoxy primers its usually around a week. I sprayed epoxy on mine probably almost a year ago while it was still on the rotisserie and I just scuff the areas where Im going to use filler. Then I spray epoxy over the filler as I do it. When Im through, Ill scuff the whole car and start from there. The only way to get around scuffing it would be to work fast! lol I take my time, since Im in the same boat as you and only have so much time to work on it. Its a lil more trouble doing it in stages, but I have no alternative.

[adtkart]

If you are stripping the thing to bare metal, you need to spray the epoxy on it right away. I think it depends on the brand of epoxy as far as the window is concerned. I only use SPI epoxy, and you have 7 days to paint it, without sanding. When I can, I will spray 2K primer over it, within that time period. Since the 2K will need to be sanded, it is in good shape for sometime. If I can't do that, I will sand the epoxy and shoot another coat on it, when I am ready for that panel. Sometimes it is a juggling act to keep everything within the window.

One thing to do is to get everything in epoxy. Then as you work on each panel, you will be uncovering bare metal that should be sprayed with epoxy again before 2K. When you mix the epoxy to spot in the panel you are working on, spray a coat on the next panel at that time. Spray the epoxy, and then after waiting the required time, the 2K on that panel. I always block everything after the whole thing is in 2K, so it will sit that way until I am ready.

Hope this helps.

Aaron

[AC/DC]

One thing to keep in mind is that the p-sheets come from a controlled environment. Most have a "control" temperature. PPG and Autocolor use 70 degrees. The window of dry times at 70 degrees won't be the same as 90 degrees.