iam useing rattle can primer right now to grinder off rust spots and protect them , slowing down the rust process. i plan on later sanding everything down and useing an epoxy primer as a base for my finial paint job.

 

Cheap "rattle can" primer is foolish, no way would I put expensive paint on top of it. Use that garbage on lawn furniture not car bodies. I wouldn't even use it as a temporary cover as it offers practically zero protection from the elements.

Vince

 

The Spray can primer is not good at all. if your going to do the spray can primer, use Dupli Color self etching primer, and not there regular laquer primer.... rust will come thru the laquer based primer..

 

The spray can primer, self etch or otherwise, will absorb moisture and cause rust. Unless you get one of the true "epoxy" primers that is available in a special spray can, you are wasting your time, and likely causing more problems than you are fixing.

There have been many threads on here about spray can paints and primers. Take some time to search and read.

Aaron

 

I don't think that rattle can primer should be classified as "primer".

 

I remember about 16 years ago working on a 69 fairlane for a guy at work, and was supplied with lacquer primer. Just sitting in the garage while working on it, and covered with lacquer, it started rusting through the primer in spots, after spending all the time doing bodywork on it. So what does that say about spray can lacquer which is as thin as heck plus being exposed to the elements. Even if by some miracle it did last, any rattle can really should be taken back off when done right.
Either leave it till you can do it right, or use epoxy primer even if you have to brush it on, beg someone to spray it, or use try a preval sprayer (might take forever for anything but a small area) or try the aerosol can you can pump up with an air compressor at harbor freight (never tried it, always had a gun and compressor), or something like this that brian posted awhile back (downfall is kinda pricey for amount of product, and think you would have to use it all within a certain amount of timehttp://www.autobodytoolmart.com/pc-14526-906-9545-spray-max-2k-epoxy-rust-cure-primer.aspx . Just hate to see you waste time, unneccesary money and take a step backwards. Personally I would just wait, spend some time reading and learning some of all the tons of things there is to know about paint and body , and save your money up for decent materials and equiptment to do the job right from the start. Its lasted this long, awhile longer and shouldn't get too much worst, and rattle can really wouldn't stop it anyways.

 

About the only difference between bare metal and metal covered with rattle can lacquer is that you will not see the metal rusting at first but it will rust and just about as fast as if the lacquer was never sprayed on it!

 

I used to do it that way when I was 17 too :thumbup:

 

I don't think that rattle can primer should be classified as "primer".

It makes the metal "prime" for rust! LOL

Aaron

 

The real proof of how much primer you are REALLY applying is look at what is in the can!

How much primer would you need to spray a fender out of a gun? Maybe a pint of mixed material? Maybe a quart for a few coats? That's 32 oz of material. The aerosol can has about 3-4 oz of primer in it!

So does a person use 8 cans of primer to prime a fender? No, they spray one coat until it "looks" like it is covered and think it is "primed". What they have is VERY thin and most any moisture is going to go thru it.

If you are going to use rattle can, spray a BUNCH of coats!

There is NO WAY "cheap" primer is going to hold up. However, God forgive me ( ) if you were to use something like "Rustoleum" primer it will do an amazing job. HOWEVER it WILL need to be removed before any real auto paint products can be applied.

But darn it, this stuff adds up when you are buying it by the case. Have you thought about bringing it down to some shop and letting them shoot it with a few coats of real epoxy primer?

Brian

 

guess i'll have to change my approach. my car had been setting for 19 years and had bare surface rust spots all over the car. i just wanted to get them ground off and primered to slow the rust process down. this winter i then plan on doing more exstensive rust repair. stripping body panels and shooting them with expoxy primer.

 

You can buy REAL epoxy primer in an aerosol can, it ain't cheap at about $20 but it may be a good way to hit those rust spots around the car. You could also get some epoxy primer and roll it on instead of spraying if you don't have the tools to spray.

Brian

 

on my '51 Chevy, I'm spot priming over what I fix with the Dupli Color spray can primers, but once the bodywork is done, I'm going to spray it with good primer, and paint it

 

The Dupli-Color rattle cans are just the same lacquer we have been talking about and very thin lacquer at that! These rattle cans offer almost no protection from rusting since they will let the water soak right through so even though you may not see it the rust is still forming. If you just want to stop (or rather slow) the rusting process using rattle cans then at least spray them with paint instead of the primer because the paint will at least offer some protection from moisture, for a while anyway, but the primer is doing almost nothing for you.

 

Red.... The guy has been here for almost 3 years. He still wants to get attention by using lacquer primer. It's a lost cause. Let him screw up his stuff and be happy.

Aaron

 

There is NO WAY "cheap" primer is going to hold up. However, God forgive me ( ) if you were to use something like "Rustoleum" primer it will do an amazing job. HOWEVER it WILL need to be removed before any real auto paint products can be applied.

Brian

Damn!!! You really got guts Brian,
To put your neck on the chopping block like that.
you know it better than anyone, someone will twist that around.
I would love to buy you a beer. :thumbup:

 

Hey guys Rustoleum is OK to use after all, Martin Sr said so!

 

Red.... The guy has been here for almost 3 years. He still wants to get attention by using lacquer primer. It's a lost cause. Let him screw up his stuff and be happy.

Aaron

When did I ever b4 this advocate using Lacquer primer??? And I'm not even advocating it now.. I use the spray can primer now, because I'm working in a tent type garage which holds a lot of moisture/ humidity. without some kind of cover, you can watch it rust... And yes, I will be removing it b4 I apply the good primer, so any surface rust that may come up, will be sanded off anyway... I bought $400 worth of PPG paint supplies for the car, so I'm in no way cheaping out.

 

Damn!!! You really got guts Brian,
To put your neck on the chopping block like that.
you know it better than anyone, someone will twist that around.
I would love to buy you a beer. :thumbup:

Unlike a lot of ego tripper Gods gift to the autobody world types I believe in the age old line "the customer is always right".

At the shop, I wouldn't do it, I would recommend him to someone who does that type of work. Here, I make a suggestions to "fulfill" the posters expectations.

Not everyone can pull off the perfect repairs, not everyone has the facilities, the skills or the money to do it. Somewhere below perfect is where most people are, lets try to get them to the "Bestest" way with the least amount of trouble.

If spraying some rattle can Rustolium over this thing until it can be stripped down and done "Right", that is what he needs help with, not perfection at this time.

Brian

 

I was just doing a little ribbing there.

 

ViejoRojo, (Oldred in espanol ) I meant nothing towards you. I was just bsing, nothing personal at all my friend.

Brian

 

i had no idea that spray can primer sucked so bad now that half the truck is done i am just going have to finish it but know i have another question what in the spots thats not already surface rusted could i sand the blue paint off to the trucks 39 year old primer and put some can primer over that would it rust like the bare metal

damn walmart paint anyways :evil:

 

A high quality epoxy primer costs me about 20$ a quart sprayable..Cheap gun about 40$ at Harbor freight...3-400 for a compressor..Not a great one but workable and I can epoxy prime away..Spend the day cleaning parts and at the end of the day mix up a 1/4 or 1/2 pint of epoxy and I can rest easy about what I have done..

I think a fellow would have to buy a whole pile of spray cans to come up with an actual quart of paint..

Sam

 

A basic spray can holds 11oz of material, at least 1/2 of that is propellant and then there is thinner, and a little primer in the can too..

 

A high quality epoxy primer costs me about 20$ a quart sprayable..Cheap gun about 40$ at Harbor freight...3-400 for a compressor..Not a great one but workable and I can epoxy prime away..Spend the day cleaning parts and at the end of the day mix up a 1/4 or 1/2 pint of epoxy and I can rest easy about what I have done..

I think a fellow would have to buy a whole pile of spray cans to come up with an actual quart of paint..

Sam

I've seen some cheap 110V aircompressors selling for $98 that work fine with a touchup gun and would be adequate for priming one or two panels at a time. My Dad uses one for his woodworking projects all the time. Brushing, rolling, prevail sprayer, there really are a lot of ways to get good primer on this car. Add up what is spent in spraybombs and I bet is actually costs more than the average epoxy primer.

I agree with Brian that rustoleum primer would ward off rust for awhile but it's just not a product that should be used on a car and might actually cause some permanent contamination if used over fillers, etc. One of my first paintjobs at the age of 15 was done with brown rustoleum primer with centari over it The paintjob always had an oily film on it. LOL