[41Helen]

Hey all,

About 2 months ago I primed my car using Kirker Enduro Epoxy Primer on bare metal, the Kirker laid down beautifully, I have absolutely no issues.. Then I went ahead and applied filler as needed, got the body how I wanted it, etc.. Over the past couple of days I hit all the primer with 220 grit and then Red Scotchbrite to scuff it, as I was far outside the window. I was very meticulous about cleaning the car and getting all all the residue off.

Yesterday I went ahead and put another couple coats of Primer on. My local paint store was out of Kirker so I went with U-Tech E250 epoxy primer. I mixed it at the correct 3:1 ratio. I set my compressor PSI to about 95, and then my gun to 30. I am using the Harbor Freight HVLP (purple). With this Primer I have a texture on my car, it looks like I Rhino Lined it or something haha. I am man enough to admit the problem most certainly lies in something I induced. I highly doubt this has anything to do with the Primer choice!

The only thing I can think of is that I used a different gun with the Kirker than the U-Tech. My first HVLP said on it "Max 43 PSI", the one I used yesterday said "50-70 PSI". So I initially had it set at 50 PSI and it seemed to be blasting the panels, so I turned it down to 30, but it didn't make a difference.

This was literally the second time I have painted a car, and it may have been just dumb luck that it worked the first time. So please, you won't insult me, break it down Barney level for me. What am I missing, and what can I do to correct it? Thanks!!!

 

[ExcellenceAuto]

Not too shabby. At least its not the paint!
How did it cure out?
Maybe it needed a little reducer.
There's really a lot of things it could be.
Gun too far away, air pressure too high.
Painting is kinda hard to get the hang of, but the more you do (and mess up) the more you can connect things as they happen.
As long as you can smooth it out, you are not in too bad of shape yet.

 

[41Helen]

This is true. A lot easier to go backwards at this point in the process haha!

Any recommendations on these specs? I was 6 inches from the metal when spraying and was at 30-35 PSI.

 

[ExcellenceAuto]

Maybe turn your air pressure down to about 20 while the trigger is pulled all the way. And keep a good eye on it while you're spraying. Make sure it looks wet as it lays down on the panel. But, always be careful on the first coat you don't want to put that one on too wet..
That should help, and slow the movement down as necessary.

 

[41Helen]

Any advice for fixing what I have now? I was thinking knock it down with 220 grit and clean. Then spray another couple coats. Should I do this within my 7 day window or wait?

 

[ExcellenceAuto]

You can block it down and spray it right away. 220 sounds good.

 

[41Helen]

You can block it down and spray it right away. 220 sounds good.

thanks! Couple more rookie questions... After I sand it down a bit, I plan on blowing any debris off first. But can I go behind it with wax and grease remover? Or is that a bad idea being that the primer isn’t fully cured? Would it be fine to just go to my high build primer instead of more epoxy?

thanks!!!

 

[ExcellenceAuto]

Yes, I would go with high build at this point. The epoxy is good for sticking direct to metal.

Unless you have greasy hands, or contaminants floating around in the air, you really don't have to use wax and grease remover before you prime it. But it is such a light solvent that it's not going to hurt anything. Some of that stuff is actually water-based too. It never hurts to Over clean stuff before you spray it.

 

[41Helen]

Yes, I would go with high build at this point. The epoxy is good for sticking direct to metal.

Unless you have greasy hands, or contaminants floating around in the air, you really don't have to use wax and grease remover before you prime it. But it is such a light solvent that it's not going to hurt anything. Some of that stuff is actually water-based too. It never hurts to Over clean stuff before you spray it.

Perfect, thank you for all the help and explanations! I think tonight I will sand and clean, and then tomorrow re-spray! Thanks!