Never Use Laquer

[V.waffe 3]

I have been meaning to pass on some of my body shop advice for a while now, kept forgetting to get to it. The one most important thing you must remember is to never use any laquer product including but not limited to, primer( holds seven times its own weight in water), paint ( shrinks, oxidizes, and runs off if exposed to solvents), and body fillers ( wll almost always shrink and or fall out with time). All the above will cause lifting problems with any catalized refinish product. If you have any problems with your paint, be sure to use a "sealer" over anything that may be existing laquer.

Many people will tell you that it is better to have primer on your car than for it to be bare metal. This is true. But, you must have a catalyzed etch primer or epoxy primer. Use of the old "Hot Rod" gray or Red Oxide primer will be like throwing a wet towel on you car. The worst part is that you car will rust out under the primer and you will not even see it happening. The good thing is that laquer is getting harder to find. Though, the primer is still pretty common in most DIY establishments. Be leary of anyone that is a huge fan of laquer outside of the OEM Resto crowd. Most folks have kept up with or ahead of the times on the mechanical side of the car industry, but have failed to do so with paint.

Also, I would like to dis-spell some myths about modern paint. Modern catalyzed paint will not come off from gas spilling on it, it is not good for it but it will not take it off at the pump. Waterborne paints used in California and other V.O.C. (Volatile Organic Compounds) controlled areas are safer for you than traditionally catalyzed paints. The truth is the exact opposite. The human body takes up the waterborne stuff much faster than the regular paint. Water absorbs faster than all chemical. The water borne stuff is for emmissions control, not health.
I will post more on this subject when I remember anything else and always wear a full face respirator when spraying paint if at all possible. The isocynates and other chemicals will enter through your eyes. No dust mask will stop chemicals.

[wrenchnride247]

You forgot to say that hardner or activator or catalyst(name depends on manufacturer) has the isocynate in it. When you open this to mix with your clear is the most dangerous time as it is more concentrated then ever. Of course it gets you again when spraying, plus the other chemicals. A fresh air system is the best way to prevent health problems, but a full face will work if you don't do it for a living, or use it once or twice a year. The eyes are one of the best entrance points for isocynates as V.waffe 3 has said. Most paint supply shops won't tell you about isocynates. This is a good warning for the DIY.

[oasis]

Originally Posted by V.waffe 3

I have been meaning to pass on some of my body shop advice for a while now, ... I would like to dis-spell some myths about modern paint. ... I will post more on this subject ...

A "how-to" article with all of the do's and don't's would be a great addition to the tech archives.

[V.waffe 3]

Wrench is absolutly correct about the fresh air system being the best. I did forget to mention the activator or catalyst as being the most dangerous of the paint chemicals. While on the subject of body work when grinding the paint of your car I suggest using 40 grit and not 36. The difference is pretty noticable. 36 grit is just to coarse and gets packed up to quick. Move up to 80 as soon as you can so that you remove as little metal as possible. If you have to spray in your own garage ( which I would advise against), be sure to tightly cover all vents into the garage in order to avoid gassing everyone in your house. Also, airborne petroleum products ( tire shine, Armor-all, or similar products) will cause pocking problems known as fisheyes or lifting. The information that I am providing is coming at a somewhat random and I apologize, lol. I switched to nursing a couple of years ago and it has been awhile since I have had the chance to talk paint.

[V.waffe 3]

Oh yeah,

I forgot to tell you guys not to wax your car. This is another hold over from the laquer days. Wax on base/clear yellows you clear because paint continues to breath through out its life. The chemicals hit the wax and are forced to stagnate between the body and the wax instead of evaporating into the environment. Back before hardened outer coats wax was required to provide a protective layer. These days you a better off using a good glaze coat from Maquire's or 3M.

[Sharky]

How do you feel about catalyst paint protection products like the Zaino system? Zaino

[V.waffe 3]

I would have to read the label and see if it contained wax. The claims that it has a UV protectant are fine, but if it seals your paint it will cause the same problems as Turtle Wax or a like product. Add to this the fact that if you have already painted your car with a base clear to the specified thickness you already have UV protectants in the clear. Peeling paint is often the result of UV damage, but is happening because the company tried to get cheap and not put a decent number of coats on their cars. I am sure you have seen a number of Dodges with this problem. I am passing on what I have been told DuPont and House of Colors. If you have any further questions, I will be happy to answer those I can.

[Sharky]

I understand what you are saying about the base/clear systems, but what if it's a single stage urethane paint like some of the older finishes? Wouldnt you need that extra layer of UV protection and some way to "seal" the paint? Just curious since most of the stock VW paints are all standard paint AKA no clear coat. And yeah, I know exactly what you mean about the dodge clear peeling. I have a 98 ram that this has just started with on the roof and hood.

[V.waffe 3]

If the car has original paint (laquer) use a wax, it takes the place of clear as a protectant. On urethane single stages I would still use a glaze when the paint starts to look a little dull. Being an activated or catalyzed single stage it will continue to breath through out its life.