Thread:

'79 Excalibur 24 restoration

My auto-shop teach in high school used to run flats. One day, he was cleaning out some supplies and showed me a can of paint. It was residual from a boat he had painted. He called it his "super-white". It was actually off-white toward the blue side. Sounds similar to what you have described. In the sun it would be almost blindingly white. Definitely would stand out on water.

However, after painting several things, I can tell you from personal knowledge that white is probably the hardest color to work with. You can't see it when you are spraying. That is - once the first coat is down, you can't see how wet or dry you are spraying. You can't see your overlap, either. So, you have to be on your toes and I would highly suggest using the "buddy system". Have a spotter with a portable light to move along carefully behind and constantly check the finish after each pass. It's obviously not impossible to complete a nice job in white, but it is difficult for sure.

I would also add that equipment is a big decision. I have purchased cheap guns (harbor freight) and used them once - thrown away after. I currently have a Devilbiss Millenium HVLP (was $350) that I have shot 5 jobs with and love. So, if you don't have a gun yet, you'll have to think real hard. A nice $300+ gun will help you out in tough situations with broad adjustability and finesse. However, if you don't plan on doing ANY painting after this job, you might as well risk the lack of fine-adjustability and use a throw-away gun.

For all of your thick primer / surfacer spraying - I HIGHLY suggest a throw away gun set. There are kits with three guns (usually three different sizes) for $40. You can use each one until it drops and then grab the next. Thick primers, especially epoxies, gum up guns in places you can't always get to for cleaning. There's no need for a high-quality gun for primer. It's going to be sanded anyway. I do, however, use my Devilbiss for primer/SEALER - since that is the first coat of the paint job and must be laid down nicely.

I haven't done much 'glass repair, so I can't chime in on that.

I would get a match for Imron 555-U because it is a fleet color and sometimes things go a whole lot easier when using a gun with a little more quality and to tell you the truth i would skip the tiger hair and use Adtec filler because it is good above and below the water line and glass over that with one or two layers of 4 oz chesse cloth and prime with Dura tec which is a high build primer that is used mainly in the industry just my 2 cents .

Originally Posted by Boatally Insane

Does the Dura tec primer need a "primer sealer" over the top of it as well??

.....just trying to limit the number of times I have to sand and paint this thing....


Thanks,

Doug

The thing with a SEALER is - it provides a solid / even canvas for the rest of the paint. You will be using several different matterials for your repair(s). These materials ALL have different absorption characteristics.

Even though your final sanding will be of the same grit, different primers as well as bondo, duratec, whathaveyou, will absorb the next material differently. This will provide your finished product with "patches" of dry and smooth areas. After a year or so, you will easily be able to see the different areas of different materials.

Thus, after all of the repair and wet-sanding is one and you feel you are ready to shoot color - apply one or two coats of SEALER. This step has one other important benefit;

Sealer has similar properties to paint. While high-build-primer or primer-surfacer will cover pretty much ANYTHING, sealer will NOT. If there are any surface contaminants, they will "fish-eye" the sealer. So, if you have a patch of stray oil, grease, it will show up immediately. Even if someone has placed their hand on the surface without you knowing, it will show up.

So, you can stop immediately - let the sealer dry - clean that area - sand one more time, and go again with the sealer. Sealer is much cheaper than your paint material.

So, the sealer step can save you hundreds in lost material in addition to providing a smoother, professional-grade end result.

Originally Posted by Boatally Insane

I bought a hvlp gun from the paint store yestersay.. don't remember what it is, I'll get the info during lunch..

Does the Dura tec primer need a "primer sealer" over the top of it as well??

.....just trying to limit the number of times I have to sand and paint this thing....


Thanks,

Doug

Doug Dura Tec does not need a primer sealer only sanding .Doug i have used this primer for year's at many different Boat Co's including Skater and when ever Blue printing bottoms and they also make a White which is much nicer then grey .

once you get the primer done call the local prison. they always have a auto body program for the inmates and is usually real cheap. just be sure when you get it you dont have a inmate hiding inside. they usually turn out pretty good. for all the years of painting i would not use NASON products. go to your local auto body supply and ask if you can find anything better for the budget. problem is the nason isnt really to much cheaper. the mix is usually a small half pt of hardner to the gal of paint. when you can get better paints mix at 4:1:1 . you will use less paint and will calculate to ove 1.5 gl of useable material . fyi look at shop materials in oregon and have it shipped to you. there products are not held as tight as your area

Originally Posted by sangerfan76

for all the years of painting i would not use NASON products.

I HAVE used Nason Ful-thane in the past...
I painted a 63' long railroad service truck with 6' tall cabinets down the sides in GM Victory red and it turned out GREAT!
It seemed to be fairly durable and was surprisingly glossy for a single step paint.

I did another ione n Napa base clear which was a LOT more work and after a couple years of abuse, surprisingly the Nason held up better...

Maybe the driver just took better care of that one than the other, I'm not sure....


THANKS for all the help so far guys.....


Doug