Do I need to prime a metal frame?

chillin014 · 10-05-2008, 07:01 PM

I've sandblasted a beetle frame of mine down to bare metal and I'm ready to paint it ASAP as I don't want it rusting. Do I need to prime this metal before painting? And can anyone recommend a primer? I just have a cheapie gun for my air compressor so I'm not sure what route to go..

thanks for any advice.

*matty* · 10-07-2008, 06:34 PM

If there is some rust on there you can use this.

http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=155

Or for clean metal

http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=35

I used the first product on my boat trailer and it seemed to work pretty well. That frame wasnt completly clean and i wanted alot of protection

-matt

**Matt93SE** · 10-09-2008, 10:03 AM

YES.
Primer is one of the most important parts of the finish. without a good coat of primer on it, the paint won't stick.

Home depot also sells a phosphate primer stuff that will eat away any more rust that the sandblasting didn't take care of. highly recommend using something like that first, then using a good quality primer over that and finally a basecoat/topcoat paint.

chillin014 · 10-09-2008, 10:20 AM

thanks guys. I was pretty much clueless until I found this por-15 stuff. I could have swore I posted it in this thread. I hear about this stuff ALL OVER the place and its kind of hardy/meant to go straight on the frame.
anyway, here's a link...I'm pretty sure thats what i'm going to go with.
http://www.por15.com/prodinfo.asp?grp=CH&dept=4

*00MaxSE* · 10-24-2008, 08:29 PM

I was thinking of what Matty posted before I even scrolled down to see that he did.

SHIFT_maxboost · 11-03-2008, 03:48 PM

yes my friend...i work around painters all the time, and por 15 is what you want. if you go to maxmumpwr's page he has pics of rust he covered with por 15. plus you can brush it or roll it or spray it directly on rust. but it doesnt eliminate rust it just keeps the elements from getting to it thus keeping it from spreading further.

chillin014 · 11-03-2008, 04:54 PM

thanks for the comment. I was going to go with por15's chassis coat black but I really wish they offered it in red. I want to paint it a bright color to make it stand out since I went to the trouble of restoring it, you know? I'm not sure if you can paint over the chassis black but at that point I'm afraid it might not be in the budget.

SHIFT_maxboost · 11-05-2008, 07:40 AM

well you could always use a direct to metal primer/sealer. you can get it in value shade 1 which is white then you could use single stage urethane over that in red. or industrial imron, they use it on water towers, really durable and glossy. neither one of these paints is that expensive. prolly about 200 or 300 for a gallon and the activator. and since both paints are durable and glossy no need for clearcoat.

chillin014 · 11-05-2008, 12:10 PM

I will have to research about those. 200 is too expensive though I'd say. But I think a gallon would be over kill. Still though, I'd like to keep the total cost under 100 bucks. I'm going to give por15 a call and see what they recommend. I'm having trouble steering away from a product that is so clearly directed for exactly what I'm doing.

edit- I see some single stage urethanes for decent prices. I think a quart is all I'm going to use, its a classic beetle frame, there isn't a ton to cover.

SHIFT_maxboost · 11-06-2008, 07:52 AM

well thats cool. you could always go to dupont performance coatings dot com and check out some stuff. they have all the info you will need for any paint job. and i beleive you could find a jobber near you. i know i found 3 in the dallas ft worth area earlier this year for someone. i guess if i get some time today ill look for you. urethane is very durable and alot of people paint frames with it, you couldnt go wrong.

chillin014 · 11-06-2008, 08:18 AM

Yeah, i was checking out their site, that stuff looks pretty good. I emailed them with a few questions so I'm waiting to hear back. I'm painting this myself btw.

I found on por-15's site where they have some colored paint that was pretty durable. Its a 2 part top coat. I knew I had seen it on there before but it took my awhile to find it again.
http://www.por15.com/prodinfo.asp?grp=HN&dept=5

their prices are pretty hard to pass up. I do have to use a primer though it sounds like, AND the rust preventive paint...

"Apply two coats of POR15 Rust Preventive Paint over a
sandblasted surface or a surface prepared with Marine
Clean and Metal Ready. Then apply one light to medium
coat of POR15 Self-Etching Primer as soon as POR-15
Rust Preventive Paint has cured to ensure maximum
adhesion. Allow POR15 Self-Etching Primer to cure for 30
Minutes at 68OF (20OC), or longer in cooler temperatures.
Apply Hardnose / Whitecote as final finish."

a pint should be enough, right? I mean thats alot of paint especially if your spraying...

SHIFT_maxboost · 11-06-2008, 09:54 AM

i dont know...i scanned their site and i couldnt find any coverage charts or anything. i understand you are doing this yourself. i would go with the quart, not that i want you to be broke but its always better to have to much than not enough, espeacially in the middle of the job with a product that has to be ordered from the internet.

chillin014 · 11-06-2008, 11:22 AM

very true. thats nice of you to not want me to be broke haha. I'll probably order this stuff next week after I'm done welding on the pans. I'll have pictures for sure.

chillin014 · 12-06-2008, 09:50 AM

alright I promised I'd post pictures so now I'm here to fulfill that.
I coated it with por-15 rust preventative paint, and then a primer and then this 2 base "hardnose" top coat. I bought some ****ty 50 dollar spray gun which did an....OKAY job. I really wasnt in the mood to brush it on. Anyway, wow it took much longer to do all the prep and painting than I imagined. My sandblaster is royal piece of SH*T.
The color red is obviously a very light red, like something you'd see on a damn water tower or something. I wanted it darker but I didnt have much of a choice. The main goal was just to make it a bright color that would stand-out to show that it had been re-conditioned. enjoy.

**Matt93SE** · 12-06-2008, 10:14 AM

Looks good!!
And yes, the prep work is what takes the most time... It's also the most important. the painting is quick and easy once you get to that point.

chillin014 · 12-06-2008, 01:33 PM

thanks matt. Some of that stuff was really tedious. I thought it was ready to paint but ended up investing another few hours sandblasting and trying to pick off little specs of grease and old sealant. It was hard to decide when I was just being too anal. The painting still took a few hours, but I think it was mostly because I couldn't keep the gun settings dialed in and it was spraying really really fine most of the time.
anyway, there is more to paint yet, various pieces and such.

performancekote · 12-08-2008, 07:41 AM

Looks good. I have had good luck with the epoxy primers. They also have weldable primers that work good and can be welded through.