I have a paint that I can not live without. It’s an industrial epoxy primer paint, 80% gloss.
I have been told that this paint is used on trains, yes, railroad application. It is called a primer, but it is more like a traditional paint. The mix ratio is 4/1/1. On the technical side, this paint ( almost ) does not run, you can apply it thick, and it cover edges. By covering edges, this means that the paint does not run away from the sharp edges, and covers very well. Don’t ask how this is done…..mystery to me, but, it works. This epoxy is also tough as anything can get, but at the same time, sandable and workable. Photo shows a backplate and may give you an idea of how it looks. On frames, I paint, sand, paint over again to fill in rust pits…hard to beat this. On another technical matter, this paint is not UV protected, as the UV agents make paint more susceptible to moisture transparency…..meaning, it is water tight. A trial test on a piece of steel, painted and exposed to the outdoor elements for years prove to be great….. don’t forget, trains live outside under the harsh conditions. Suspension parts and frames are not exposed to the sun, so no worry about UV. Now for the best part…..cost…..comes in 4 gallon container and 1 gallon hardener, add the 1 gallon of reducer, and the total is about $250.00. Now we know!! how we get ripped off when buying ‘automotive primers and paints’. The above gets you 5 gallons of paint. These paints are not available at your corner store, but every city has suppliers of such industrial products. This is a Canadian manufactured product that I buy and I would not know who can supply this in the US, but surely, there is an equivalent paint recipe somewhere. If you restore an entire car, 5 gallons would do it well…also use it on the inner body panels. Guertin CoatingsINC. EF72095 epoxy, black…maybe you can do a search on the net. To find an equivilent. …Robert