Spray can primer options.

K

kimbercarrier

Junior Member
Hey fellas

I'm working on doing some blasting/sheet metal work on my 40 pickup cab. I need a recommendation for a spray can type of primer to use.

I bought a new box from Mack Hils, and I primed that with rustoleum epoxy primer. Now that I'm working on assembling the box I'm finding that primer is essentially peeling/flaking off. The last few times I've used rustoleum products, I've been less than impressed with the results.

Can you guys recommend a spray/rattle can type primer that can be used with a "professional" topcoat? As in I'd like to do the blasting/metal work as I can and apply primer in the repaired areas, and later apply a 2 part paint with a gun for a professional (but DIY) finish?

Brands/types please if you got them.

I've been reading about sem and seymour...
 
Did you metal etch the bare metal before anything else? ALL bare metal begins to rust immediately after being exposed to oxygen in the air. That needs to be stopped before anything else or it will come back on you.
There are self etching primers in rattle cans. These are not primer surfacers you sand.
 
I first started using this about a year ago. It covers well and has a nice consistency. I have no long history with it as I think it is a rather new product. It claims to bond to 'Aluminum', metal and more.
 

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I agree with etch primer going on first, then the primer. I have used rustoleum’s “automotive primer” (available at Lowes) for small stuff and minor spot repairs, but I would use a higher quality urethane primer under your final color coat. Any aerosol primers I have used seem to sand thru very easily and have no build. Don’t want to skimp on primer; it’s the foundation for a durable finish.
Good luck with whatever you choose. I was pleased long ago with Mack Hils’ pieces on my ‘52 pickup. They fit perfectly.
 
just my two cents; my go-to primer is SEM self etching primer. I've used rustoleum self etching, but had troubles with adhesion, maybe it's due to the high humidity here in south Florida. anyhoo, that's just my opinion
 
Get a quart of epoxy and put a good quality primer as your base in my opinion. A rattle can coating could inhibit good adhesion later on. I used Ppg dp epoxy on mine, and then layered my other filler primers on that as I got into bodywork.
 
I would tend to (prefer) use the 2 part epoxy/gun app. green aviation. prob take less time overall to just do it that way. and the adhesion is excellent! PPG
 
I actually have painted quite a few cars. I always etch the bare metal with liquid etching solution which is an acid. It converts iron oxide to iron sulfate and from that point on the invisible rust (iron oxide) is inert. All automotive paint stores sell it, but you can buy the same stuff at Home Depot for 1/3rd the cost. Then I spray (non sanding) catalyzed urethane primer/sealer, then catalyzed urethane high build to block. When this meets your criteria for smoothness, then comes your topcoat. Mostly I use single stage urethane, sometimes clear coating it but on old cars I do not. In my opinion it looks too "plastic like". Basecoat/clearcoat is best done in a real paint booth as you have many opportunities for dust etc in the added coats. I have been doing this since the early 70s as a "hobbyist" moved from lacquer to hardened acrylic enamel to urethane over the years and finally finished painting my Brand X bucket list car.. I have used the spray can self etching primer on non car things. Everything else goes on with a gun.
 
This is what I have used for years when I don't want to use a gun.
 

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Eastwood makes some primers that look like they would work, I have yet to try them. Their line of products is pretty complete and less expensive than the auto part stores.
 
I've never found a spray can primer that I would use on anything that I expected to last and to not have to strip and repaint in the next couple of years (at best). I would buy an inexpensive paint gun from someplace like Tractor Supply or Harbor Freight and I would use a professional quality primer - probably a 2-part epoxy or urethane.

Some primers are built for bare metal - they 'etch' into the metal - they are expensive, but do a great job. I never scrimp on this aspect of painting as the initial metal prep and primer is the foundation that everything else relies on.
 
I've used Dominion Sure Seal self etching primer with good results on small parts when its too much trouble to get out my spray equipment. A Canadian product but may be available in USA and listed on Amazon.com
 
Some years back I was building a popular aluminum homebuilt aircraft and wanted an etching primer for the insides of small (and not so small) components. Many folks recommended this product by Mar-Hyde. It had awesome "tooth" on aluminum, and I was hooked. As others have said, there are times when firing up a gun with your chosen product is the way to go, however this stuff works really well on most any metal, and can be top coated with whatever quite well.
 

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kimbercarrier said:
...I primed that with rustoleum epoxy primer. Now that I'm working on assembling the box I'm finding that primer is essentially peeling/flaking off...
Click to expand...

That sounds like a surface preparation issue, not a primer issue. How thoroughly did you clean and de-oil the surfaces, and what did you use?

Spraying a bed with a rattle can is quite the endeavor. Tough on the fingers and hard to ensure an even application across the entire surface.
 
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