• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Spray can vs paint gun epoxy primer?

dodge68charger

dodge68charger

Well-Known Member
Local time
9:55 PM
Joined
Feb 6, 2012
Messages
1,230
Reaction score
81
Location
Washington
I am stripping my doors, fenders, and trunk lid down to bare metal. I want to put them into epoxy primer. Is there an advantage mixing and spraying the primer through a paint gun at a body shop vs me using the 2k system with hardener built into the can. The spray can idea would cost way less but no experience with it. Thanks
 
My 2 cents is there has never been a rattle can product that can compare to mix and paint with a gun products. Also I have seen rattle can primers that wrinkle when regular body shop type paint is applied over them. Might work as long as a good sealer goes on between that and paint. Again my 2 cents only.
 
X3 Mix it and spray with a gun, better coverage, higher build and takes a fraction of the time. A decent gun can be bought for $200 or you can go cheap and get one under $50.00 but it's just that.... a cheap gun.
 
Yup....epoxy is always a two part paint and you can't put it into a spray bomb. Now there is some spray cans that say they mix when you spray it but from what I understand, they don't work very well either. As much as I hate China Freight, I bought a spray gun kit from them. It has one larger gun and one smaller one (touch up/door jamb gun) and they work pretty good but I had to open 4 boxes before I found two guns that were machined well enough to not call them junk. Look at some good guns and then look at their junk and you'll see what I'm talking about. If you pick and chose, you can end up with decent pieces.
 
I am in the same place DodgeCharger, tearing down with absolutely NO experience with the spray median. I have the guns, compressor (bought and still pristine) and even purchased the supplies but scared to take that first step. Trying to do it in a three car garage, in the winter in Alaska with plastic draped ceiling to floor. Heated garage, but leery of screwing it up and having to restrip all the parts. Wanted to use the rattle can as you are but needed to hear it may not be compatible with what the painter may do or need to have a nice finished product. Standing by......
 
They do have two part epoxy rattle cans, there is a hardener capsule you pop on the bottom of the can, never used one but they are out there. I believe you can order customer colors and clear also.
 
Mocajava said:
I am in the same place DodgeCharger, tearing down with absolutely NO experience with the spray median. I have the guns, compressor (bought and still pristine) and even purchased the supplies but scared to take that first step. Trying to do it in a three car garage, in the winter in Alaska with plastic draped ceiling to floor. Heated garage, but leery of screwing it up and having to restrip all the parts. Wanted to use the rattle can as you are but needed to hear it may not be compatible with what the painter may do or need to have a nice finished product. Standing by......
Click to expand...
Practice on something that's not of value. I've done very little paint work but over a year ago, my daughter wrecked her car and I fixed it for her. It's been years since I didn't any kind of painting and had never done any base/clear work. I have a top from a 67 Coronet that I kept for the sheet metal and used it as a test bed. Didn't sand it but got my spray pattern down and followed the destructions for the paint etc. So far, the car is still looking good and it's not garage kept. I epoxy primed the parts before installing them.
 
Products out of a can have a habit of lifting when you topcoat with mixed paint from a gun. Spray can small brackets/pulleys/underside of car etc. no problem. As long as you topcoat with spray can material.
 
Probably don't need epoxy primer for doors and such.
..Any two part primer will be fine as long as it's compatible with
your finish coat...
 
440+6 said:
They do have two part epoxy rattle cans, there is a hardener capsule you pop on the bottom of the can, never used one but they are out there. I believe you can order customer colors and clear also.
Click to expand...

I have used these, with very good results. The paint was as durable as the paint that I mixed and put through a gun. They are a true two-part epoxy in a spray bomb with both advantages and disadvantages.

On the plus side, you don't need to fire up a compressor and there is no spray gun that needs a thorough cleaning afterwards. This can save a lot of time.

On the negative side, the cost per ounce of paint is higher, and you have to use the whole can up within a few hours of activating it because whats left in the can will go hard a few hours later. Some people claim that putting the can in the fridge will give you up to a day of extra paint life, I haven't tried that. If you plan ahead and have several square feet to cover and will use up the can, it can work well for you.
 
You don't need a $200 gun for epoxy or really any primer.
 
Just my 2 cents, but for a good out come stick to one brand of paint products from start to finish. Dupont , Deltron/PPG ect
surface prep , primer , reducers , sealer , color & clear. Lots of brands out there and everyone has their favorites but just stick with one no matter what one you use.
 
Any product better than the other. I heard nothing but good things about SPI Products but they seem really finicky
 
We use Deltron / PPG products at our shop, Nothing wrong with Dupont though, those are the ones I have the most experience with since the base clear systems became the norm.

There are many good suppliers out there, I was just trying to get you to stick with one all the way through, that cuts the chances of a bad outcome down a lot.
 
1967coronet said:
Just my 2 cents, but for a good out come stick to one brand of paint products from start to finish. Dupont , Deltron/PPG ect
surface prep , primer , reducers , sealer , color & clear. Lots of brands out there and everyone has their favorites but just stick with one no matter what one you use.
Click to expand...

I've gotten away with mixing brands for years but it bit me on my last car.... not compatible and yes I had to strip it all back off.

I've used PPG, House of Kolors, Omni, Delton, DuPont, SEM, Finish Pro, Martin Senior and others and had luck with most. Omni is PPG's cheaper line and has some decent primers but to me the cheaper paints require at least 1 additional coat for good coverage where House of Kolors covers well with one coat so sometimes you use twice as much anyways. Out of the easily available brands I like PPG and Deltron.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

TrackPack
Prep for epoxy primer
2 3
Replies
42
Views
7K
snakeoil24
snakeoil24
davek
priming car with epoxy primer, new at this
Replies
14
Views
3K
moparmusclecars
moparmusclecars
70chall440
Spray Can Mopar Paint
Replies
8
Views
1K
Belvedere408
Belvedere408
VicsGarage
Car-Rep 2k epoxy
Replies
7
Views
3K
xs-ivv
xs-ivv
xs-ivv
Paint/prime over industrial epoxy
Replies
10
Views
1K
xs-ivv
xs-ivv
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top