Thread: What primer should I use?

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Hey all, I just picked up a HVLP gun for real cheap, so now I plan on primering the body with real primer rather than the rattle can primer I used.
What primer should I use? Its going to sit in the shed for awhile without paint. So I want something thats not goint to oxidize or surface rust. THe car with be painted either a charcoal gray or a glossy black. So I am figuring on going with the standard gray or dark gray primer.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks guys for all the help you have all given me some great ideas for my car. Its all planned out now, just need the time away from the prison to work on it. And for those wondering I work there now not live there, I am now a correctional officer, had to get away from computers for awhile, Hope to never return to that type of work again, figured it was time to get back into some type of law enforcement, 4 year break was enough.

Well joker,
I would figure out what paint product you are wanting to use first.
Then use their required K2 primer they recomend for their paint product.
Todays paint manufactures dont like standing behind their paint product when several types of other brands are used.

When something goes wrong in the paint process the first thing asked is what type products are underneath .
Then lies the BIG problem , they wont help you.

I will always stress that you need to stay with one manufactured product from start to finish! Never mix & match paint products.

I know alot of guys do it & have no problems , but they will scream bloody murder when something goes wrong & they have no clue what went wrong.
A word of advice you CAN NOT put lacquer base products over an enamel base product, but you can put enamel over lacquer.

Spray

Thanks Spray, Not sure what paint I am going to use, I was going to figure that out depending on the primer that was suggested. I want to use a paint thats easy to spray, nothing too fancy as this is going to be as much of a daily driver as it can be. Maybe go with a clear coat to even the flames out, so there is no layer look as you look down the side.
So what would you suggest? I am looking for something kind of cheap, nothing that will cost me $300 a pint.

I would recomend PPG's Omni line.
They have a single stage & a Base Coat/Clear Coat in that line.
It their cheaper line for a do it yourselfer.
They can mix any manufacturers color, just nothing in the custom line of colors.

you can go single stage with stripes & then clear it but takes alot longer to do it that way , because of dry times, it makes it like a 3-5 day job instead of going base clear you can do it all in a full days work!

Base clear is pretty forgiving really , I would go that route .
(edit)
If you go base clear instead of single stage the cost comparason is about the same, once you include all the catylist you would need for all the single stage color.
Spray

Thanks spray, thats what I needed to hear. Someone had told me similar to that awhile ago just couldn't remember what they said.
So I take it your a ppg guy?

Yes ,for 27 years and have never had a problem with their product.

Have also been an all levals PPG certified painter for 20 years.
Also ASE & GM certified , if that means anything.

I have tried other brands to try them out , but I just know PPG like the back of my hand.

Spray

I know a few that swear by PPG, and others that won't touch it, I guess its what you work with and are used to. I think I will take your advise to heart and stick with PPG as I have sprayed that in the past.

If you want a nice looking paint job without too much work, you'll need a base primer and a surfacer primer.I have been using mp170 epoxy with mp175 catalyst by PPG with good reults. It sticks to anything, sprays easily, and seals out water if you don't paint right away. Then, I have been using xtreme acrylic urethane surfacer primer by 5-star with mixed results. It sprays on thick, but if you dont sand it down right away it cracks. I have also been having trouble getting it to move through the gun as it is too thick and there are no thinners/reducers listed for it.

thanks 76 GMC I think I will try the mp170 and mp175 for the primer, Not sure about the xtreme as you are having problems with it,

The best primer on the market today is PPG's DP. It's a epoxy primer that does not have to be top coated. As far as paint, I find that Omni base coat requires more coats to cover than PPG's top of the line base coat - DBC.
For a beginner I would recommend PPG's single stage paint - DCC. It covers 220 grit sand scratches while bc/cc covers only 1000 grit thus,requiring more body work.
Good Luck - Don

PPG's base coat does not require 1000 grit for top coat,I spray it everyday all day long & have since it came out in the mid to late 80'S! 280-320 grit is as far as I go on a 6" Da. I never get sand scratches.

I was one of the First in the states to try DBU out & I know all its quirks. I can pound that stuff as hard as all get out & never have a problem with it.
What alot of people dont know is you can spray lacquer clear over DBU after an hour dry time , that was the required way of doing it when it first came out.

DBC is a good product , but it has a little bit of a lift cycle, if you dont know all its little neuances. Plus it doesnt have the catylised reducer like DBU. DBC will move on you when you clear it , if you pour the clear to it . But it does have a catylist that you can add to it ,to make it more like DBU and more forgiving. but then the cost factor goes up.

DCC is a good product , BUT it requires you to add mixed clear to the mixed color for better color hold out ( PPG's recomendations ).
DCC also has a delayed flow action that alot of guys cant get the hang of , it looks peelly & they will always do a double coat , there fore run city.

PPG's DP & DPLF is a sealer not a primer that requires sanding.It is more of a sealer, spray it just before you put paint over the top of it . I dont like it since they went to the Lead free.
It also comes in several color & they can be mixed together for different color variations, so it doesnt require as much color for coverage.

SprayTech

One thing I forgot about the Omni Gold MP 170, if you want to sand it after you spray it, it has a tendancy to load up the paper. Also, it can be top coated in 30 minutes, and remains "tacky" for 3 days and must be top coated within that time period or you will have to scuff it and reapply.