How To: C15a Wire-3 restoration

[Bob Carriere]

Things to remember. POR is not a paint but a coating. It is basically crazy glue with a pigment. It chemically bonds to whatever it is coating BUT if you can provide a mechanical bond that it is really tough. You can paint POR on a sanded section of sheet metal and bend the sheet metal and the coating will not peel. It will loosen its bond of heat is applied....therefore nto good for engine blocks.

On properly degreased cast axles,
T-case, tranny cases that have been sandblasted the outcome is almost like a ceramic finish.

I had rear axles on axles stands....3 feet tall..... the U shape strap the held the axles in place rubbed off the 3 coats of OD paint and the baby blue Tie coat but did not scratch the POR coating on the axle tubes.

POR cures with humidity in the air.... it starts curing the moment you open the can.... that is why they advise never to paint directly from the can as it will continue to get thicker and spoil very fast even after you seal it.

Eastwood now sells a similar "encapsulator" coating which is solvent based and hardens by evaporation of the solvent.... less toxic than POR fumes whcih can harden in the humid linings of your lungs. I have yet to try it.

The two part epozy primers/paint are also very resistant btu have nto palyed with them yet.

No paint will stick to properly cured POR UNLESS you use a self hetch primer
( which of course POR will sell you) and the tried and true TIE Coat which is a sky blue sandable, thick, self leveling primer polyuethane based.

On new steel...sheet metal.... which has been repaired sanded and polished smooth a light pass with a small sandblaster will take care of the adhesion problems.

IMHO.

[charlie fitton]

I'm enjoying all this paint discussion - it's never been a strong point with me.

POR, Epoxy primer, - Where do you buy this stuff?,

Can you paint outside?, and

inasmuch as safety goes - what special precautions?

f

[Grant Bowker]

POR is available at (at least some) Canadian Tire stores. I would expect the epoxy primer at auto body supply houses.
I prefer to apply POR outside (works fastest on warm humid days to speed the chemical reaction setup) but if I must appy indoors I try to be near the basement exhaust fan. The smell travels and penetrates the rest of the house otherwise.
When applied by brush, I don't worry much beyond wearing old clothes and gloves. If you do spatter yourself, wipe it clean with lacquer thinner before it sets or you will be wearing it until either you wear it off or you shed the layer of skin it is bonded to.
The data sheet is at http://qr.absolutecoatings.com/QR-as...Preventive.pdf

IMPORTANT - For spray application wear a good mask to keep both particles and vapours out of your lungs.

[chris vickery]

Well Bob there you have it for one advantage of epoxy primer- it can be painted directly over with no other special coatings, primers etc required.
Once it has hardened, it will not come off. You can bend metal whatever you want. You can hit it with a hammer and it will not chip or flake.
The key with the epoxy is to let it cure sufficiently to not affect the top coat but to top coat it within 24hrs of spraying.
With flat military type paints not such a big deal as the epoxy flashes off quickly but I have seen guys in a rush with gloss finishes where they did not allow it to flash off and the solvents from the epoxy causes the top coat to become patchy-areas that were glossy and areas that were dull.
Two part epoxy is available from a wide range of places that deal in auto body supplies but I think even Napa and Carquest carry it.
I have painted 95% of my projects outside on a nice calm day when its not too hot. Even better if you have one of those tent shelters that you can work in.
All paints are obviously nasty for ones health.
A well fitting cartridge style half mask is recommended at a minimum with the correct filters. I use a 3M brand.
Also, don't be tardy in cleaning up your spray equipment.
Most industrial applications as well as body shops are using epoxy primer systems and even epoxy paints.

[rob love]

I used to be big on the epoxy primers, but have now migrated over to the POR 15. I have sandblast capabilities ( I live in Shilo, so the sand is free), so the metal preparation is not a big deal. I find that if I paint my topcoat onto the POR-15 while it is still tacky, the adhesion is good. It does however make my flat military gillespie paint almost into a semi gloss, but also seems to harden the gillespie paint as well.

I did apply the POR15 onto a M152 fame by a spray gun once, but think I will live with the brush from now on. The final finish by the brush is every bit as nice.

If only they would make POR-15 in military colours.

[Jordan Baker]

Frame got dropped off yesterday. Should be picking up paint tomorrow from the states. Hopefully in 24hrs it will be painted.

For my cab frame. I was going to spray it as well. However I will be going over the metal work as I have a number of the fasteners to weld back on and have to do some other patch work. Should I just spray the entire thing then grind off where I need to weld?

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Jordan

....sprayed the phosphorous etching solution yet...?

What fixtures are you welding back on...?

I would weld first..... then clean the welded area and phosphate again before doing the POR as fumes from the welding can be tricky.

Good luck and be safe wear rubber


...gloves!!!

[rob love]

No need for the etching solution if it has been sandblasted.

I ran around town a little while ago trying to find that solution (metal-prep) and of all places it turned out to be at Canadian tire, and at very reasonable prices too. Ours does not carry the POR-15 paint though, but who knows in the future?