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USING POR-15 EFFECTIVELY
Prep: The most important step
The first thing to do is always clean the part with
POR- 15 Marine Clean. Dilute it with at least 50% water.
Scrub the pan thoroughly to remove any grease, oil,
dirt, or contamination and then rinse it with clean
running water. Do this even if the part bas been sandblasted
or cleaned with lacquer thinner or solvent. Automotive
paint prep cleaners leave a residue and need to be cleaned
off with Marine Clean. Always clean your parts with
Marine Clean BEFORE any sanding or sandblasting. Your
parts may appear clean after sandblasting, but they
are not. All of the surface contaminates and junk trapped
in the paint have just been pulverized and pounded into
the pores the sandblaster created. Clean it first with
Marine Cm. then rinse with clean water & dry. If
you skip this step or use other cleaners, don't complain
if your paint has FISH EYES, ORANGE PEEL OR OTHER FLAWS.
Etch: For maximum adhesion
After you've rinsed off Marine Clean and dried the
part, apply a liberal coat of Metal Ready. This is an
ACID, so wear gloves and safety goggles. If it gets
on your skin, rinse with water. Allow this acid to stay
wet on the part for at least 10 minutes. If it dries,
apply more. If it starts looking chalky, apply more.
After at least 10 minutes, rinse with clean water and
dry with towels or an air hose. The part will now have
an opaque, white-ish looking coating. This is a zinc
oxide layer that will prevent flash rusting and allows
the POR-15 to bond more thoroughly. NOTE:
We use Marine Clean and Metal Ready acid etch for all
paint work, even if the part does not receive a top
coat of POR-15 paint. We have found that even
spray paint adheres better if these products are applied.
Also, we use a clean Scotch-Brite pad to scrub the Metal
Ready into the metal to further promote adhesion.
Paint: The fun part
Now, the part is finally ready to paint. Don't do this
if it's raining or very humid unless you're in a healed
or air conditioned shop. This product dries faster with
more humidity. It is not like typical paint, which dries
from solvent evaporation. Therefore, be sure the pan
is absolutely dry. This means with a heat gun, hairdryer,
dry day, etc. The product can be applied with a brush,
roller, or spray equipment. We use a brush for small
jobs, spray for large areas. It is self-leveling so
it does not leave brush marks when dry.
After opening the can, stir it thoroughly. Do not shake
it as that introduces air bubbles. Then scoop out what
you need to use and put it into a disposable container.
A plastic cup is ideal. Place a layer of Saran Wrap
over the remainder in the can, install the lid, and
place it in your refrigerator. This keeps it from drying
and allows you to remove the lid with ease the next
time. For best results, you must pour the paint through
an automotive paint strainer to remove any solid particles
to achieve the best, smoothest finish.
Now you can apply the paint. Brush on a full coat and
allow it to dry, usually 2- 4 hours. The second coat
can be applied any time after the first coat dries.
If desired, additional coats can he applied any time
after the prior coats have dried with no sanding required.
If you are spraying, and it is humid at all, you are
more likely to have flaws. This occurs because the product
encounters water molecules in the air after it comes
out of the spray gun but before it reaches your parts.
This result can be reduced by only spraying on a VERY
dry day, and by holding the spray gun closer to the
part. This, of course requires reducing your air pressure
and practice to keep from getting runs in the paint.
NOTE: Depending on your spray
gun, you may have to thin the POR-15 paint. This
can only be done with POR-15 solvent. Thin only as needed,
usually less than 5%. Do not use lacquer thinner for
spraying, but you can use it to clean your equipment.
If you are not comfortable spraying automotive paints,
we recommend brushing or using Pre-Val disposable sprayers.
We have had perfect results applying with brushes and
use them far more often than spray equipment.
Reminders
Don't take short cuts POR-15 is a system designed
to work with its own products. lf you want to achieve
the best results, follow our tips here and the instructions
printed on each can and bottle. The best finish occurs
with the most prep and elbow grease. Did we mention
using Marine Clean? Thanks for reading this far and
for using these products.
Kelly Huffman, Proprietor and Veedub Doctor
The Bug Stop, Inc.
kelly@texasbugstop.com
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