Nah, there weren’t really many colourful expletives this time around, it was a lot more like:
SERIOUSLY?!?!?
BUILD THREAD “The Juggernaut”
- Thread starter Rktpwrd
- Start date
Nah, there weren’t really many colourful expletives this time around, it was a lot more like:
SERIOUSLY?!?!?
Yeah, I don't blame you. It would be different it is was just slapped together. It wasn't and good paint needs a good base. Carry on, next time will be perfect.
Well, that was neither quick nor easy. As anything that’s worth it seldom is.
After 20+ hours of sitting and kneeling in front of the firewall, it’s now completely blocked out in 180 grit. All painstakingly done by hand with a little piece of paper wrapped around a 1/4” thick x 1/2” wide piece of scrap metal except for the large flat areas. The DuraBlocks were just too big and clumsy to use around all the small detail areas.
No more pinholes, layering, grinder marks, runs, or any other defects.
Now tomorrow night, it’s cleaning everything thoroughly and re-masking the floor for the re-spray.
I’m much happier with it now, the first couple coats of epoxy, even though they came up short, now that they’ve been sanded will make for a great foundation for the re-spray. I was just asking too much of the product at first and I was a little concerned about that beforehand if I’m being perfectly honest.
Oh well, live and learn, onwards and upwards.
It will have been worth it.
D.
After 20+ hours of sitting and kneeling in front of the firewall, it’s now completely blocked out in 180 grit. All painstakingly done by hand with a little piece of paper wrapped around a 1/4” thick x 1/2” wide piece of scrap metal except for the large flat areas. The DuraBlocks were just too big and clumsy to use around all the small detail areas.
No more pinholes, layering, grinder marks, runs, or any other defects.
Now tomorrow night, it’s cleaning everything thoroughly and re-masking the floor for the re-spray.
I’m much happier with it now, the first couple coats of epoxy, even though they came up short, now that they’ve been sanded will make for a great foundation for the re-spray. I was just asking too much of the product at first and I was a little concerned about that beforehand if I’m being perfectly honest.
Oh well, live and learn, onwards and upwards.
It will have been worth it.
D.
That is an insane amount of work and I bet your knees and back are letting you know. So I have technical questions. What tip did you use on your gun and will you change it? Or can you just thin the epoxy out with more reducer and accomplish the desired results?
Sorry for the delayed reply Tony, but I was already at work when I saw your question, and I wanted to wait until I was home to confirm the size of the tip on the gun.
I’m using the small touch up gun that came in my DeVilbiss Starting Line kit to spray the firewall. I checked, but it’s not actually stamped. I think I’ve got either the 1.3 mm or the 1.5 mm tip in there now though. Either of which is acceptable for epoxy, the spec sheet calls for between a 1.3 and 1.6 mm tip. No, it wasn’t the gun’s fault, nor was the mixture ratio. I was just simply trying to accomplish too much with the product.
Where the issues arose was anywhere I had filler work done. This is where it pinholed, the epoxy just wouldn’t flow fully into the sand scratches. Would a finer finish have helped? Possibly, but I’ve run into this situation before. Ideally epoxy would only be sprayed directly on bare metal, but it’s not a bad idea to use it over filler either, it just doesn’t seem to like it. It seals the filler so it can’t absorb any moisture. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t ever be an issue, because when I shoot epoxy, I almost always shoot high build on it wet on wet right away afterwards which fills in any pinholes. In this case I was trying to use the epoxy to do both tasks, which it was never intended to do.
As for over reducing the mixture, that’s not entirely advisable either. An abundance of reducer will cause sand scratch swelling, and makes everything even more susceptible to runs as well, not to mention reduced film thickness and hiding ability. It’s advisable to stay within the recommendations on the spec sheet for a reason.
Hope this all makes sense?
Re-spray is done.
No, it’s still not perfect, but it’s acceptable for the intended purpose. Fit for purpose as it were.
The perfectionist in me still isn’t happy with the results (still a few pinholes and a couple of sags), but the realist in me realizes it’s more than adequate for what I intend to do with it.
You see, the rear firewall was never intended to be painted as the main plan. I’ve been planning from the start on wrapping it in black leather to match the seats. The reason I’ve been trying to get it as good as I can is in case that’s not feasible when the time comes. I wanted it more than good enough to upholster in leather, but close enough to be able to paint (with a little work) if needed, and I think I’m there.
At any rate, that’s it, I’m done. Not going to redo it a third time. Tomorrow night we unmask, inspect the results, and move on from there. I have a little “mock-up something” planned coming up soon now that it’s done, so be sure to check that out in the next couple days.
D.
No, it’s still not perfect, but it’s acceptable for the intended purpose. Fit for purpose as it were.
The perfectionist in me still isn’t happy with the results (still a few pinholes and a couple of sags), but the realist in me realizes it’s more than adequate for what I intend to do with it.
You see, the rear firewall was never intended to be painted as the main plan. I’ve been planning from the start on wrapping it in black leather to match the seats. The reason I’ve been trying to get it as good as I can is in case that’s not feasible when the time comes. I wanted it more than good enough to upholster in leather, but close enough to be able to paint (with a little work) if needed, and I think I’m there.
At any rate, that’s it, I’m done. Not going to redo it a third time. Tomorrow night we unmask, inspect the results, and move on from there. I have a little “mock-up something” planned coming up soon now that it’s done, so be sure to check that out in the next couple days.
D.
Makes perfect sense. Thank you. The final spray looks far better than anything I could achieve. Amazing job as always D. And thanks again for taking the time to explain.
Great job as always Donovan. Remember, we're always our own worst critic. Looks great from here and you should be proud 👏
