rolling on primer

[mxwllslvrhmr]

Reading elsewhere about 'rolling on primer' instead of spraying in it on: The idea is to use a foam roller (no knapp) to lay the primer on. Is this doable to lay primer on in this way, then sand as necessary? .. If so, what primer to use?. The car ('64 Corvette) is down to the fiberglass and areas of red oxide factory primer.

[Eddie]

What kind of primer?

If you're looking at the roller and tip method peddled on the Internet, you better like sanding. I give it two thumbs down.

Any paint product designed for professional refinishing will be far too thin for a roller or brush. Save that for Rustoleum.

I often brush epoxy on parts that I intend to let sit for a while. I do it to protect the parts from corrosion while they sit. When I am ready to install the parts and refinish them for real, I sand it off and spray epoxy for a first coat.

[MARTINSR]

A number of manufacturers like Dupont, Sikkins, PPG and the like have recommendations for rolling primers, and even "spreading" it with a squeegee! These are zero VOC applications and they have worked with a bunch of different ways to pull it off. I have done a little trial with both of them and Eddie is right it does add a lot of work that you can avoid by spraying. But if you are doing small spots the squeegee method has it's advantages. It is a special primer that you apply with a applicator gun onto a mixing board like polyester putty but it is pre-mixed by the applicator. If you have just small areas like door dings you have fixed, this isn't a bad way to go but the technique has a steep learning curve.

The rolling, I have tried it and it does leave you with a very thin application BUT very textured. If you applied a few coats allowing each one to flash off and cure it could be done but damn you are going to go thru a lot of rollers! We had a paint rep demo it and I didn't watch but he did lay it pretty usable. It seemed simple enough but in trying it, it was not very satisfactory.

All I can say is contact the paint company that you got the primer from and ask what their recommendations are. Give it a shot on some small areas and see how it works for you.

Brian

[Len]

The only time I'd recommend rolling on primer is when you don't have panels that bolt together that need primer. Priming using this method is great because you don't need to mask for priming if the primer spots are not adjacent to moldings or other non-primed surfaces.

Below is a link to a job we did using a roller. We found that the type of primer is important because some primers will bubble when rolled and others will roll out fine. You can save yourself a lot of sanding if you roll it on properly.

Note: We didn't use a stud welder on this job because it was an aluminum hood.


http://www.autobodystore.com/hooddentcomp.jpg
LINK (http://www.autobodystore.com/dent_and_roll.shtml)

[baubau]

i saw that demo that Len did here and posted on this forum years back and i have been rolling primer on the panels every chance i get....it saves me a lot of time masking, taping and cleaning the gun..

i use Upol primer for all my primer surfacer applicataions, spraying or rolling....the trick is to find best suitable roller.....and buy lots of those :)....i use foam rollers that are not too "spongy" so they dont absorb a lot of primer and air with it..so less bubles and less texture to sand..

i apply it in multiple layers and i can achieve great build up....the important thing is allowing primer to flash....