Primer Layer Colors - Epoxy, Slick Sand, 2K, Sealer, Etc

[turbocobra]

65 Mustang Coupe. Alot of the panels are reproduction, but the roof, quarter panels, fenders are all original, and are in need of quite abit of body work.

Planning on working the dents the best I can with hammer/dolly, stud welder / dent puller. Plan to leave the dents slightly low to be finished off with filler/putty.

Once it is all roughed in, I will put on epoxy primer, then slick sand (1st coat blocked to 120, second coat blocked to 180). Then finally 2K blocked to 400.

I have already put some grey DPLF50 on the roof as it is already roughed in. However, I see the slick sand is only available in grey, and I have heard that you want your different layers to be different colors so you can see if you have sanded through while blocking.

So I will go back over the grey epoxy, and do the rest in a different color.

After that long winded background, here is the question. Does it really matter what color the epoxy is in terms of it effecting the final color of the car with Silver being the primary base coat color? So any harm in using black DPLF Or the green/grey DPLF?


Also, I only have a 1.8 and 2.5 tips for my primer gun. Should I thin slicksand and use the 1.8 or spray it as is with the 2.5?

[Steve g]

Not sure I'm following on the
"So I will go back over the grey epoxy, and do the rest in a different color."

It is not necessary to use different colors for your different products. You need to be using a designated guide coat product to ensure you're getting everywhere. This will be all you need to find your way through the blocking process.

If you are using your epoxy as your sealer just before basecoat then color is important. Layers below this sealer coat are irrelevent when it comes to your base application. Your sealer , whether you are using an actual sealer or an epoxy primer is applied just prior to your basecoat, think of it as your first coat of base. Trying to get coverage over black or any dark color with silver will difficult and result in a lot more coats of base to get hiding. Ideally a light grey or even a white sealer (or epoxy) would be best under silver.

I can't answer your question on the slicksand other than to say that you should not thin it anymore than the manufacturer recommends. Thinned material will also shrink a little more when curing/drying. As a general rule, my personal preference would be to use the larger tip and not thin if that tip meets the recommended tip size for unthinned material.

Steve g

[Bob K]

You say you are leaving spots low for filler; I get that, so you are putting filler over the metal work, right? Then you say once it’s roughed in you are going to do epoxy primer. Why not do your slick sand instead since it will act as a skim coat for your filler work. It is filler after all and why would you want a layer of epoxy between two layers of filler? Then why not continue blocking the slick sand down to 400 since it can be used as surfacer. Last put gray epoxy as a sealer over everything if you want epoxy in the mix before your base coat. I don’t worry about sanding through surfacer into Slick Sand; I treat them as being the same. If you sand through into regular filler though I would recommend a spot repair of 2k surfacer over that sand through and block it with 400.

My personal preference is to not use thinner if it isn’t called for so I would go with the large tip but others may differ here. I don’t know if the use of thinner makes it easier to sand. I have had my share of thinner induced problems so I don’t put it in anything unless it is part of the mix instructions. The Evercoat people say you can but they don’t say you should use thinner.

Last to address the sand through into DPLF, I am confident that the gray colors of the two materials are not identical and you will see the epoxy as you sand through to it. It being thin, you will probably sand through it also right to metal. In any event if some epoxy was exposed at the final moment before you seal, what would it hurt? You will be putting more epoxy on at this point any way won’t you?

Bob K

[turbocobra]

Thanks guys.

Sorry I wasn't clear. I am doing the body work one panel at a time and it's taking a while. So once I do the body work and filler on one panel, I like to put it in epoxy primer.

Once all this is done, I will come back and scuff/sand the epoxy and apply the Slick Sand.

Thanks for the clarification on not needed different colors for each layer. I thought I had read that hear before.

I was definitely planning on using dry guide coat on the slick sand and 2K primer to aid in the blocking. My concern was sanding through one layer to the other and not being able to tell it.