The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop I would rather not spray

I have a can of primer. It directs to thin it down and spray it.
I would rather not spray.
So what happens if i try to roll or brush it on straight from can?

people been doing that in mobile home parks for years..........
but seriously.....

paints like laquer bond by chemical "adhesion" whereby the ppaint sort of melts to the last layer and forms a bond. laquer spray paint is actually being, or in some states, banned already, since envioronuts think is maybe could harm the spotted rabbit winged turtlechuck. we can't have that, now can we?

you thin primer to help it flow into all those little cracks and creases made in the metal by PROPER PREPARATION and by doing so, insure it will hold on, and not flake off later. pressure painting help sorta blast the primer into those little pores and micro scratches made by sanding. rememr, if the primer doesn't hold...neither will the top coat. remember all them early 90's pickups and mini vans with the paint peeling off in big sections?

so, yeah, if you thin the primer, i suppose you could brush it on, and if you want a good looking job with the top coat, you can hand sand the primer back to smooth. i assume you will shoot the top coat, and not brush that on.

Check out this site, it will give you some ideas about painting without spraying.

http://www.rickwrench.com/index79master.htm?http://www.rickwrench.com/50dollarpaint.html

Even primer/surfacer (some call it high build primer) is supposed to be sprayed in fairly thin coats so that it dries completely between coats. There's no reason you can't roll or brush it BUT you'll need to make sure it's dry all the way through before sanding it and it will take a long time to dry. It it's too thick it'll feel dry but still be un-cured underneath. If you shoot a top coat over it before it's totally dry you can have issues with the top coat.

It's really not that hard to believe. The process for finishing off any rough surface is the same wether it's orange peel or whatever. You sand it, compound it and polish it.

To me, the fact that someone would paint a trophy winning fiberglass Corvette black is proof enough that these guys are damned good.

Got a friend thet used red Rustolem on a 62 Plymouth andit lasted about 3 months before it started fading. poor guy has to polish it once a month. If I was forced to do it that way I don't think I would use that kind of paint but rather auto paint with hardner. it will color sand much better and have a better holdout.

The good news: this process works, just about as advertised. As expected, orange peel can be a problem, but repeated sanding, tack cloth work and repetition works well.

The bad news...unless you're painting white, or staying in a garage, count on some fading. I did this on my '63 two years ago, and it's about two shades lighter now.

Ultimately, it was an interesting esperiment, and OK for a fun truck. Not sure I'd want to try it on a serious project, though.