The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Epoxy Primer cleaner / clean up for gun

Hi All,

I just purchased some SPI Epoxy Primer to seal the truck frame with. From reading the label and tech manual I see nothing that indicates a material for clean up. I have tons of standard lacquer thinner i.e. not auto grade. Does anyone familiar with this product think this will be acceptable provided I do not let the epoxy sit in the gun for too long? I do realize there are other options but was hoping to get this verified before pursuing them as I have a bunch of this stuff.

Thanks for any advice.
Scott

You can use it but if you have a little high end urethane reducer (SPI) for a last rinse you'll have that last bit of residue left over from cheap solvents removed... It's worth having their reducer for thinning the epoxy anyway.
Proper cleaning and prep(Per Tech sheet) is way important, don't skimp on it.

Thanks CASO. Because they recommend not thinning their product I just skipped getting the reducer, forgetting about the clean up process.

I will follow your advise and use the reducer as a final clean-up.

Thanks
Scott

They recommend the first two coats over metal be full strength, following coats can be reduced up to 50% for a smoother finish/less peel. I use it full strength and if I have any left over thats four days old I add a shot of reducer to start my 5 day window over. Mostly now I just mix what I need but early on when I was stripping and getting things sealed back up it was handy to have a batch ready to go. Plus it makes nice hockey pucks if you leave an inch or so in a jar for a month!

Thanks CASO! Because it has a 30 minute slake time I need to make sure I mix enough to do 2 coats so by the time I finish the frame I will be in the window to begin another one.

I am doing the frame of a 52 1/2 ton with the springs and axles still attached. Any rough idea how much product I should prepare? If it matters I am using a Binks gun with a quart pressure pot to apply with. Tip size unknown at this point.

Thanks

If it's on a rotisserie and your going to shoot it all at once I'd say close to 3/4 gal RTS. If your stripping in sections just mix what you need for that day (give it the 30 min activation time first). I usually mix up a batch and let it activate for about 48 hours before I start using it. It gets silky smooth.
In case you missed it they now recommend 3 coats to make it bulletproof (so to speak) and you don't have to do the them all on the same day. one coat a day is no problem and even preferred if they are heavy coats.
And I have to say I'd be real inclined to roll and brush it on. It lays out nice and flat and there is something about brushing paint into the pores of a frame that that rests well with me.

But if your shooting I'd do 2 coats give it a day or two to cure then cut it with 180 and get rid of any peel and drips then I'd reduce the last coat about 25% to get that nice sheen and smooth finish. A few days in the sun to cure and your good to go.
Same thing if you brush or roll.

Good advice. Thank you very much!

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