Just curious about what methods, paints, processes other Letterheads have found to paint aluminum, both new and previously lettered with paint?
------------------ Gary Aiken Can-Do Graphics & Signs "Life is short; hurry to be kind." Anon Swannanoa, North Carolina
Posted by Barry Branscum (Member # 445) on :
We just did a colossal 6'X72' Main sign for a local grocery.....TWICE THIS YEAR!!!
No, we did not screw up and have to redo it....the store changed hands six months after the first repaint KA-ching!
Anywhooo
We just scuffed and cleaned the sucker then hit it hard with Ronan Blockout white, then came back with Chromatic, using both a brush and a roller. Worked like a charm---and boy that PRIMER! We were covering RED COPY on a white panel!!
Hats off to RONAN!
Barry
------------------ Master's Touch Signs & Screenprinting Clinton AR 5017456246 ICQ 17430008 Signs of Excellence!!!
[This message has been edited by Tasmus (edited July 21, 2000).]
Posted by FranCisco Vargas (Member # 145) on :
Gary, I would use XIM primers and sealers, best thing for this type of process, it also comes in clear, so you can coat it out any color you want. Then just letter or paint to your desire....
------------------ FranCisco Vargas aka: Cisco aka:Traveling Millennium Sign Artist http://www.franciscovargas.com Fresno, CA 93703 559 252-0935
"to live life, is to love life, a sign of no life, is a sign of no love"...Cisco 12'98
Posted by Michael Boone (Member # 308) on :
For bare aluminum..you cannot beat Vari.Prime from DuPont....it works well on bare steel as well..it is an automotive product....has acid in it to self etch..in case you got a lil hasty with prep...I like to follow up with acrylic enamel/easy on the hardener.... I prefer if possible to get baked enamel panels and use them instead of painting..it is more cost effective and a lot less toxic...even "reskin a sign sometimes insteada painting.... For painting tips and products check your local auto parts store..they have a lot of good products and knowledge.. Special etches are available for aluminum... Be careful..these products will hurt you.use appropriate saftey equipment...or job it out to a body shop... I deal with a body shop....he likes to trade..I need paint work all the time and he needs all kinds of striping,graphics etc..and he races snowmobiles....so it works oout well for both of us.....he has the spray booth..hood ..all that safety s@#...and paint right on the shelf....Plus this guy is a natural with a spray gun....
The old preferred primer used to be zinc chromate applied after an acid bath and application of a conversion coating. Zinc chromate is hard to find now, and may not even be legal anymore.I found that it could be rolled on with a thin foam roller, two coats seemed to work best. This stuff dries very fast. Then roll your color coat on; again, two or more coats. Tru-test makes a pretty good aluminum/galvanized primer called X-O Rust #1200, but even this is hard to find. As silly as it sounds, you can "acid-bath" using undiluted white vinegar, after scuffing with a scuff pad. Vinegar is a lot less lethal than some of the commercial stuff, the drawback is you'll smell funny for awhile. Also, let the vinegar air-dry, then do the priming. For durabilities sake, I would be a little gun-shy of non-automotive type primers, mostly because aluminum has a lot of expansion and contraction with temperature changes and I don't believe block-out et al keep up well with these changes. Good luck. Bill Preston
------------------ Bill Preston Fly Creek, N.Y. USA signpntr@capital.net
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
For mill finish Aluminum, I use GripGard Wash Primer by Akzo Coatings. Any major sign supplier should be able to get it. It is a 2 part etching primer (a gallon of wash primer and a gallon of wash hardener will set you back about $80). The wash hardener can be used to clean up your spray equipment, however, I use methanol to clean up (about 1/10 the cost).
GripGard Wash Primer has a pot life of 2 weeks after mixing. Some of the other brands only have a pot life of a day or two.
XIM may be a good primer for previously painted surfaces or steel but DO NOT use it on mill finish Aluminum, unless you have figured out a way to get paid to repaint your sign when the paint inevitably starts flaking off. I had a really expensive lesson with it about 15 years ago. A customer accused us of not priming our panels. I said we did prime them, the XIM primer is clear. He said, "There is no such thing as a clear primer." My foreman, after surveying the paint coming off in sheets, agreed.
After researching this issue, I settled on GripGard and have had no further problems. GripGard can also be used on steel, fiberglas and wood, although I do not use it for the latter.
Before using the GripGard, I always thoroughly clean the Aluminum and I also either scuff sand it or use a Scotchbrite pad on it.
------------------ A Sign of Excellence
Posted by Ian Wilson (Member # 177) on :
We get all our aluminium signs podercoated lasts longer and is cheaper than painting and can be polished after many years with a good automotive silicone polish this also stops the graphitti sticking to the signs
------------------ Ian Wilson Signmaker Toowoomba City Council Cnr Anzac Ave & Stephen st Toowoomba Queensland Australia may all your toubles be little ones The man that never make a mistake never makes anything
Posted by stein Saether (Member # 430) on :
Careful when scuffing alu Alu dust is very hazardious to health, so just dont breath it.
------------------ Stein Sæther GullSkilt AS Trondheim
Posted by Monte Jumper (Member # 1106) on :
Mathews (self etching)2 part chromate primer.
In my opinion,hands down the best product ever made. I have signs that have been up 15 years and better and show no signs of flaking. This product will accept any and all types of paint,my favorite however is Centari automotive finishes...if ya want a sign to last you can charge big bucks for this combo and never loose a nites sleep wondering when it's gonna lift.
------------------ Monte Jumper SIGNLanguage/Norman.Okla.
