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We have an oil truck to letter, belonging to my employee's brother. The tank is bare aluminum, with some extensive "ghosting" from old vinyl, so I'm thinking of just taping out and rolling a big color panel on the sides. What works to prime bare aluminum for topcoat with bulletin enamel? I've coated lots of stuff over the years, but unpainted aluminum is a new one. My first thought was metal/wood primer; tell me if there are better products. This being a budget/favor job for my employee and his bro, getting the thing sprayed by a body shop is out of the question.
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Cam, another one is XIM-#100 I used it several times with no problems. It's a great primer for what you want to do. Strong smell though, use it outdoors.
-------------------- aka:Cisco the "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 Posts: 3576 | From: Fresno, Ca, the great USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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Bruning paints makes a primer for non-ferrous metals called "Silathane". We use this extensively for aluminium tubing and such.
It rolls and brushes out fairly well and will suit your purposes just fine.
Have a great one!
-------------------- Bruce Bowers
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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I have to stick with Monty here. The Zinc Chromate will not only stick to the aluminum tank, but will help slow the effects of electrolisis. This is important because where the aluminum tank is mounted on the truck frame(steel) some interesting things are happening because of the 2 different metals.
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Now that Roger has his nose primed, who's up for a Hawaiian nose panel jam? Hold still...I'm on my way. ROFL Monte is right with the M-2 part zinc Cam. Best of all for aluminium.
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Ok J.T., ya gotta give me a bit more time to recoup some of the money it took gettin over here!!
Then Rapid Tac would be up for sponcering a big meet over at Doug Allens' shop on Maui, maybe "free attendence, eats, drinks, super deal on lodging (% participation by Rapid Tac) or something.
Who knows?, I'll be thinking bout it !!
Roger
-------------------- Roger Bailey Rapid Tac Incorporated 186 Combs Dr. Merlin Oregon 97532 Posts: 3020 | From: Merlin Oregon | Registered: Dec 1998
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Well...Im a DuPont guy... DuPont's Vari-Prime would be my choice..its a spray finish It works on all metal surfaces. Etch the aluminum..no matter what choice of finish you use. Vari-prime has some acid in it..its self etching.
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Cam Over here we have a water based etch primer from international paints with works on all nonferous metals. On a hot day you can recoat in 30 minutes and top coat in another hour.
works for me
-------------------- Miles Cullinane, Cork, Ireland.
From the sometimes sunny south of Ireland, Posts: 913 | From: Cork, Ireland | Registered: Jul 1999
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posted
Thanks for the replies. I'm going to stop at the paint store this morning.
As for covering the thing with a big sheet of vinyl - it may be cost effective. But frankly I'd rather have a root canal than mess with a big piece of sticky plastic outside in the wind. . Besides which, we'll probably paint our main copy.
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Wow, this post could not have come at a better time! I was just awarded a sign contract for the local Navy base here to fabricate 3 each 3'x12' and 3 ea. 1'x12' double faced signs. The 1/8" (mill finish) aluminum sheets are attached to alum. 2"x4" frame with Lord adhesive and painted teracota with white reflective vinyl. I have made these signs in the past and went through the acid etch, zinc chromate primer, and enamel topcoat. It has been over 10 years now and they are still in "fairly good" condition. But, the self-etching primer seems like a winner as I really hate the acid prep stuff. Thanks for all the input!!! (( oh, Roger, don't put zinc chromate on yer nose ))!!
[ April 09, 2002, 11:16 AM: Message edited by: John Smith ]
-------------------- John Smith Kings Bay Signs (Retired) Kissimmee, Florida Posts: 817 | From: Central Florida - The Sunshine State | Registered: Jan 2000
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Yeah Roger, I was going to let it slide, but since you brought it up...it's spelled Allan, & a Rapid-Tac sponsored meet over here sounds like a great idea to ponder for the future.
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I wondered if you would catch that(co-op meet), Maybe we can put some thoughts together for this coming winter, so all those folks in the cold can come over and warm up for a spell!!
I'll get ya on the phone when I get back from mainland May 2nd or so!
Sorry bout tht spellin a mine Roger
-------------------- Roger Bailey Rapid Tac Incorporated 186 Combs Dr. Merlin Oregon 97532 Posts: 3020 | From: Merlin Oregon | Registered: Dec 1998
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After a futile morning trip to the "paint" store (they have every possible variety of Ralph Lauren colors in latex, but etching primer???? they look at you like you've got two heads). I wised up and went to a marine store, (where we go when we need to get serious), and got a quart of Petit two-part non-ferrous metal etching primer, $20. Scott sanded the sides of the tank and wiped them down with naptha (when our suppliers start selling Rapid Prep, we'll buy it!) and rolled on the primer. It dried fast, and by midafternoon we had the tank painted process blue. It's some bright I tell ya! Tomorrow morning I'll make patterns and we'll blast it out.
Scott's brother brought it over almost full of #2 heating oil, which works just fine in my old 'Benz...
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Cam, as you might have noticed when you wiped it down, your rag was black, so wipe it again? Black again? no way it's that dirty? it aint' it's aluimiun oxide, it happens ho matter how many times you wipe it. as for primer, well ya already figured it out but you do need a self etching primer, you can get it in a spray bomb at the auto body supply house for about 7 bucks a can. I did some panels about a year a go that were brush aluminium I wiped em down and sprayed a 2 part urathane clearcoat, so far so good....
-------------------- Ken McTague, Concept Signs 57 Bridge St. (route 107) Salem MA 01970 1-978-745-5800 conceptsign@yahoo.com http://www.pinheadlounge.com/CaptainKen
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"A wise man once said that, or was it a wise guy?" Posts: 2425 | From: Salem, MA | Registered: Apr 1999
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Hey Cam - This post bothers me - all the answers so far have been application related - -#1, prep your tanker - run it through your local truck wash - usually around truck stops, naturally. Ask & make sure they will "acid wash" your tanker. After thats done, then just treat it like any other vinyl job. No need for paints, primer, or all that crud. P.S. Method also werks for cement mixers - have a few out there going on 3 yrs. for lettering on the drums........by the way, I find that ol cheep Oracal 651 works better than most.....seems to resist abrasion better than High Performance ..........hope this helps,. . . . Carl
-------------------- Carl Wood Olive Branch, Ms Posts: 1392 | From: Olive Branch,MS USA | Registered: Nov 1999
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I never had to do an Oil Truck in paint but it is nice to know how to go about it when or if the time arises.
Also let me be the first to applaud you on taking the path less traveled, It would be the easier to lay vinyl but not always the best. After seeing the layout, it is no doubt it will be a steller job!
-------------------- Bob Rochon Creative Signworks Millbury, MA 508-865-7330
"Life is Like an Echo, what you put out, comes back to you." Posts: 5149 | From: Millbury, Mass. U.S. | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I know this subject has been talked to death already, however, I had log in problems and couldn't post my 1/50 dollar here.
As has been stated, to paint Aluminum, an etching primer is necessary. There are a number of brands on the market. We personally use Grip Gard since it has a two week pot life after mixing. We put the extra in a can and write the date on the top. If we have to prime something in the next two weeks, it is ready to roll...er spray...whatever. We have brushed and/or rolled it on smaller items.
Somewhere on the post XIM was mentioned. If that is the same product as XIM Flash Bond, don't use it on Aluminum. I had an expensive lesson 20 years ago using it to prime Aluminum. I went to the etching primer and have never looked back. As Satchel Paige once said: "Never look back. Something might be gaining on you."
David M. Harding
-------------------- David Harding A Sign of Excellence Carrollton, TX Posts: 5089 | From: Carrollton, TX, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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. Besides which, we'll probably paint our main copy.
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