Thread: Spray paining - Aluminium - paint 'chippy' and fragile. What have I done wrong?

You really need the spec sheets when you buy **any** paint. The best by a long, long, long distance I've ever found ... that is sold as an "epoxy primer", is the HiChem super etch primer. It's NOT an activated coating like the "real" epoxy primers. It has a huge recoat window, and seems to protect metal for very long periods of time.

SUPER ETCH PRIMER BLACK 1L EPOXY METAL NEW MILD STEEL STEEL HICHEM SPRAY PAINT | eBay

Even the pressure packs are very good. I spray painted the ( shiny ) stainless steel exterior trim bits on my Citroen CX ...well over 10 years ago with rattlecan HiChem epoxy primer... and just some satin black acrylic laquer over the top................ Those trim bits are as good today as the day I painted them. It's bloody unbelievable (I thought the chip and peal within a couple of months). The actual car I painted as well ( with quality Dulon Acrylic Laquer) was absolutely stuffed 8 years ago ... to put it into perspective I haven't used a non activated paint since ( I also haven't painted much either though).

seeya,
Shane L.

Prob not much use now, but when we were preparing the Aluminium Horse trucks for paint after we'd built them in the UK, we used to apply this very thin yellowish etch to all the joints. It was nasty enough that it was done of an evening when everyone had gone. They then went to the paint shop where they were warmed in a huge oven.. (Long enough for a 40' truck), etched, and as soon as the etch was dry enough to give a key, then the topcoat was applied. Alli is a tough one to coat reliably. I second the opinion of Prepsol causing problems.. Used to get pinprick holes on the paint where we'd used it.