fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
Senior Member
Joined: 12/14/2003
View Profile
|
I had my day ruined today.... Not really, but I did get educated, a little.
Had a little talk today with one of the tech guys at Por 15.
My first question was "would it be ok if I sand/grind steel tubing down to the "raw steel", then wash it off with lacquer thinner, and paint over top of that"?
He was very adamant that I should not be using lacquer thinner with Por 15. His exact words were "lacquer thinner is the Kryptonite of Por 15". He said by using that, the Por 15 would not stick, and it would not dry.
Por 15 is a 3 step process. Their recommendation is to clean the steel with their cleaner/degreaser. After that process, apply the metal prep, to etch the surface of the metal. Finally, it gets painted. If the rust preventative is to be used in direct sunlight, it needs to be top coated with paint, because the rust preventative is not uv stable. The rust preventative will not degrade, but it will discolor.
So, after saying all that, I can say this. I have done exactly, what they said not to do, and it worked well, in the past.
At one point in my testing, I used a piece of steel that I had not ground/sanded to bare, and just washed it off with lacquer thinner, and then painted it, and a piece of wood, in an attempt to "glue" them together. While they stuck together, they didn't stick all that well, as they failed fairly early when put into the shop press.
After grinding off the external "coating" of the steel, down to bare metal, then washing it with lacquer thinner, it then stuck very well and did well in the shop press test.
I also used the other end of that same piece of steel, which was not sanded/ground, and followed their instructions with the cleaner, then the metal prep, and then the rust preventative.
When putting it in the press, is worked about like the grinding it did, with no metal prep.
So, I am passing along this information. Do your own research, make your own decisions.
Like I said, their recommendation, is to use the 3 step process.
If you want to do something, you will find a way.
If you don't, you will find an excuse.
-------------------------------------------------
Good judgement comes from experience.
A lot of experience, comes from bad judgement.
|
fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
Senior Member
Joined: 12/14/2003
View Profile
|
Sometimes when you are working by yourself, it is necessary to use some unusual techniques to accomplish those things that need to be done.
With that in mind, it is time for the "Redneck Technique" of the day.
Here's the first pic, with no explanation.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/redneck1.jpg)
|
fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
Senior Member
Joined: 12/14/2003
View Profile
|
The above pic is obviously one of 2 clamps attached to the arm that holds the awning up.
This next pic is of the same with just a little more showing, still with no explanation.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/redneck2.jpg)
|
fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
Senior Member
Joined: 12/14/2003
View Profile
|
So, just like Paul Harvey, this is the rest of the story.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/redneck3.jpg)
This was my solution to holding this assembly in an upright position, so I could paint some of it.
I had painted about 1/2 of it, and needed to finish it, on both sides, and came up with this solution.
Paper towels above, to prevent scratching of the awning arm.
|
fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
Senior Member
Joined: 12/14/2003
View Profile
|
So, what do you do, when you need to move the painted steel inside, because it is getting dark and cold, but still need to hold it upright so the paint can dry?
Well, add 2 more clamps and a couple of saw horses, of course.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/redneck4.jpg)
|
|
|
fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
Senior Member
Joined: 12/14/2003
View Profile
|
And of course, when you need to repaint said steel one more time, after it dries, (with slight finger drag, according to Por 15), so that you do not have to sand it all with 320 grit sandpaper, because it is fully dry?
Well, the best is to relocate your saw horses, and use a longer clamp, to clamp said steel to something more stable, and paint away.
Works like a champ.
Used an extra portable light, so I could make sure I was painting correctly, over previous coat.
I did not spray, I used a cheap throw away brush.
And that folks, is your "Redneck" Tip 'O The Day.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/redneck5.jpg)
|
fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
Senior Member
Joined: 12/14/2003
View Profile
|
Here's our plywood, that has been frozen into a nice solid block of ice.
Time to let it thaw out over night.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/frozenplywood.jpg)
|
fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
Senior Member
Joined: 12/14/2003
View Profile
|
Since I brought up the subject of the Por 15 either working or not, depending on prep, let's explore just a little further, before moving on.
Below is a pic of a piece of steel that has a coating on it. This was taken from a pop up trailer, and is one of the posts that is used to lift the top up.
As you can see, the coating keeps the steel from rusting.
This is the kind of thing that will NOT work with Por 15, without some prep.
I know this from personal experience. When I went through the testing phase a few months ago, I tried this, with Por 15 and also Norton Speedgrip.
Neither of them stuck very well. I didn't expect them to.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/coatedsteel.jpg)
|
fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
Senior Member
Joined: 12/14/2003
View Profile
|
This is the same piece of steel with the coating sanded/ground off. You can see the original coating on the left and right sides, and the sanded section in the center.
This center section is what will hold very well with Por 15.
After grinding this, then coating with Por 15 with 2 coats, I could take another piece of steel and bang them together, and the Por 15 did not chip off.
That satisfied my curiosity as far as, will it stick. I did not use the metal prep that they suggested, but that doesn't mean it should not be used.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/coatedsteel2.jpg)
|
fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
Senior Member
Joined: 12/14/2003
View Profile
|
This piece has not been sanded or ground. What is on here is the Norton Speedgrip.
I had two pieces that were identical, and just "glued" them together with the Speedgrip. I let that dry for several days, and then applied pressure.
Those 2 pieces separated fairly easily. So, that is not a good thing. No prep, no major adhesion. You can see a little film that is left from the Speedgrip.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/coatedsteel3.jpg)
|
|
|
|
