Epoxy is basically like liquid araldite glue! It’s a two part (generally) paint that is used a lot in industry and marine sectors. It’s also used for garage floors.

Great paint, will stick to anything and is best applied over sandblasted or ‘roughed up’ metal. It’s water proof so is usually used as a sealer for car work - that’s what I use it for.

You can buy gloss colours, but I have read that sunlight damages it over time or at least the pigments. I have some Jotun ral white I’m doing my bus pop top in and will see how it goes. I also have 5 litres black gloss for underneath and engine parts.

Base and clear I think is often a solvent base (like cellulose) then a 2k clear coat.

Hope that helps.


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Only thing I can add is base and clear is exactly as its said, base colour with a clear over the top
The majority are metallic or pearl systems the colour is applied then clear applied over the top
However some solid colours used same system rover used to on their solid reds that's why most Montego's and Metros had lacquer peel :lol:
I'm sticking with cellulose while it's still available
Post up if you use water based my understanding is it needs an oven
They use it at work now but not on cars !

 

We use polyurethane almost exclusively at work for furniture production and have used it quite a number of times on metal parts including a classic bike as well.

PU gets a bad rep due to the health risks, however it’s worth pointing out with PU that firstly it’s the catalyst that’s the harmful part (cyanide) and it is almost entirely only harmful at the point of atomisation. Meaning with adequate ventilation or if not a sufficient mask you are quite safe using it.

It’s one of the most easy to apply, most forgiving paints I’ve ever used and has a very quick drying time (can be slowed with slow thinners to give really level coats, or add acetone for 15 minute drying time for base coats)

Very tough once fully cured and can be polished/ burnished in the same manor as other paints.

The only contaminant we’ve ever had is the same as most paints, silicone, everything else it coats over well.

Worth mentioning we use this in an industrial setting with full extraction and an organic vapours mask. But have sprayed in on site in customers homes when needed too.

If you’re painting 3-4 cars as a hobby over a lifetime some basic safety gear, masks a d even a fan to exhaust some fumes are a benefit, if you’re using them all day everyday then obviously a little more is needed.

 

If you're planning on going to an auto paint store, they would be the best people to ask.

I'm not 100% sure what the difference is between PU, water based, etc. but what I buy for my cars is sold as '2k acrylic' (or 2k gloss or 2k solid colour). If you google you will get even more confused, as some pages don't mention 2k acrylic (only 1k), and some shops sell '2k acrylic polyurethane'. I suspect they might be the same thing, but slightly different chemistry and blends of urethanes and acrylics between suppliers.

2k acrylic is not the same thing as 1k acrylic. 1k acrylic is what you buy in halfords (but their mixed to order stuff is apparently cellulose?). Base + clear I think is the 1k halfords-type acrylic with a 2k lacquer over it. As said above, this is how you paint metallics, which is most cars these days.

Water based 2k I think is a bit of a con. I think it means the solvent for the base 1k colour coats is water (so its basically the paint I used to buy at games workshop back in the '90s), but the 2k lacquer part is still isocyanate based. So the base is 'safe' but the lacquer is still just as dangerous.

 

Polyurethane is the base chemical used in 2K clear coats and generally gives a better shine than 2K acrylic.
2K just means it uses a hardener (catalyst) instead of a 1K that uses the air as the drying medium. 2K dries by chemical reaction and is accelerated by warmer air.

Epoxy is the based chemical across my industries and products. For automotive it is the base compound for chassis paints and refinishing primers. It is the only primer that seals the metal from the elements and a good quality paint shop doing a full bare metal respray should be using this before any filler and sanding work is done to protect the steel during bodyworking.

Base and clear just refers to the colour (base) and clear (clear protective coating over the base). Both polyurethane and acrylic systems are base n clear systems. A lot of the time acrylic is used for solid colours and the colour is mixed with the clear so you whack the paint mixture down all as one ontop of the primer.
Mixing the base with the clear doesn't give as long a lasting coating due to the base allowing the elements to get into the paint job as the base is part of the paints surface and is porous. So over time the elements eat into the microscopic base particles on the paints surface and erode the coating.

This is why even for a solid colour you use clear over the top of all base coats to give a long lasting coating and also gives a more brilliant shine.

Oh and polyurethane systems give a better shine than what acrylics do and require less polishing to retain the shine.

 

A lot of the time acrylic is used for solid colours and the colour is mixed with the clear so you whack the paint mixture down all as one ontop of the primer.
Mixing the base with the clear doesn't give as long a lasting coating due to the base allowing the elements to get into the paint job as the base is part of the paints surface and is porous. So over time the elements eat into the microscopic base particles on the paints surface and erode the coating.

This is why even for a solid colour you use clear over the top of all base coats to give a long lasting coating and also gives a more brilliant shine.

I didn't realise 2k gloss is just 1k base mixed into the lacquer. Makes sense though.

VW commercial vehicles don't use lacquer over non-metallic colours. Or at least they didn't up until my '07 t5. If you polish them the colour comes off

 

Thanks everyone.

Hypothetical situation, if I wanted to paint a car in a solid colour, would I get a 2 pack poly single stage, or a base a clear?

My logic says that introducing two processes doubles the chance of getting dirt, contamination, nibs, fish eyes etc into the base coat, which if I understand correctly, is a bugger to remove to then clear over without the remedial correction being visible?

Am I correct that in an ideal would you really need to lay clear directly over the virginal base coat without touching it?

Hence a single stage all one colour gloss would be preferable and easier in the domestic environment?

 

Thanks everyone.

Hypothetical situation, if I wanted to paint a car in a solid colour, would I get a 2 pack poly single stage, or a base a clear?

My logic says that introducing two processes doubles the chance of getting dirt, contamination, nibs, fish eyes etc into the base coat, which if I understand correctly, is a bugger to remove to then clear over without the remedial correction being visible?

Am I correct that in an ideal would you really need to lay clear directly over the virginal base coat without touching it?

Hence a single stage all one colour gloss would be preferable and easier in the domestic environment?

If I ever get the beetle back together, I will be going the 2k solid colour gloss route. Yes, a layer of clear would protect it, but it is adding more cost, work and risk of problems.

However, if you're doing red, then a clear coat with a high uv protection would be a good idea.

 

I do solid colour 2k, because as you say it's one step and its done. Less scope for error, less steps to repeat if you balls something up and have to flat it back to go again. My main concern is weatherproofing and I rarely wash my cars let alone detail them. It polishes up shiny enough for me.

Base & clear is something I'd only want to do in a surgically clean paint booth. I can see how you do physically get a deeper shine, but that's just not on my requirements list.

 

I’ve only used cellulose and I was considering cellulose over a super flat epoxy primer for my 03, two main reasons:

Cellulose is poisonous, but perhaps less harmful than 2k and doesn’t need air fed kit (which isn’t really great for home)

You can blend in the paint should you get marks or make changes and want to touch up. 2k is harder to do that I read (I guess you have to do whole panels)

What are you guys using to spray 2k? Paint booths, sub it out or are you wearing usual organic vapour masks and doing it outside? I’d love to do the 03 and our bus in 2k, purely because it lasts well - especially with kids knocking stuff!


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You can blend in the paint should you get marks or make changes and want to touch up. 2k is harder to do that I read (I guess you have to do whole panels)

What are you guys using to spray 2k? Paint booths, sub it out or are you wearing usual organic vapour masks and doing it outside?

I'm not sure touching up 2k gloss is any different to cellulose. I've never tried though.

If the weather is good enough I paint outside, otherwise in a well ventilated garage (door open at either end with a breeze blowing through). Either way I always wear an a2 p3 cartridge filter mask, and safety specs.

I use a turbine HVLP system. Finish isn't as good as a professional gun, but it's a fraction of the price of a compressor that can supply enough air for HVLP.

 

Honestly for the cost of having to buy a half decent HVLP gun and compressor that won't run out of steam then I'd seriously suggest having a word with a good quality local autobody shop. See if they'd be willing to throw the base n clear on.

90% of body shop profits come from the hours spent doing the filler and sanding. Shooting the colour n clear takes less than a few hours work. It can take longer to mask the vehicle compared to the time to paint it.

Get the priming and filler work done yourself and then have a pro shop shoot the colour.

If you do want to do it yourself then enclosed marquees work well with an inlet and exhaust fan with wadding as the filters. Check out Home Built by Jeff on YouTube and Paint Society.
With some simple steps it fairly easy to keep dust to a minimum. Dust in a solid base coat is much easier to remedy than a metallic/pearl. You use fine wet n dry or a scotch pad to remove the dust and then dust in the area with more solid. Yes there's a technique but it's do-able.

To me I hate having to do things twice or more so like having something that once complete I don't have to bother with ever again.

Apart from washing and ceramic coating your car every few years then a base n clear just makes for a better quality, longer lasting and easy to maintain glossy finish