PPG Omni AU or just go with oem Iron Gard paint

Guys,

Im still trying to narrow down paint for my Ford 3910. Basically im now looking at the base/clear Omni AU or just go with the acrylic/enamel paint (Iorn Gard) from my New Holland dealer. Please provide your opionions and plus / minuses of each.

Thank you

The simplist answer is ask Glennster, he has used more kinds of paint than the number of tractors I have painted. My opinion is the Omni base-clear is considerably better than the NH acrylic modified alkyd. It will also cost about 4 times as much. I use base clear. If it were not for my less than desireable painting enviornment I would use Omni single stage. Under the right conditions you probably can't tell single stage from base clear. Theoretically base-clear will last longer and because it uses more clear. I'll use the acrylic modified stuff when Omni is priced out of my range, as of now the base-clear is about $250/gallon (gallon of base plus gallon of clear). However people seem satisfied with the IH version of the acrylic modified paint, I assume the NH paint is the same quality. I am not at all familiar with the urethane/alkyd paint. The price probably falls between the acrylic modified and Omni. It is quite possible the PPG also makes the Urethane/alkyd, but some dealers may not stock it.

first, figure what your end use will be. working tractor or trailer queen show tractor. then consider your budget. last, your skill level as a painter (throw patience in there too). for a show tractor, with a big budget, and decent painting skills, go with a base /clear. ball park 500 to 800 for materials. then 80 hours or so of prep work. if your budget is a little less, then a good single stage urethane. like the omni au or napa's crossfire. you'll need to stay in their paint line start to finish, primers, sealers, surfacers, reducers,hardeners ect, to be on the safe side and avoid any material conflicts. also, the materials are toxic as h*ll. paint suit, nitrile gloves, fresh air system, booth ect. even the new water bornes are toxic. i have heard of at least 8 painters that are having health problems from water born. it absorbs directly in the skin, so suit up accordingly. at the low end of cost is the farm and fleet type valspar alkyd enamel. it is low cost, easy to apply and really forgiving. does not have the performance of high line automotive refinishes. next up is the modifyed alkyds and then the urethane modifyed alkys. they are all industrial type coatings. they offer protection and an acceptable finish.adding hardener increases the performance of the coating, but also adds the additional isocyanates. for a nice shine with alkyds, i shoot 3 to 4 coats. first coat is a tack coat, very light just to get some color, dont need 100 percent coverage. next coat apply heavy enough to get it all filled out. final coat will be a wet coat so you get a real good shine, but not enough to run. that is a little tricky and takes practice. paint between 70 and 85 degrees with low humidity. if its humid, it will blush. you can apply the aklyds warmed up, helps with the flash time. use a pan with hot water (about 100 degrees) to get your paint temp up. lots and lots of options....

If you want a little extra shine and protection....mix a little clear
and pour it in the single stage on the last coat. It's done all the
time in the automotive refinish world.

So i like the omni au mbc but does it stick and protect better? Better uv protection etc. i know it looks better but if it protects less and fades worse then not interested. Thank you for the help.

the omni au is a far superior product than the ironguard. however, with the better performance comes the increase in cost for materials and your prep work must be spot on. there is always a trade off.

Ok thanks glennster. So sounds like it will last, look and protect longer. But will cost more and require better prep work. It may be a little over kill i guess but i really take care of my equipment and want it to look good too. Also the PPG number i tried looks to be spot on which is a plus as well.

(quoted from post at 02:22:46 09/30/12) the omni au is a far superior product than the ironguard. however, with the better performance comes the increase in cost for materials and your prep work must be spot on. there is always a trade off.

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Glennster,
So i have decided on the Omni AU MBC paint. What steps should i take to clean the tractor and what primer do you recommed? Seems like the etching primers are liked by many.

Thank you

for your base primer use the mp 170 in the ppg line. it is a 2k epoxy primer that will go over bare metal with good results. use a ppg 2k surfacer as your fill primer that you will be sanding. for pre prep, pressure wash to degrease, using a wire brush and scrapers to get all the grease, dirt and oil off. some guys use oven cleaner. it will strip off paint, but it takes elbow grease. you need to get down to bare metal. sand blast, soda blast, wire wheel, 3m stripper wheels, ect. before priming clean with a pre-cleano type prep, you can load an old spray gun with it and turn the air pattern way down so it shoots a spot, and wash with that. keep all products containing silicone well away from the tractor. any small amount will cause fisheyes in the paint.
here is a link to some mp 170 specs
poke here

Hello glennster. I had to change from Omni to ppg Delfleet essentials due to color matching problems. Im going to follow your advice above. So i also need the fresh air suit you mentioned in your earlier post. What is the most cost effective option while meeting the safety requirements?

Thank you