Omni products questions

New to these products but have read their great. I plan to use MP 170 epoxy primer on surfaces that I sandblast (sheet metal) and use paint stripper ( some of frame). I plan to then use MP 282 high build over the epoxy and sand on the sheet metal. Parts of the tractor frame cast I was not planning to remove the old paint. Can I use the epoxy over this old paint or should I use the high build? I believe you have to sand the high build and I would rather not in these areas. Also, will the epoxy have any fill characteristic to it, or is it thin?

just use epoxy on cast and no, it doesn't have any build film to it but does have a re-coat window of time. Personally I have had very poor luck with Omni top coat products. Everything up until that seems good but top coats just seem to be watered down so it takes twice as much . Very transparent. I would stick to PPG for top coat.

B, I think Omni looks bad to you because you like Concept--I have never used Concept, but I can get good coverage with 2 coats of Omni with a 3rd for insurance. Mostly red, but I have used a small amount of white, it was OK also. I think you have said you can get by with one coat of Concept, meaning that it is thicker and saves money, but I don't have that kind of skill. Omni covers well for me with virtually no runs except on curves where I don't keep the proper distance to the metal.

You are probably correct,CNKS since everything is relative, it only makes sense that my opinions are based on comparisons to other products and also skill levels. That's one reason it is hard to give a good answer to questions on here and sometimes I just go on by and let someone else answer...and sometimes not so much.

Some years ago (2006) I did a cost comparison of PPG's "economy grade" OMNI MTK single stage urethane and PPG's "premium grade" Concept DCC single stage urethane. The mix ratios of the two products are different as are the costs and the costs of all additives. I did the comparison on an RTS (ready-to-spray) basis. One quart of MTK RTS was $19.82 and one quart of DCC RTS was $59.93. I assumed that any leftover reducer was not wasted and could be utilized at other times. That makes DCC about three times as expensive as MTK. My past experience using both MTK and DCC is that DCC is quite obviously a higher solids product and covers better than the MTK. While I use three coats of MTK, I only need two coats with DCC. Incorporating the coverage difference into the RTS cost difference, concludes that topcoating any object that requires one quart of RTS material per coat will cost $120 using DCC and $60 using MTK. By that analysis, the DCC costs twice as much to cover the same object as the MTK.

My personal opinion is that for the DIY that only paints on an occasional basis and does not count his time as money, then the DCC is not worth twice the cost, although one could weigh the value of the extra risk of screwing something up during an additional coat. On the other hand, for someone whose time is money and making a profit is the incentive, then the premium DCC might well be worth the extra cost. Plus if one is experienced enough to be able to get adequate coverage in a single coat of DCC, then the cost is awash and the decision is an easy one to go with the premium product.

I think that even B would agree that the PPG's "economy" epoxy primer (OMNI MP-170) is just as good at a far less cost than PPG's "premium" epoxy primer (DPLF). I used to use the premium DP (before they took the lead out and called it DPLF) and always found it to be an outstanding product. Quite some time ago however, I moved to MP-170 because of cost. After using that for a number of years, I see no reason at all to go back to DLPF, at least for a DIY doing his own work where there are no warranty issues to consider.

I actually like the MP 170 better than the PPG DPLF. Seems a little heavier bodied and goes on better. You are right in that less coats equal less opportunity for flaws/cantamination but does take more practice than most on here have had. Over at Morbark Inc. where I retired from , we used a 2K urethane solid orange single stage and it was designed specifically for our company and one of the specs was it had to have a dry film of 2.5-3 mils and go on in ONE coat. It did just that.We paid $30 per sprayable gal for it(no misprint..$30!) and it set up overnight so you could walk on the machine the next day.(which the hyd. hosing crew did) We used Grayco electrostatic guns and supply came from proportioners/mixers that mixed the 2 parts en-route from 55 gal drums. No pot life or mixing to worry about.Just open flush valves at end of the day and flush lines/guns. Most machines took from 20-30 gal. My one bad experience with Omni single stage urethane came with the yellow on my JD B rear cast wheel centers. Over MP 170, took 6 coats and that's without much thinner at all. Very transparent.Yes, painting for a living and especially self employed, one does tend to put a premium on the time element.

Anyone looking for a quality epoxy primer that in my opinion works a lot better than DP and costs considerably less should look into a complany called Southern Polyurethanes.
www.southernpolyurethanes.com It is completely compatible with all of the ppg primer and paint products I have used and still use.

For me, the PPG DP had a too much wrinkle in it, which made the paint give off the same effect. The Southern Pol. Epoxy goes on smooth and lays flat with no wrinkle. That and the cost is just absurd. Since swithing, I have not gone back to DP or Omni. I also started using their Clear. Cost is nearly half of PPG and better quality IMO. It flows out extremely well and doesn't get cloudy between coats like the 3000 we were using. Most of the parts I clear, I don't even buff because it lays that well without imperfectons. Another thing I like is the epoxy and clear mix 1:1 which is so much simpler when you have other things on your mind on paint day. If anyone wants to compare costs, I can dig up my price sheet and list what I use.

I did play a little a couple days ago with the Omni urethane top coat. Just bought one quart to see how it went on so I did a battery box. While happy with the lay of the paint I certainly was not impressed with coverage. I think I will take your advise and look at the PPG. Unless the added cost is ridiculas It may be best for me for one simple reason being fatigue. I'm not known for my patience, so I can see getting sloppy "angry" by the third or so coat. Then all my previous hard work will just have runs or orange peel to show for it. I am going to be doing this with the shop doors open because of the nasty fumes, so the faster done-the better also. Now, can I use up the Omni I bought and go over it with PPG ok? Thanks for all the useful comments and experience. You don't get hands on comments from the paint store.