PPG E350 Epoxy Primer Woes

Ok so I made a possible noob Mistake in that I had a Qt of Epoxy Primer and activator. The mix is 2:1 and was told by the paint shop I can add a equal part of medium reducer being it is colder weather so my mix ratio is 2:1:1 and that is fine it worked great but what I did not realize was that I mixed it all together figuring I would have used it all and might even be short but unfortunately that was not the case!

So what I did was I kept a cover on the mix while I was spraying and when I found I had a Qt mixed left over I put the remaining back into the metal Qt can and had very little room for air and put the lid back on it tightly and kept the can of left over mixed primer outside which is refrigerator/freezer temps out. So now my question is can I use the mixed Epoxy primer to paint the other pieces of tin and whatnot and be safe? The mix is still in complete liquid form with no hardening but of course i'll strain it before putting it in the paint gun...


Glennster I know you have been in the paint industry for years and would like to know your take on if you have had a situation like this and used it and what was your outcome?



vizi

If it was mixed it would seem to me that when you opened the can you would be looking at a grey hockey puck. The question is what happened to your hardener that it did not react?

Not sure if there was anything wrong with it as the 6 other pieces I primed all came out perfect and dried hard.. Maybe the medium reducer that its mixed with and combined with the cold weather has helped keep it useable?



vizi

I use the 3m PPS lids and liners. If I have leftover epoxy, I absolutely cap it for future use. I have seen my epoxy stay sprayable well into the next day or two. Now I am very particular what I would spray that on. I wouldn't epoxy a hood with it, but a step or bracket or something like that is ideal and it saves a lot of would-be wasted epoxy. Now if you leave it out in the open then yes you have a hockey puck, but the key is keeping it air tight. This might also vary from brand to brand.

if it were me, i would take the lid off, let it harden and toss it. it has a limited pot lie, and window to spray. all our paints and primers are kept in a heated shop. if it freezes, i would never use it. your results may vary, but we lifetime warranty our paint work, and its gets mighty spendy to re-do a job.

I would agree

(quoted from post at 16:36:24 02/11/15) I would agree

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I should clarify, painting something for yourself is a lot different than custom work that you have to warranty. That should go without saying. Sure, if the customer is paying for it, pour it out. But on farm equipment, farmers will be savvy and find ways to not wast high dollar materials. Have had no problems to speak of and I don't lose sleep worrying about it. Course I don't use anything but SPI Epoxy, which has a 72-120 hour pot life if sealed up after use.

http://media.wix.com/ugd/8ced3e_1e5c47ba23dd43a7a35310ee9f969705.pdf

http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/

Well I had done a test spot on a piece of clean steel and let it set for 30 minutes and it was dry to the touch. I also had a Dixie cup with about an inch of the primer from when I mixed it at the same time and it finally cured this past Sunday to a puck after days of sitting out uncovered with a paint brush sitting in it.

So I took a chance and sprayed it on the pieces I had prepped so we will see in a couple days if it cures properly...


vizi

Does this require an activator?

(quoted from post at 09:31:50 02/12/15) Does this require an activator?

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Yes it required an activator. Well on first inspection this morning as it was pretty cold this morning so I brought the pieces into our laundry room to fully cure at room temperature for the next few day as the smell is now very faint and both the epoxy primer and the blue top coat have taken successfully but as the saying goes "only time will tell"

all to often i see people try and cut corners when painting and then the job goes south. they don't follow mfr guidelines, or substitute an inferior reducer or catalyst, or mix different product lines and then have a disaster. its a lot easier to do it right the first time, than to have to strip and re-do. i don't charge our customers for mistakes made in house, if we goof, we eat it, just that simple. with the sequence of events that happened in this scenario, i would be concerned that the primer does not cure properly, then will experience either an adhesion problem, or solvent pops after color application. with the astronomical cost of paint and materials, i cannot cut corners.

(quoted from post at 20:49:57 02/12/15) all to often i see people try and cut corners when painting and then the job goes south. they don't follow mfr guidelines, or substitute an inferior reducer or catalyst, or mix different product lines and then have a disaster. its a lot easier to do it right the first time, than to have to strip and re-do. i don't charge our customers for mistakes made in house, if we goof, we eat it, just that simple. with the sequence of events that happened in this scenario, i would be concerned that the primer does not cure properly, then will experience either an adhesion problem, or solvent pops after color application. with the astronomical cost of paint and materials, i cannot cut corners.

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I agree what I did is cutting corners.. the paint shop recommended that I try it on a test piece and said if it cures to a hard state I "should" be ok and being with the cold temps it "may " have preserved the primer and activator and reducer mixed together but they obviously could not back it up as it is not what the manufacturer states. Thankfully like you said the pieces I primed and painted are not going to be a problem if it fails as most of the pieces are brackets and the foot steps and will be easy to strip with the sand blasting.

The only piece that will be a pain for me is the piece that covers the radiator. That "may" peek a bit of anger. I'll just chalk it up to a learning experience..

I mainly need it to last until warmer temps if it does become a problem as I need to use the tractor ASAP and the pieces were getting rusted enough as to be a concern to "me" and I did not want to spend more money trying to replace the rusted parts as that would be more expensive than repainting.

If I do need to respray I now know to [b:cfb895644e]only[/b:cfb895644e] mix 16Oz at a time and not the whole container!

The other pieces that were done correctly came out great however. I'll just have to cross my fingers and hope I make out on the iffy parts. lol




vizi

I have used PPG DP and their Omni line of epoxy. Both are good for at least two to three days if sealed up. It's not the same type catylist that a paint/clear cote or surfacer primer would have. Hence no isocyanates. You won't get a "hockey puck" for at least a week or so.

Thanks

So upon checking it today it appears that it has cured and is hard as a rock as I am unable to make an imprint with my finger nail. I will check it again next Wednesday as that will be the day that I put all the pieces back onto the tractor and that will be a good test to see if it scratched off easily and if it does I would assume either it did not have enough time to cure completely or the bond are not sufficient or it is normal wear and tear?

I figure this thread may be good for others that run into this situation and can help them make a better educated decision on what they decide. I will update this again after a few weeks go by as to how it is holding up..




vizi

So its been a few weeks and so far the epoxy primer that sat mixed/activated has held up. It's been a bit cold here so I have not had a chance to really test the durability of it but will hopefully will have a chance this coming week.


vizi