When new panels are just black

Doki ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

It's just a thin shelf storage primer. I've always understood it comes off very easily, and needs to be taken off and the panel primed properly.

If it were just that, I'd expect most MK2 Golf's front panels to have disappeared by now.

Doki ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Ah. I must have misunderstood - You're talking about the thin primer stuff on new replacement panels?

Well. I'm talking about the stuff you get on the front panel of MK2 Golfs, and other bits that don't get painted like subframes, wishbones etc. I would think it's a primer, as if you sand it off, it's the same colour all the way through. What I'm surprised by is how well it holds up. It does seem very similar to the primer you get on new panels, but I'm not sure it's the same stuff.

Doki ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Ah. Gotcha. You threw me by using the phrase "new panels" in the subject line, y'see - that gave me the obviously erroneous impression that you were talking about new panels. Silly me...

VERY different to the thin primer you get on new panels - the stuff you're thinking of, on front panels and the like, is a thick tough stonechip paint. If it's what I think it is, I know it as BodySchutz - I think that's the particular brand my friendly garagiste mate uses. Screws onto a sort of rudimentary spray head thingy that clips onto an airline.

Great stuff, until you try it whilst not really paying attention and find some bugger's blocked the end by standing on it, so the can pressurises and blows up all over you.

Ooh. You have a friendly garagiste? Any idea what flavour of cavity wax he likes?

Dinitrol seems to be the one favoured by professionals, and AFAIR Schutz is available in large aerosols. Mike.

I've just sprayed some small parts with aerosols today. £6 worth, and the parts I've sprayed are a sunroof wind deflector and the two arms to go with it. They're nearly empty. No way will I buy aerosols again (I've got a compressor in the shed you see).

a DAMHIKT moment?

PC Paul ( snipped-for-privacy@home.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

You could say that.

It was most amusing when it "set", and you could stand the trousers up on their own.

I'd be comparing aerosols to cellulose TBH. Two pack is considerably better but more of a faff to work with, particularly for small jobs.

Cellulose is fine, but it's still more expensive to buy in small quantities of matched colour. That's if you can buy it at all. It's being phased out and sometime in 2007 it will be illegal to sell it. Indeed many trade suppliers have already stopped stocking it, and only supply water based paints to body shops etc. Water based paints need a heated drying technique, so it's not suitable for DIY spraying. AFAIK aerosols will still be available, so it looks like there'll be no other choice. Mike.

Satin black...

You can still get your hands on it. How come they still sell two pack if they don't sell cellulose? Entirely due to demand?

I don't know the details of the ban. It may also apply to two pack. A couple of weeks ago I was after some paint to retouch a milling m/c.

A trade paint Co that eventually supplied the aerosol I used, still stocked two pack, and water based paint. No cellulose, but they did tell me that a ban on cellulose paints, would become effective in 2007.

A car respray Co I visited, that had given up using cellulose some years ago in favour of two pack, had recently switched to water based paints only.

As I said, I didn't go into details with either Co, but it does sound like the ban may apply to two pack paints as well.

Presumably if it does apply to two pack as well, there will still be limited supplies available until the ban becomes effective. Mike.