WOR DS & P HOT OGR A P HY : R I C HA R D B A R K E R

Part 4: Putting into primer. Final ller checks, rent-a-parent

and primer application and basecoat preparation
Serenity: The Build Diaries
The bus is being shot with 15 litres of Upols excellent
S2025 white high build primer
D
ue to Serenity looking
a bit poorly with
her multi-coloured
bodywork, the first step
was to blowall the dust off with an
airline, taking care to cover every
inch of the body and check for pin-
holes in the filler. This happens in
some fillers due to their viscosity;
the denser the filler, i.e. Upol Easy
Sand, the more chance you have of
pin-holes forming (due to dragging
the filler during application or air
becoming trapped as it dries). To
prevent this there are other glazing
products available for use after filler,
i.e. Upol Dolphin Glaze, which is
a self-levelling, almost soup-like
product which dries with no air
within it; result no pin-holes in the
final surface. In my case I prefer to
use a cellulose stopper, remembering
that it must dry completely before
blocking or it will sink in the
depressions after its been painted.
Next was masking up anywhere
I didnt want the paint going.
Using 36-inch waxed paper and
two-inch 3Mpressure sensitive
masking tape, all the windows, door
openings and the areas around the
bottomof the bus were covered
and secured. Tip: degrease where
your tape will stick, use small tabs
of tape on the edges of your paper
to hold it all where you want it,
then run your tape completely
around the edges to seal it.
Once the body had been
rigorously inspected and any defects
repaired, it was degreased with the
assistance of my prep fairy Mum
using an anti-silicone panel wipe
to ensure good primer adhesion.
Silicone is a nightmare for paint
shops, but is in all sorts of valeting
products, i.e. the ones that make
your dashboard and plastic bits
shiny. It just wafts about in the
air and sticks to surfaces causing
defects in the fresh paint which are
commonly called fish eyes; an area
where the paint has been repelled
fromthe blob of silicone. I always
use two crows feet panel cloths, (as
they are lint free and collect every
drop of dust fromthe panels)one
Restoration
to apply the degreaser and one to
remove any residue, then repeat the
process three times all over the bus.
You may have noticed my lean
towards many of Upols products
throughout these articles, and
probably wont be surprised to
discover the bus is being shot with 15
litres of their excellent S2025 white
high build primer. It consists of a 4:1
mix of primer to hardener applied
through my 2.5mmpaint gun and
goes on like warmporridgebut
without the lumps! The gun was
In a professional oven the primer
will only need 30 minutes due to
the high temperatures in which
the paint is baked
set up correctly with 27psi at the
nozzle (with the trigger pulled),
fan wide open and the fluid flow
set to a mediumrate. The primer
was then applied horizontally and
with each pass, 75 percent of the
previous pass was covered which
gives even depth to the coverage.
Always start and finish your passes
off the panel, it will ensure you
dont get too much paint at either
end. After painting the entire shell
it was left for 30 minutes at 20C
and a further three coats were
applied using the same method.
In a professional oven the primer
will only need 30 minutes due to
the high temperatures the paint is
baked at, but without this facility
you are dependent on the ambient
temperature to dry the paint, so
to be on the safe side, leave the
primer at least 48 hours before
you attempt to block it down. This
will allowmost of the drying and
shrinkage to have taken place.
Aguide coat was applied to
the dry primer and using 320 grit
Abranet on a 420mmlong block
all the primer was blocked until
a satisfactory level was achieved
with any curves and edges sanded
by hand and the dust then blown
off. It is worth taking a moment to
inspect the primer here; see if there
are any lowpoints where the guide
coat has not been touched and if so
re-apply the primer in those areas.
I fiddled with the primer until I
was satisfied and then went over
the whole bus again with 800 grit
on an intermediate pad fitted to my
D/Asander; this removes all the
320 grit marks and leaves a finish
2. Plan where you
need the masking
and make sure
its sealed tight.
3. Ensure your
masking allows
roomfor the
paint gun.
4. Allowprimer
to dry completely
before adding a
guide coat or it will
sink into the primer.
5. Overspray
goes everywhere,
you dont want it
under the bus or
showing in the
wheel arches.
6. Prime all the
edges rst. Let it
ash of for 20
minutes then do
themagain.
1. Always wear
nitrile gloves
to prevent the
grease fromyour
skin returning to
the panel after
degreasing.
as smooth as a babys bum! Back to
the blowgun to get the majority of
the dust off and then through the
degreasing procedure with my prep
fairy again taking care to remove
every speck of dust. I wet the floor
to keep the overspray on the deck,
not in the air and while everything
settled I prepared the basecoat.
Preparation is the key. If at any
point the prep is short cut, the
paint finish will suffer and you will
have wasted time and money, and
ultimately will be very disappointed.
Upol S2025 white high build
primer. Supplier: MDABitec
01952 583203 www.bitec.co.uk
Next time: spraying base and clearcoats
1
3
2 4
5
6
RESTORATION
www.volkswagencamper.co.uk
RESTORATION
www.volkswagencamper.co.uk 42 43
RESTORATION
THE BUILD DIARIES