2k sealer vs epoxy sealer

[MJM]

What are the pro's and cons in deciding which sealer to use?

 

[Dean Jenkins]

I use epoxy, because it's great stuff.
And less material to order and keep track of activator shelf life etc.

 

[MikeK]

Base primer Color choice.

 

[texasking]

Both can cover a similar solid color, fill sand scratches, and increase adhesion (epoxy better). The differences epoxy is 100% solvent and waterproof, and better chip resistance.

 

[crashtech]

@texasking , do you mean more chip resistant?

 

[Barry]

What are the pro's and cons in deciding which sealer to use?

Epoxy between 90 and 97% better stone chip resistance when used as a sealer.
Flexible to 4 inches thick.
Supieror adhesion to the substrate.
Better adhesion for basecoat.
Airtight and waterproof.
When cured stronger than a gel coat.

 

[MJM]

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[jcclark]

Flexible to 4 inches thick.

 

[Jim C]

reason being is that the 2k sealer is basically just primer. if you get dust nibs or texture, you can sand it in about 5-10 minutes when spraying it on the thin side. epoxy, well we all know its slow and if its sprayed too heavy in areas it will crater and get strange texture in it. its great stuff but for someone with very little gun experience then the 2k sealer if far more forgiving but you are giving up some advantages of the epoxy. the 2k is far better than spraying direct to sanded primer though. its a good middle ground.

 

[texasking]

@texasking , do you mean more chip resistant?

Thanks, I fixed it

 

[MJM]

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[austincooper]

Understood......... so how does one fix spraying mistakes if using epoxy as a sealer? I would assume one would have to wait a minimum of a day, or two days for best sanding results.

I know it would be best to shoot base over epoxy no later than say 12 hours. Can base be sprayed over epoxy sealer say, one or two days later with good adhesion results?

I haven't sprayed reduced epoxy yet, so I have no idea how it sprays.

As a beginner painter I had runs on my epoxy sealer step. Waited overnight, sanded the runs up to 600 and went to color with no problems.

 

[Lizer]

Flexible to 4 inches thick.

You know one of my former employers does make a drug for that.

 

[MJM]

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[austincooper]

Dry sanded or wet sanded?

It's been my plan to spray epoxy sealer late Friday afternoon and base the next morning. Overnight between sealer and color worked great.

I probably should have wet sanded but I dry sanded. Can't see any 600 scratches there

 

[Lizer]

Understood......... so how does one fix spraying mistakes if using epoxy as a sealer? I would assume one would have to wait a minimum of a day, or two days for best sanding results.

I know it would be best to shoot base over epoxy no later than say 12 hours. Can base be sprayed over epoxy sealer say, one or two days later with good adhesion results?

I haven't sprayed reduced epoxy yet, so I have no idea how it sprays.

You can wet sand within an hour or two of spraying to fix blemishes, use the 710 instead of water to 'wet' to cut the wait.

That being said, I don't reduce epoxy when using it as a sealer. I spray it full strength, wet sand 600 to remove all blemishes, peel, nibs, and maybe any pigment separation, and then base. It gives me a perfectly smooth and blemish-free substrate to start on.

 

[MJM]

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[OJ86]

Black base.....400/600 is fine. Epoxy seal the car, you don't have to sand it all down, you can sand out small issues you may come across with if you choose. When you reduce it, it will lay out really smooth as its very thin. I generally don't reduce more than 25% anymore(personal preference).

also with straight black, the issues with little nibs really doesnt matter. When you get into the lighter mettallics is when the nibs in the sealer become an issue.

 

[Lizer]

I really like this idea to insure I have a flat clean surface but, I don't know if I'd be able to epoxy seal the whole car, wait two hours, then wet sand the whole car in a day so I'm ready for base the next morning. Due to my age, I've become slow and mythological while performing work. Seems to provide a better result for me.

I'll be spraying spi Black base coat / clear coat. Do I need to use 600 grit?

I should have specified I mostly spray metallic, so that's why I use 600. If it's a solid then 400 is fine. I wet sand the unreduced epoxy the following day, and then paint the day after. But I'm a front yard hack.

 

[MJM]

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