Red Oxide versus Others?

[cmfisher4]

For my first restoration I used "regular" epoxy primer in various colors depending on what I was doing. I always wondered about the red oxide primer, however, because growing up that's what I was used to seeing my Grandpop use. Is there a difference in the epoxy primer lines that SPI has, or is red oxide, in this case, "just" a color?
Thanks!

Chris

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

Red Oxide was a very popular lacquer primer and was also a factory color primer on many cars and with concours correct restos is visible when finished. Undersides of Mustangs being one area. SPI red oxide is a pretty close match colorwise for those primers.

 

[metalman]

Yes, just a color. Like Chris mentioned, Barry made it for the resto jobs where exposed red oxide is “correct” for the car.
I used tons of the lacquer red oxide way back. It was DuPont 80S IIRC.

 

[crashtech]

Just to make it perfectly clear, the red oxide epoxy has no additional properties compared to the other colors. Back in the day, primers of that color were called "red lead" and often used as a bottom paint for ships. So that color had the perception of being more corrosion resistant, but I don't think the automotive red oxide of the 60's had any lead in it, it was kind of a gimmick if you ask me.

 

[cmfisher4]

Thanks, everyone. Yeah, the bottom of our submarines used to be painted red, but that was anti-fouling paint to keep the sea growth off of there. Didn't work worth s$%t. They are painted all black now. Still supposed to be anti-fouling paint, but still BS. Pretty impressive when the "sea skirt" growth makes a nuclear powered submarine slow down a few knots.
Thanks again!

Chris

 

[anotheridiot]

Just to make it perfectly clear, the red oxide epoxy has no additional properties compared to the other colors. Back in the day, primers of that color were called "red lead" and often used as a bottom paint for ships. So that color had the perception of being more corrosion resistant, but I don't think the automotive red oxide of the 60's had any lead in it, it was kind of a gimmick if you ask me.

I would count on the lead being in it in the 60's, look at all the lead based paint people used in their houses.