B
Bob Hollinshead
I see brass in the photos above, if it's going to stay make sure to coat it with epoxy primer before any polyester fillers are applied.
To Lead or Not Lead...
- Thread starter mitch_04
- Start date
O
Outlaw
If I do bodywork that involves a possible ghosting issue, will it be obvious after coated with SPI Epoxy, or be invisible until base/clear is applied and is exposed to sunlight (tempreture change)?
jlcustomz
evil painter
Another recommendation the evercoat rep suggested was baking the area 120 to 140 degrees between steps. this will stabilize the area with filler a slight amount. A good amount of ghosting seen through a new paint job can go away with another sanding & recoat, so this extra step does stand to reason.
A little hard to bake an area though.
A little hard to bake an area though.
O
Outlaw
Thanks jl, another thing I may have going for me is any welded body work with stranded fiber glass over epoxy, then re shot with epoxy will sit a year before I base clear.
O
Outlaw
Thanks jl. Im retired and have three 56 Fords trucks going all at once so time is no problem. Money, yes, time, no. Also have a good wife who supports getting all three trucks back on the road.
Hi all, noticed this thread back up top so I figured I'd give a little info into what I've found.
I went with lead for a few different reasons. 1, it is a restoration so I'm trying to keep it as close to original as possible. The only thing that isn't going to be is the paint color and I'm not putting the smog system back on. 2, I've always wanted to learn how to lead, as I've always wanted to learn how to paint, weld, do interior, build engines, etc. I'm sure many of you understand this. 3, I've gotten a decent amount of feedback that fiberglass reinforced fillers have a better chance of ghosting than a lead seam. I don't know if it's from different contraction rates or what, but it seemed like those with experience didn't like it much.
If it was my own car, I would have cut out the seam and welded a patch in. I also would have put a modern engine in, but that's a whole other story.
My experience with leading was both good and bad. I purchased the Eastwood kit as a starter kit to learn with. Like most things, I didn't expect the Eastwood kit to be perfect, but it is generally inexpensive and once I started learning I could decide whether to purchase a more quality tool set or call it good. However, the Eastwood kit left a lot to be desired. The files didn't have large enough countersinks so the screws protruded from the file, which is obviously bad. The paddles and tallow are pretty hard to screw up, seemed like they were fine. The tinning compound seemed to work fine, once I was finished it appeared "tinned", or at least as best I would know. The lead is what seemed to be the biggest problem. The balance between liquid and buttery was seemingly impossible to master. I tried all sorts of different heats and such, couldn't get it right. After speaking with Barry, it seems Eastwoods lead isn't the best. The video that came with the kit was a joke, outdated, poorly made, and seemed to give either differing info or skipped it. I also purchased a soft flame tip for a butane torch, thinking it would be easier. However, once I used it I realized that you can't tip the butane upside down very long for leading horizontal surfaces. I would have bought the soft flame tip for a O/A torch had I known.
I watched tons of videos online, asked a bunch of people, got a great write up from another person on this forum, and tried to do my best. I took whatever was commonly said by all and assumed it would be a good start. I tried my hardest to neutralize the surface, cleaning between steps with baking soda and water, rinsing immediately with bottled water (no water supply in garage). Let it dry plenty, wiped it all down multiple times with reducer, let it dry plenty again, washed it with soap and water, dry again, then gave it many coats of epoxy. I brushed on since It was just a small area and I didn't have the option to spray at the time.
I did all this before I left for Kuwait, where I am now for 7 more months. This way, once I get back it any problems should have surfaced. I also plan on priming the rest of the car, spraying, then letting it all set outside for a few days just to make sure nothing will surface after some UV gets on it. Hoping for the best, if not I'll try again.
I went with lead for a few different reasons. 1, it is a restoration so I'm trying to keep it as close to original as possible. The only thing that isn't going to be is the paint color and I'm not putting the smog system back on. 2, I've always wanted to learn how to lead, as I've always wanted to learn how to paint, weld, do interior, build engines, etc. I'm sure many of you understand this. 3, I've gotten a decent amount of feedback that fiberglass reinforced fillers have a better chance of ghosting than a lead seam. I don't know if it's from different contraction rates or what, but it seemed like those with experience didn't like it much.
If it was my own car, I would have cut out the seam and welded a patch in. I also would have put a modern engine in, but that's a whole other story.
My experience with leading was both good and bad. I purchased the Eastwood kit as a starter kit to learn with. Like most things, I didn't expect the Eastwood kit to be perfect, but it is generally inexpensive and once I started learning I could decide whether to purchase a more quality tool set or call it good. However, the Eastwood kit left a lot to be desired. The files didn't have large enough countersinks so the screws protruded from the file, which is obviously bad. The paddles and tallow are pretty hard to screw up, seemed like they were fine. The tinning compound seemed to work fine, once I was finished it appeared "tinned", or at least as best I would know. The lead is what seemed to be the biggest problem. The balance between liquid and buttery was seemingly impossible to master. I tried all sorts of different heats and such, couldn't get it right. After speaking with Barry, it seems Eastwoods lead isn't the best. The video that came with the kit was a joke, outdated, poorly made, and seemed to give either differing info or skipped it. I also purchased a soft flame tip for a butane torch, thinking it would be easier. However, once I used it I realized that you can't tip the butane upside down very long for leading horizontal surfaces. I would have bought the soft flame tip for a O/A torch had I known.
I watched tons of videos online, asked a bunch of people, got a great write up from another person on this forum, and tried to do my best. I took whatever was commonly said by all and assumed it would be a good start. I tried my hardest to neutralize the surface, cleaning between steps with baking soda and water, rinsing immediately with bottled water (no water supply in garage). Let it dry plenty, wiped it all down multiple times with reducer, let it dry plenty again, washed it with soap and water, dry again, then gave it many coats of epoxy. I brushed on since It was just a small area and I didn't have the option to spray at the time.
I did all this before I left for Kuwait, where I am now for 7 more months. This way, once I get back it any problems should have surfaced. I also plan on priming the rest of the car, spraying, then letting it all set outside for a few days just to make sure nothing will surface after some UV gets on it. Hoping for the best, if not I'll try again.
B
Bob Hollinshead
If you didn't trap any acid and got a good tin then it will be fine.