curious about AA paints

[derkdaigler]

hey yall out there in ab land lol ima geek . any way hope all is well out there. so im curious about these auto air colors . they are waterbased if im not mistaking and you can paint on hard surfaces with them from what ive gathered ie( tins helmets hoods and such) But do they also adhere to plastics and are they flexible enough to apply to plastics . i know these are alot of questions but i just basicly want the run down on this aa paint . because i prefer not to use urethanes as of yet because there seems to be so much involved with the painting process IE ( reducing with this ru and that ru) and kinda pricy . someone put my head on straight for me lol

ps my buddy is going to mudd nationals in jacksonville tx and at the last minute wanted me to ab there club name on the front bumper . it was very difficult due to the metal being pitted so badly and knowing he was just going to tear it up i could barely paint it lol it was painted with alot of tape a paasche vl and some white rustoleum reduced

[chucktx]

yes, water based paints can be applied to plastic. special steps need to be taken tho.....i will list how i handle painting on plastic

i first clean with soap and water, then with ppg mx195, wax and grease remover.
i then sand with 180 grit to give "tooth" to the plastic, i use a dual action to do this. i wash and degrease before sanding so i dont force dirt into the "tooth"while sanding.
then i wipe down with the 195.
i then apply bulldog adheason promoter per directions.
i then apply my primer....then on to the fun stuff!!!!!
hope this helps some....have fun!!!!

[KDSilverBrush]

very dirty job, Derk , pun intended lol Looks good.

[derkdaigler]

thanks kd ... lol love the pun and chuck thanks for the prep advice that really shed some much needed light on the subject . is bulldog promoter specific for this application ? can i use regular adhesive promoter or where can i find this bulldog stuff?

[chucktx]

i have used bulldog for many years, it works for me. i am sure others get good results from other brands. i stick with what works for me, your mileage may vary!! lol lol lol i have seen paint peel off in one big sheet off of plastic that wasnt prepped correctly. i get the bulldog from my paint supplier. he also has others, and the names escape me right now......have fun!!!!!!!

[derkdaigler]

hey chuck your located in tx i take it? you wouldnt happened to be in south east tx like 100 mile radius of bmt. only reason i ask is im trying to find a close to home paint supply and kinda having heck lol and thanks for the advice buddy

I am using AA paint and while I have not done any plastic parts it's not a bad product. There has been some refomulation of the product to make it more user friendly but I have not tested it as of yet. If you decide to use it, Reduce it exactly as per the instructions and then reduce it further as needed.
The hardest thing I found was spraying it in thin layers. If you don't it will Fisheye in a heartbeat. It's not a contamination problem so don't worry about that if you see it. If it does occur just rewet it slightly and force dry it right away. Keep doing it untill it dissapears. I'd use urathanes but being that I don't have a booth I am going this route. I do however use urathane for my topcoats.

[derkdaigler]

yeah randy i just bought a house of kolor paint kit today and cant wate to try it out ... but its gonna be hard to use right away cause like you i dont have a painting area right away

[ARTattack]

My steps for painting plastics with AutoAir are as follows....I clean the suface,then lightly scuff (sand) to promote adhesion..then use a wax and grease remover...wipe clean. I then apply "Plastic Adhesion Promoter" from X-I-M products,this primer is designed for plastics and fiberglass and you'd be surprised how well it works.I then apply my graphic with AutoAir.I painted the bug-shield on my truck and based it with this primer....When I decided to go with a different graphic...I sanded down the bug-shield and the primer stayed there....It sticks that well......

[chucktx]

yup, in southeast texas.....i am in beaumount a lot.....there is a a/a dealer in beaumount......i have purchased from them when i ran out of a color and needed it right away.....i checked the dealer listing and didnt see them....i will see if i can find my reciept from them tomorrow and post it.....they also may be out of busisness. there are a few in houston tho......check a/a home page and click on dealers.............