The Old Conservationist : WILLY'S FACE LIFT

A looooong day. After checking everything for the third time (at least) I realized that I was stalling. I was afraid to add the hardener to that first batch and start painting. It took about three strokes with the roller to realize that a roller wasn't going to work. The paint is very thick and starts to get stiff quickly. By the time I was starting on side three I could already touch side one.

After my last post a FaceBook friend asked a lot of questions about the paint. They were good questions and ones that I should have anticipated and answered without having to be asked. The primer I used was just Rustoleum spray primer. It took me eight cans of spray paint. PPG has recommended primer but I had already done the priming by the time we got the paint.

We were torn between using Rustoleum or what is called "tractor paint". We had visited a Sherwin-Williams store and they could meet our needs whatever our decision. I went to an Autozone store for body repair materials and was sent to a PPG Automotive Paint store named Gipe in Madisonville, KY. The fellow at Gipe was very helpful with the body repair materials so we went back to see about paint - especially since it is an automotive paint store. We could have purchased an enamel that would have perfectly matched the truck but that would have cost almost $200/gal and required a commercial sprayer. We opted for the "tractor paint". The tractor paint we used is a PPG ALK-200 Acrylic Modified Alkyd Enamel. The PPG store had a large binder filled with paint color samples. There were 30 colors on a page and there were at least three pages of "white". We found a very good match for the truck. The fellow who took care of us suggested that we use the hardener. If you do not use the hardener the paint "re-activates" (softens) if another paint is put over top of it and dulls within a couple of years. The hardener also makes a tougher finish. We opted to mix the hardener ourselves since we would not be using the entire gallon all at once. The mixing ratio is 1 oz of hardener to 16 oz of paint. A picture of the store's data printout is at the end of the blog.

Problem spot. ???

The paint is not designed to be rolled or brushed, but many vintage trailer buff have repainted their trailers with tractor paint using a roller. It wasn't too bad except for a couple of places. In two places it took on an old cracked paint appearance. The worst were a couple of places where it looked as though I had dropped water into the paint. It wouldn't spread. I talked to the fellow at PPG and he had no ideas. There was nothing different about those areas - same underlying painted metal, same sanding, same TSP bath, same primer, and it was not touched after that to the best of my knowledge. As you can see in the picture (L) it is a mess. Unfortunately it is the front right corner, near the door, which is going to be seen first by almost anyone who visits us. I'm hoping that I can fix it with the second coat.

Area covered by one pint of paint.

Otherwise the first coat went well. Coverage seems to be good. as you can see from the picture to the right, I got about 12-15 feet of trailer from a pint of paint. Of course the front and back have a lot more white than the sides. Our landlord and a friend came in just as I had finished the first coat. His friend, named Slim, looked at the paint then said, "I didn't really think you'd be able to do it." I decided to take that as an affirmation even if it is far from perfect.

The PPG fellow said that I should not use one of the 'between-coats' sponges that are designed to remove runs, bubbles, etc. He gave me a reason. I honestly can't remember the reason. All that mattered was that he said not to touch the first coat.

Front after one coat.

I finished the first coat just after 12 noon. I headed back to do the second coat just before 4 pm.

Second coat

Pamela expressed a concern that I might be pointing out all of the imperfections and be rather self-deprecating. I assured her that I'm definitely not unhappy with the way things are going, but for the purpose of good sharing and helping others who follow, and who might also attempt to paint an uneven surface with tractor paint with a paint brush, I feel it important to point out problems. It's more like the good scientist who reports her/his mistakes so that others might avoid them or perhaps find the solution.

The first thing I need to share is that unless you are a seasoned professional painter like my friend, John Bzdell (Marathon Painting, Huntsville, AL) you will have runs if you try to brush on acrylic modified alkyd enamel. If I had known that I was going to be brushing I might have gone to someone like John and asked for tips to reduce the runs. I don't think they detract from the overall appearance of Willy, but I know they're there. Just be prepared. Tractor paint seems to have a sinister personality that waits until I'm busy with another part of the trailer before it starts running. (That last sentence is called anthropomorphism and paranoia.)

Before I do the burgundy I am going to get a second opinion from someone who really knows this paint about using the "between coats" sponge. This would obviously dramatically reduce run marks, but I want to be sure that I don't destroy my paint or finish in the process. I would suggest that you do the same before you start your project.

I already told you about and shared a picture of the area that looked like water had gotten into the paint. I admit I was terrified that it wouldn't cover on the second coat. If you look closely and know what had been there, the surface doesn't appear as even as elsewhere but I am pleased with the way the second coat seems to have solved the problem. There were two places on Willy where that happened. At this writing the only explanation anyone can give me is contamination but from where and how. The same batch of paint was used over a wide area without problems, so, if there was contamination it had to be local. I would not have been surprised with this type of experience on the right rear side panel where we had experimented with the paint, but not on an area that had been so carefully prepared. If I ever figure it out, I'll share what I learn. If you try a similar paint project, encounter this problem, and figure it out, please let me know.

A second strange phenomena showed up in two places. The picture to the right is near the right rear running light. This spot did not correct. I was able to cover the other similar area. Both spots were near lights or markers. There was a lot of silicone and other adhesive used around these lights. At this point my working hypothesis is that despite all of the scraping, sanding, use of adhesive removers, and washing with trisodium phosphate there was some sort of residue that remained. Thankfully, because it is up next to the running light, it is not noticeable. The only option that would be assured to work would be to grind it down to bare metal and start over. I'm not doing that.

Second coat left side

All told it was another one of those scary new experiences. I think I've said before that I'm getting so accustomed to 'scary new experiences' that they're not keeping me awake anymore. They're just the next thing I have to face. So far we really have been having fun. According to the data sheet the paint is dry to the touch in 2 hours, to handle in 3 hours and "dry" in 10 hours, but not fully cured until 7 days. I have to re-tape and cover the white, so I'm going to give it plenty of time so I don't damage the finish with my tape.

Second coat right side

As I was uploading the picture to the right, it made me think about the fact that the door took the paint beautifully. The door is fiberglass. The data sheet doesn't even mention being used on fiberglass. We were a bit concerned, but, it did fine.

Once we finish the painting we down to painting the frame, sealing the roof, putting on the edging, and putting on the new fixtures. Once we pull him out of the garage we have to replace the air conditioner and Willy will be ready to hit the road for another season. We did 7,000 miles with Willy last year. Who wants to bet we'll beat that this year?