What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Eastwood 2K Aero-Spray Epoxy Primer

iceb52!

I'm New Here
I searched the forum and couldn't find any comments about the Eastwood Epoxy Primer in a special rattle can that allows the 2 part epoxy to mix just before it is sprayed. My RV-14 empennage kit ships in November and have been thinking about primer options. Of course, I want a rattle can primer that needs no prep and no cleanup! Not finding one, I was leaning toward the two part epoxy with a HVLP gun when I ran across the link below.

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-s-2k-aero-spray-epoxy-primer-gray.html

Has anyone tried this? Any thoughts?

Thanks.
 
I searched the forum and couldn't find any comments about the Eastwood Epoxy Primer in a special rattle can that allows the 2 part epoxy to mix just before it is sprayed. My RV-14 empennage kit ships in November and have been thinking about primer options. Of course, I want a rattle can primer that needs no prep and no cleanup! Not finding one, I was leaning toward the two part epoxy with a HVLP gun when I ran across the link below.

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-s-2k-aero-spray-epoxy-primer-gray.html

Has anyone tried this? Any thoughts?

Thanks.

It is an all or nothing spray can though.

Once activated you have to use it all up in 48 hrs...
 
Gil, that is one of my concerns. Is it realistic to think I can get everything ready in batches, or will there always be that one missed part that needs primed? I wouldn't mind throwing a small amount way, but activating a can just to finish a job or hit that one missed part would be painful at $20.00 a can.

I assume there is always some thrown away with the gun, just not as expensive.
 
priming in batches

You can easily get things done in batches, but from time to time there will be just one or two more pieces. I did a lot of my early priming at a paint shop, using akzo epoxy primer, so had to batch a lot of stuff. Using this Eastwood product would have been much more convenient, and cheaper, even at $20 a can.
 
Ordered 2 Cans

Ok, since there was very little response to my question on the Eastwood 2K Aero Spray Epoxy Primer, I went ahead and ordered two cans for testing. 19.99 per can and free shipping from their website.

I will try it out on Vans practice kit. It may be a couple weeks but I will update with comments.

If anyone else has any experience with this product, please let me know.
 
I have been curious about these paints since they came out. Thanks for taking the plunge.

Let us know how it turns out!
 
Very interesting.

I am in the middle of the practice project myself, and have restricted myself to Rattle cans. I used SEM and Duplicolor on either side of the project and what I had found so far was that the SEM was far superior, It went on much easier and seams more durable after 24-48 hours. I'm going to order up a can of this stuff for the last parts of the practice project (Or maybe even order a second practice project just for testing reasons) as I wait for the delivery of my RV14a Empanage in November...

Also I had some questions. I got all the way through dimpling for the stiffeners and then primed the skins and stiffeners (Inside only, outside will be shiny) There will be a lot more dimpling and stuff for the rest of the structure. Do you guys prime again over the the completed sub assemblies to cover up chipping or drilling?

Thanks
Andrew
 
...Also I had some questions. I got all the way through dimpling for the stiffeners and then primed the skins and stiffeners (Inside only, outside will be shiny) There will be a lot more dimpling and stuff for the rest of the structure. Do you guys prime again over the the completed sub assemblies to cover up chipping or drilling?

Thanks
Andrew

I prep and prime (rattle can duplicolor) before dimpling. I find that if you prep adequately and give the duplicolor a couple of days at room temperature to cure, it survives dimpling quite nicely. If it's below about 70F I'll give it a bit longer.

I don't usually re-prime if I need to drill after priming, but I will touch up machine countersinks.
 
Ok, since there was very little response to my question on the Eastwood 2K Aero Spray Epoxy Primer, I went ahead and ordered two cans for testing. 19.99 per can and free shipping from their website.

I will try it out on Vans practice kit. It may be a couple weeks but I will update with comments.

If anyone else has any experience with this product, please let me know.

Any update on this?
I'm thinking about the same kind of primer: http://www.nonpaints.com/nl/2k-epoxy-primer-in-spuitbus-auto-k-spraymax
 
I received the product early last week and I spent the past weekend at the EAA Sportair Sheet Metal class in Dallas. I have the practice kit in hand, but I have to travel for work this and next week. I mentioned the product to several class mates and most were interested in trying it, but no one had ever heard of it before.

I hope to have something to post in "a couple weeks." (How many times have I heard that!)

Rob
 
I'm busy with my practice project and tested the Spraymax 2K Epoxy rattle can primer.

Applying is easy:
- Skotch brite pad, aceton, silicone remover spray
- shake rattle can for 2 minutes
- mount red cap in bottom and press
- share another 2 minutes
- adjust spray pattern (horizontal / vertical)
- apply (only on vertical parts!)
28mhhkw.jpg


Within 1 hour you can touch it, I let the parts cure for 1 day.
Thereafter it survives: dimpling, riveting with hand squeezer and rivet gun.
But I damaged the primer with the bucking bar and the c-clamps.
2vt2lpg.jpg


Since I have no experience with other 2K primers I would like to get some feedback on this.
Do other 2K primers also damage with the bucking bar?

After 1 day I could still use the remaining of the rattle can on some scrap parts.

For the practice project I used almost 1 rattle can, I payed 20 Euros / 25 US Dollars, so priming larger parts like wings become very expensive.
 
Last edited:
Primer Test

Well, I have finally had time to work with the Eastwood 2k Primer. I am beginning the toolbox kit and practice kit. I primed the bottom of the tool box with various test patches. See picture.
image_zpsd489729c.jpg

1&2 are Duplicolor Self Etching primer. 1 is applied after using Eastwood pre paint prep. 2 was the same but also scuffed using scotchbrite pad and soap/water cleaning.
3&4 are Eastwood 2k Epoxy primer. Same options as 1&2 above.
5&6 are Eastwood 2k Epoxy primer sprayed 24 hours after activating. Same prep options as 1&2.

The Eastwood primer sprayed very well. Great nozzle that can be adjusted wide or narrow.

I plan on now building the tool box and see how the various samples hold up to the abuse of construction. I have also primed the sample wing section project with both duplicolor and eastwood and will see how it holds up also.
image_zpsec53d19a.jpg

I will update with photos and comments as appropriate.
 
Primer Test

I completed the tool box mentioned in the previous post. The test patches of primer received some scratches. The worst was the Duplicolor that was not scuffed prior to application (1). The best was the Eastwood epoxy that was scuffed with the scotchbrite pad and sprayed right after activation (4). The differences were not huge, but the epoxy did look the best. I could, however, scratch all the test patches down to the metal if I tried with a nail.

I will start the sample wing section tomorrow and let you kow how it works out with the two different primers.
 
Unscientific Primer Test Results

I completed the practice kit today. Both primers held up well except to the bucking bar. Some scuffs and scratches. Hard to see in photo. All in all, I was surprised by how well the duplicolor held up and a little disappointed in the Eastwood epoxy. I expected a bulletproof epoxy, but it was not. Not sure how it compares to the Akzo. Supposedly the Eastwood does not need a topcoat since it is an epoxy primer. I am probably going to use the Eastwood. Just don't want to get into the time involved with the spray gun and Akzo. Only question is how much to prime.

I primed before doing any work on the kit to expose the two primers to as much abuse as possible. For the airplane, I will prime after dimpling. Pretty good results dimpling after the prime, but not 100%. Prep will be cleaning with Eastwood Pre-Paint (degreaser/cleaner) then scotchbrite pad followed by Dawn soap and warm water

The Eastwood sprayed well for about three days after activation. At the 1 week point, it clogged and stopped spraying.

image_zps755fe18f.jpg
 
I used Eastwood 2K epoxy primer on my engine mount and it is some tough stuff, and its real epoxy, not lacquer, like that Tempo propeller paint. However, it is expensive and doesnt go very far.

A better solution is Nason 2K epoxy primer. You can get it in off-white. A 2 quart kit is ~70$ (O'Reilly, Finishmaster, etc) and you can mix it 1:1 in very small batches and spray it through a Harbor Freight 20$ detail spray gun. The quality is the same but the cost per unit is much cheaper. You could probably do everything you want on an RV for one kit, maybe two.
 
Tool Box Primer Test Photo

Previously I posted a photo of primer samples on the tool box. Below is the final photo after my abuse tests.

Notice the round patches of bare metal on the duplicolor samples. I rubbed them with acetone on a paper towel for about 5 seconds. The Eastwood samples were rubbed multiple times but I could not get them down to bare metal. The samples had been dry for about two weeks. The scratched areas in the middle of the samples were done with a nail. The miscellaneous scratches appeared during he build process from setting on aluminum shavings, etc.

image_zps870f198f.jpg


After starting the empennage, my current decision on priming is to prime the spars,ribs, etc, but not the skins with the Eastwood. The alclad on the skins looks great after the first clecoing. The ribs, spars, etc got pretty scratched up during the demurring, dimpling, and clecoing. i don't want to scuff the nice alclad and apply a coating that i am not 100% convinced is better than alclad. I feel this is sufficient based on my location, hangar, useful life (of me), and available time.
 
Last edited:
Update on Eastwood 2k Epoxy Primer - Rattlecan

I am well into my fuselage build and thought I would post an update to the thread. I am still using the Eastwood product with very few issues. RV-14 Empennage kit required 11 cans ($220). I found that if you refrigerate the can after activating, you can get about three weeks out of it. After that, it still spays but the product fills rough when applied. If you store it at room temperature after activating, the can seems to clog after a week. I try to use it in batches within 48 hours, but occasionally keep it longer. I have had a test sample primed sheet of aluminum outside for 1.5 years and it is holding up well (but so is just the bare ALCLAD surface).

In my mind, the savings for me are the time spent mixing, prepping gun, and cleaning up with the spray gun method. Not money because it is expensive! But I can grab a can and spray within a few minutes. I guess only time will tell for sure.

I will try to post a couple more pictures soon.

RB
 
Rustoleum VK9300

Apparently rustoleum now has a similar product VK9300 that looks like the eastwood product. The cans look identical in the way they work. Have not compared spec sheets.

RB
 
When I built my RV-7 I was searching for a good primer and did some tests. The best were the Epoxy Primers. I had one to mix by myself and spray, good product but hard to clean the spray gun, lots of work. Then I found a 2K Epoxy Primer in a rattle can very similar as described here. There is also an activation button and once activated it should be used within four days. Very easy, very clean and very tough staff - but expensive. I use it again on my -8 build.

And yes you should prepare enough parts to use the complete can. And yes there is the occasional part which is not primed. I usually did not use the can completely, so I was able to spray these leftover parts and some areas which were not perfect a while later or the next day. It was dry very soon and hard after one day and ready for riveting.

The primer coat will be damaged with the bucking bar, but it is more a cosmetic thing. The rivet guns are hitting hard and even bare metal is damaged. I found taping the bucking bar over except for the area in contact with the rivet helps.
 
Just curious, I have a hangar neighbor that's been in the aviation sheetmetal business for over 40 years. He is a metal master with the tools and work requests to back it up. Am watching him rebuild several aircraft, a C-421, two T-6s, a Pitts, etc. etc.
All parts are either fabricated from scratch or cleaned then simply primed with green stuff like most everything I see in metal planes. What's wrong with that?
 
Just curious, I have a hangar neighbor that's been in the aviation sheetmetal business for over 40 years. He is a metal master with the tools and work requests to back it up. Am watching him rebuild several aircraft, a C-421, two T-6s, a Pitts, etc. etc.
All parts are either fabricated from scratch or cleaned then simply primed with green stuff like most everything I see in metal planes. What's wrong with that?

I like it. Zinc chromate primer - that is what I used. Not a good top coat, but good corrosion resistance when scratched. If I did it again, I might just alodine and leave it that way. It gets into all the crevices.
 
Back
Top