W

Will Womack

Well Known Member
Does anyone have any experience shooting Veriprime in cold conditions?
I'm ready to prime the rudder and its forcast for below freeezing all weekend. I'm not set up to shoot paint inside. Anyone ever try priming outside and curing inside?

Thanks (from the frozen tundra)
 
You don't want to do it. I'd suggest finding someplace setup to do it indoors, like an auto paint shop. I've talked a local paint shop into letting me use their facilities during lulls in business for a very reasonable price.
Not to make the old "Weathers Here, Wish you were Beautiful" joke, but it's going to be in the high 70's, low 80's here in San Diego this weekend!
 
Will:

Living in NE Wisconsin, I have had to deal with cold conditions throughout my project.

I have had no problems at all priming in the winter. Pick a day that is not too windy and set up your parts outside. Mix your variprime inside (in my case in my basement) and then take it outside and fire away.

Because of the cold weather, the variprime will have a much longer flash time. Once I got my parts primed, I would take them inside (basement in earlier years, heated garage in the new house) to cure. I did not prime in my garage due to fumes leaching back into the house despite measures to prevent it.

You will find that even though you primed outside, the parts will stink up the house a little bit until they are cured. I routinely did my priming whilst the better half was gone to keep the peace.


I see that you are in Appleton WI. I get down there once in awhile to service my (no, wait a minute...my Wife's!) car. Good to see another cheeshead in the forum! Better working on an airplane than watching the Packers lately...... :(
Regards,
 
Last edited:
What Jeff said!

It doesn't stink up the house for long, really.

I also answered you in the crosspost , Will. Kinda said the same stuff there.

Drape the corner of your basement with plastic sheeting and fire away!

;) CJ
 
Since I posted I've been doing an extensive web search, and what I'm reading tells me that I've been mis-informed by the local hot rod builders. The two previous replies confirm what I've read elsewhere that applying in the cold has no effect on primer adhesion - it just slows the cure way down. Sorry for the confusion of the first post.
 
Nason primer

I just sprayed my -9A tailcone skins with Nason (by Dupont) primer. Like Variprime, it is also a two-part mix. It is an epoxy so it sets up hard. Nary a scratch on the J-stringers after working the bulkheads into position. I sprayed on a 50 degree afternoon. Curing time was about 30 minutes. It is very close in appearance to zinc chromate. Best of all, it is about half the price of Variprime. Note, it is not compatable with Variprime so don't mix any remaining Vprime (nor the converter) with the Nason products.
Interesting point, the Dupont site doesn't show any temperature restrictions when using their product. These chemical reactions aren't temperature dependent?
Steve
 
Steve,

Good choice with the Nason product! I will likely get some of that stuff when my VP is all gone.

Sounds like you are liking it! Jim Robinette was just up my way and we picked up a quart (actually .5 gallons with 2 parts) for him on my suggestion. I am sure he will be happy.

I think more builders need to be aware of the Nason line. It is a good product for our needs, I think!

Basically, it IS DuPont. We just don't pay for the NASCAR stuff when we buy Nason!

:) CJ
 
CJ:

My wife has a nose on her that can smell anything out of whack from 100 yds away. If I shot Veriprime in the house, there would have been hell to pay! :eek:

If you do shoot Veriprime in your basement, I highly recommend some sort of exhaust fan set up in a window or something to get the stink out, plus to save your lungs.


Regards,
 
Thanks to everyone who replied! Looks like I will give it a try as soon as this wind lets up :D

When I originally did my primer research I almost went with Nason but some painters at work (who paint GIVs) told me it wasn't as good at corosion prevention by itself (with no topcoat). Since I couldn't find anyone who had actually used it by itself with good results I went with Veriprime. It certainly is cheaper but its chemical properties are quite different.

Anyway, I'll post again and let ya all know how this works out.

Painless, are you flying yet? We just had the already huge runway extended here at ATW :cool:
 
Oh yeah... Absolutely!

Ummm, I figured all the safety stuff was a given. I guess that should be stated!

Me? I would envelop the "spray booth" with plastic sheeting. This would include the ceiling and some type of durable structure for the walls with the plastic stapled to it. A hinged door and exhaust fan is high on the list of things to do. I would also fit a pleated filter into the fresh air intake on the "house" side.

...kinda like what Wicked Stick did in his garage!

122paintbooth3.jpg


:) CJ
 
Will:

Not flying yet.....and ticks me off that I am not. Grossly underestimated how long all the little details would take to get in the air. If my test pilot feels like it, I may have it flying sometime this winter. That is if there is a day that is halfway decent. With the wind like is is today, I could almost fly it like a kite!

Good to hear that ATW has a longer runway. I can get in more touch and goes that way! ;)
 
I just finished priming all the rudder parts with Veriprime. I cleaned all parts (with soap and water and acetone) inside the heated garage. Mixed all the paint inside and got everything set up outside. I then just brought out a few pieces at a time, primed them, then brought them back inside to dry.

It worked very well :D
 
Sounds good Will.

One other point.....In the winter, when it is more of a hastle to prime, I tried to accumulate as many parts to be primed as I could. Then I would spend an afternoon priming everything at once.

Prime on Dude...... :D

Regards,
 
I have a couple of 500W halogen contractor lights that I use both to warm me up when it's chilly, and I also aim it at my parts after I've primed them if it's a bit cool outside (DO NOT do this while you're actually shooting the primer or you'll blow yourself up. The lights can get hot enough to ignite things. I haven't seen this happen, but am told that it has). I'm not suggesting that this is any sort of solution, but it does seem to work for me at any rate.
 
Don't know if this will help, but last winter I built a plastic tube and sheeting "room" against the house outside my sliding glass doors. To prime, I would open the door a few inches and in a couple of minutes would have 60 degree heat. The house always had a little positive pressure, so no fumes came back in. I put plastic over the glass so overspray was no problem. After a short time I could bring the parts in to cure. Worked well, although the neighbors might have wondered what kind of funny plants I was growing in my "greenhouse"!
Bob Kelly, Indiana
 
You must log in or register to reply here.