On Sat, 5 Feb 1994, Timothy Collins wrote:
> From time to time I read stories about folks who have
> used hammertone (crinkle) paint on their LBC. I too have used it
> on the dash of my 1966 AH Sprite. It turned out quit nice, but
Wrinkle paint isn't the same as hammertone. Hammertone is a smooth finish
that dries with a mottled pattern and a very slight texture. The pattern
resembles metal that has been tapped all over with a ball-peen hammer;
hence the name. Hammerite is a common hammertone paint. I think you used
wrinkle finish, similar to that which used to be common on electronic panels.
> I'm not sure I used the stuff correctly. So here's some
> questions.
> I put the hammertone paint over bare metal. By bare, I
> mean I did prep the metal for cleanliness and I gave it an acid
> wash first, but no primer. I did not prime the bare metal
> because I didn't know how a primer might affect the crinkle
> action. I ended up with a great finish, but now I wonder about
> the long term stability of the finish.
What did the instructions with the paint say about a primer? I have
always regarded wrinkle paint as a controlled painting disaster. If the
paint film wrinkles without lifting from the surface, you should be safe.
If there are any voids between the paint and the metal where the paint
actually pulled free of the metal while wrinkling, you might be in for
trouble. If asked before hand, I'd have recommended a epoxy primer before
the wrinkle paint.
How much do you stand to lose if you have to do it over? If redoing the
dash would not be a tremendous job, I would take my chances. If removing
the dash to do it over would be a major hassle, why not treat a piece of
bare metal with the wrinkle paint, then give it a salt spray and exposure
for a while to see how it holds up?
Many people use lacquer-type primer surfacer before paint. I would not
worry about omitting this. In most people's hands, I doubt it does much
for adhesion of the finish paint. It sure does very little, if anything,
to protect the metal. Metal primed with lacquer type primer surfacer will
rust almost as fast as bare metal.
Ray Gibbons
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