Moving on to Plan B…

As you may recall at the end of the second coat of primer the paint gun started sputtering paint which resulted in paint drips all over the endcap. Well after doing some internet research, I figured out what happened and how to solve it.

Apparently, the paint tip cap that screws in over the paint gun tip needs to be super tight, I mean way tighter than one would reasonably assume. This explains why it was so hard to remove when I practiced taking the gun apart the first time. Not tightening it real tight can result in paint drips or splatters. After tightening the tip and retesting the spray gun I found it did solve the problem.

Further research yielded a solution to repairing the drips in my primer. Before the paint fully cures you can use a single edged razorblade to scrape the highest parts of the drip and then using a small block with 400 grit wet sandpaper you can slowly sand the drip even with the paint.

The first few drips took me a while to repair but once I got the hang of it I repaired the remaining drips pretty quickly. However, by the time I was done I had lost another day because there wasn’t enough time for me to put on two more coats of primer. This is making it a real challenge for me to complete this project especially since I have a flight to North Carolina to go see the grandkids for two weeks.

The next day’s weather cooperated, and I was able to apply two more coats of primer. Better yet is that they went on smoothly and without any drips. However, with the one day of curing needed for the primer my luck with the weather is running out as rain and colder temperatures are heading my way.

The next day was cool and rainy and with the extended weather forecast leaving me only one day possible to finish the job I had some planning to do. Looking over the forecast I determined it would be unwise for me to attempt to finish the job due to the cooler morning temperatures. Temperatures not reaching 65 degrees early enough in the day meant I would be hard pressed to be able to complete painting three different colors with three coats each and the still be able to spray the clearcoat all in one day.

If there were any problems or challenges whatsoever that slowed me down even 10 minutes I would run out of daylight and unable to finish. And to do this job right it all has to be done in one day. My only recourse is to move to plan B.

I had mentioned previously that I was attempting to paint only the endcap to see if it was a task I was capable of doing and now I do believe I am. But I also learned a lot and realize it would be difficult to do this job anywhere else without access to all the equipment and space my friends have offered to me. Since I don’t plan (or want to spend any additional time here I will move on to plan B, letting someone else finish the job.

So, it looks like another trip to Puerto Penasco Mexico is in our near future… 

Best laid plans…

The day I picked for painting the primer on the end cap finally came and it was a perfect day for painting. Eighty degrees for a high, overnight lows above 65 degrees and wind less than 8 mph. My plans were coming to fruition!

Before the morning chill was over I went outside to wash the area to be primed with dawn dish soap. After about an hour I went backout to mask off the area to be painted with plastic. Then I did the final cleaning with Sprayway glass cleaner and SPI 700-1 Waterborne Wax and Grease Remover.

The Waterborne Wax and Grease Remover. Has to sit 45-60 minutes before applying the epoxy to allow the solvents in the cleaner to dissipate. While the Wax and Grease Remover was drying, I mixed epoxy primer with its activator because it must be induced (allow to rest after mixing) at least 30 minutes covered.

It was nearing noon by this time, so I let the epoxy continue to induce and broke for lunch. I wanted to be fresh for my first attempt at painting. The day before I had bought some water based paint that was on the discount shelf at Lowe’s to practice with. This allowed me to work not only on my technique but to get comfortable with the paint gun and it settings for air and fluid.

After lunch I donned my goggles and Respirator (charcoal), paint suit and latex gloves. Then I stirred the epoxy once again before spraying, poured the epoxy into the paint gun’s cup using a filter, fired up the compressors and got ready to paint.

I mentioned compressors because I had to use two borrowed 20 gallon compressors to do this job because a 50 gallon compressor wasn’t available for rent anywhere in town. So I used a splitter to join the two compressors together to give me 40 gallons of air supply.

Once the compressors stopped filling their combined tanks I was ready to paint. I used some scaffolding I bought (cheaper than renting and to be sold later) and three borrowed ladders to get up, down and across the endcap so I could maintain a “wet edge” on the paint.

When painting it is important to maintain a “wet edge” of paint for it to have a professional look. I had my Eastwood Concours spray gun with a 1.3 tip set at 28 psi and started spraying about 5 inches away from the surface. I sprayed a initial light to medium coat for the first coat.

Everything went pretty smooth as I was able to maintain a wet edge for the most part and getting up and down the ladders and scaffolding wasn’t as challenging as I feared. I was pleased with my first coat.

After 40 minutes of ”flash time” (time allowed to drive and for solvents to dissipate) I got the paint gun loaded for the second coat of primer.I had planned to put three coats on this day but towards the end of the second coat the gun started sputtering paint which resulted in paint drips all over the endcap. Crap! Now I will need to research how to handle this setback…

Steps– Painting Epoxy Primer on the RV Endcap

The primer I will be using is Southern Polyurethanes Inc. (SPI) 6620-1, Black Epoxy’

Below are the steps I will follow to put the primer on the endcap:

1.wash it down with dawn dish soap
  2. blow off w/ air and mask out area to be painted with plastic/paper
      a. Clean with sprayway glass cleaner
      b. Clean surface with SPI 700-1 Waterborne Wax and Grease Remover, let sit 45-60 minutes before applying epoxy
      c. Tack Cloth surface before priming
  3. mix VERY WELL SPI 6620-1 epoxy primer & 6700-1 Activator
      a. MUST BE MIXED up very well with a paint stick due to sediments
      b. use a paint filter to filter out contaminants from being poured into the paint gun.
      c. induce at least 30 minutes covered
      d. Respirator (charcoal), eye protection, paint suit, gloves
      NOTE: We strongly recommend when you activate the epoxy to stir and mix very well before letting it sit/induce for 30 minutes. Stir once again before spraying and the longer you wait between spraying your coats of epoxy the better.

  4. prime the surface - epoxy, 2-3 coats
      a. Primer will fill in 180 to 320-grit sand scratches.
      b. set gun full fan full fluid, then adjust it until finding the right settings on test panel
      c. spray gun 1.3 tip, 25-28 psi 4-5 inches away lay on light to medium, 2-3 wet coats
      d. spray first coat  w/1 hr. min flash time between coats, then 2nd, 3rd if needed
      d. Wait 24 hours before sanding
      e. clean gun Aerosol Injected Cleaner/lacquer thinner

  5. Sand primer
      b. Sand with 320 to 500 grit w/interface pad to smooth paint runs or drips smooth to the
  surface, being careful not to sand too far and exposing the surface again.
      d. Wash area to be primed with Dawn and dry
      e. Use compressed air to blow water out of crevices.
      f. do initial masking,
      g. wipe down with W&G remover and Tack Cloth right before painting
  6. Seal with epoxy reduced 25%. 1:1:1/2
      a. one wet coat only and wait 2-48 hours before basecoat

I will move from my current RV park over to a friend's lot where I will be

able to paint without bothering anyone. Wish me luck for I will need it. Not only because I have no clue what I am doing but the weather is going to try and sabotage my plans…

Steps - Prepping for Painting the RV Endcap

I am posting this as a reminder of the steps I took to prepare the RV for painting the endcap with primer. If I am successful at doing a good job I wanted to document my process so I can repeat it. The steps are the same for painting a bin door as they are for the endcap. This may also help others who might wish to tackle such a project.

PREP STEPS
  1. Wash area to be painted
        a. wash using dawn
        b. Clean any repair area with glass cleaner (sprayway)
        c. then use 70% isopropyl alcohol or wax and grease remover to remove contaminants that can interfere with paint adhesion  
        d. always use lint free shop towels for wiping
2. Repair any bad spots
        a. strip the current finish for any repair areas down to the bare metal/fiberglass
        b. fill imperfections with body filler - Allow filler to harden per directions
        c. DA sand 80 grit to flatten filler
        d. wipe clean with dawn/water

3. Carefully remove any fixtures that are not to be painted (e.g.. tail lights, RV ladder, license plate)
        a. use envelopes for screws and loose parts, label envelope accordingly
        b. remove any caulk entirely from surface (a flat edged razor blade works best)
        c. use Goo Gone or acetone to get any residual caulk off

4. sanding the old finish off
        a. DA with 180 to smooth chips or filler and to get old clearcoat off
        b. sand with 240 grit to get rid of 180 scratches and last of clearcoat
        c. sand with 320 grit to get rid of 240 scratches and to smooth out old paint
        d. for hard to get spots such as edges, use maroon scuff pad equiv. to 400 grit

The above steps are the most time consuming but how well you prepare the surface for paint will be reflected in the final product. This is not the place to cut corners.Remember any deep scratches from 180 grit or imperfections will be seen in the final paint job.

More Sanding on the Endcap

I have been busy sanding the back of the RV. It has taken countless hours of sanding to remove all the paint but I have made great progress.I began sanding with 80 grit sandpaper to remove the clear coat which was damaged while knowing I had to really get down to the surface of the paint.

As I was sanding through the clear coat I switched over to 180 grit to reduce my aggressiveness and to smooth the 80 grit scratches. Once I got down to the old paint I decided it was probably best to remove the paint as well and sand to the the fiberglass

To do that I continued with the 180 grit until I began to see the primer and then I switched to 240 Grit once again moving to a finer grit to smooth the scratches of the 180 grit sandpaper.

Once the primer was wearing through the last grit I chose to use was 320 grit. Once finished with this paper I will have a very smooth surface for application of the first few layers of epoxy primer.

That is where I'm at at this point in time I sanded for hours and hours resulting in a surface as "smooth as a baby's butt" (well maybe not that smooth).Now I am focusing on caulk removal and finishing sanding all the hard to get to spots.

The next step will be to prepare a paint shelter that will protect me from the elements when I start the painting process of the epoxy primer. I will be using an epoxy primer from southern polyurethanes based upon recommendations from a forum I joined.

My paint shelter will be constructed out of 3/4 in. PVC pipe and thin plastic sheeting that is transparent to let the light in. It will be constructed so that it will cover the entire end cap. This will provide me a protected space from the elements such as dust, debris and bugs thus protecting my fresh paint.

So now it's a waiting game and time to buy my final products to get the job done. My plan is to start painting sometime around the 6 or 7th of October!

Repainting the Endcap of our RV

Well it didn’t take me long to get in trouble. Our RV is a 2007 model and thus is now 16 years old. Over the last year or so the clearcoat has begun to flake off in several places with the end-cap being the worst. What started out as little checks in the paint has resulted in some spots with lots of clearcoat peeling off as can be seen below.

Last year in Arizona I reached out to many paint shops across the USA to see what needed to be done. The consensus for fixing this problem wasto sand all the areas that are bad down to the primer or fiberglass.The cheapest bid I found was for $23,000. That is nearly half the current value of the RV.

Since there was absolutely no way I was going to pay that much money for cosmetics it left me little choice but to attempt to do it myself. The only problem was,the only painting experience I had was with houses not cars, trucks or RV’s. But hey, it is never too late to learn another trade, right?

First I had to figure out how to remove the stick- on logos and stickers on the RV. I decided to start with the end-cap first. After scouring the internet I bought an Eraser Wheel from Amazon. After a short while I had my first sticker off.

After removing the stick-ons and stickers next would be sanding. Again after reading forums on the internet and watching hours of You Tube videos I began sanding the clearcoat off with 80 grit sandpaper

To sand the entire end cap I had to remove all the lights and things attached. This also required researching because There were delicate plastic silver rings around each tail light that would surely break if not removed carefully.

After using a paint can opener and a plastic putty knife I was able to gingerly remove each of the four plastic rings without breaking one of them. The rest of the lights were easy to remove. Now I was able continue sanding.

The gas cap removal was a bit tricky too. I sure hope when I am finished I will be able Humpty Dumpty back together again!