Tried a waterborne primer on a hood today and got way better flow than I expected

I've always used solvent-based primers because that's what I learned on 15 years ago at a shop in Akron. But I had a customer's 2018 Civic hood that needed a full refinish and I figured I'd finally give the waterborne stuff a shot. The adhesion was actually smoother with no orange peel on the first coat, and I didn't have to fight with fisheyes like I usually do. Has anyone else had better luck with waterborne on aluminum panels or was this just a fluke?

3 comments

3 Comments

betty_wells1mo ago

Funny you mention fish eyes, I usually get those on my good days to keep me humble. Glad the waterborne worked out, might have to give it a shot on my next F-150 tailgate.

the_lee1mo ago

Man that's a good way to look at it. Kinda like how a little imperfection keeps you from getting too cocky about the rest of the job.

-2

miles_burns1mo ago

I had a 2019 F-150 hood that I tried waterborne on last month and it was a nightmare. First coat laid down fine, but the second coat started lifting and I got this weird texture like sandpaper. Had to strip it back to bare metal and start over with solvent. Maybe it was the aluminum or maybe the humidity was wrong, but that stuff cost me a whole afternoon and extra materials. I'll stick with what I know works.