Priming a car with a roller: selection rules, advantages, possible problems
Content
Ordinary painting tools are not suitable for automotive body work. There are special kits for priming a car with a roller, which include everything you need - a tray, a working tool, a composition for application, napkins.
When choosing the best primer for a car before painting, many motorists stop at a roller - like a painting tool that has a low cost and speeds up the application of the composition to the body part.
Car body primer
Some painters consider priming an optional process, arguing that it is an extra cost and time that can be dispensed with. The primer composition is designed to improve the adhesion of the paint to the treated surface, additional protection against corrosion manifestations, as well as smoothing out minor defects remaining after finishing puttying.
Car door primer
For individual elements of the car body (wheel arches, bottom), a specialized primer is used to ensure resistance to mechanical damage.
Preparatory work
Before applying the primer, it is recommended to prepare the surface in order to improve the impregnation of the lower layer.
Step-by-step instruction:
- If there are traces of old paintwork on the metal, they are removed and cleaned with sanding paper. Do it manually or with a drill (screwdriver) with a special nozzle. If there is rust or other defects, they are cleaned and leveled into one common line. The surface is preliminarily degreased (with white spirit, alcohol, etc.), which improves adhesion.
- If puttying is carried out in several layers, wait until each of them dries. This is necessary to remove small particles of water between the components of the putty - they can remain and subsequently cause internal corrosion, which is difficult to remove.
- The dried and treated surface is sanded and wiped with a dry cloth, after which a primer is applied. The material must be lint-free so that the particles do not get on the body parts and are not under the paint. Work is carried out in a clean room with ventilation to prevent dust from entering the ground.
In order not to wash the tray in the future, it is covered with a plastic bag or other waterproof material. If necessary, mask elements that will not be painted.
Advantages of priming a car with a roller
Despite the fears of many craftsmen, the use of a roller when priming a car has several advantages compared to spraying the composition with an airbrush. The main ones are:
- It is not necessary for personnel to use personal protective equipment - since there is no spray, particles of the primer composition do not enter the respiratory tract.
- No need to buy expensive equipment. The cost of a disposable roller is 100-200 rubles, while it can be used repeatedly, subject to thorough washing after each time.
- No special skills are required, even a beginner can cope with the work.
- Using a roller, soil with grain of any fraction, including two-component, is applied.
- The procedure can be carried out in an unequipped room, since without spraying the primer will not get on the surrounding objects, the environment will not be polluted.
- No need to spend hours cleaning the spray gun. After priming the machine, the roller can be quickly washed in a cleaning agent or thrown away and a new one purchased.
- Cheap consumables. Since the primer composition is not lost during spraying, it is all consumed during application. According to studies, the consumption of primer when working with a roller is reduced by 40% compared to using a spray gun.
Contrary to expectations, the primer applied with a roller lays down on the surface in an even layer, while eliminating the possibility of overcoating compared to spraying with an airbrush.
Which roller to use
Roller for car primer
Ordinary painting tools are not suitable for automotive body work. There are special kits for priming a car with a roller, which include everything you need - a tray, a working tool, a composition for application, napkins.
When choosing on your own, it is recommended to check with the consultant whether the model is suitable for the applied composition, whether it will be destroyed by chemical components during operation. If you have free funds, it is recommended to purchase several tools of different sizes that will help to process hard-to-reach places. Due to the fact that the roller has a round working area, it will not “reach” some areas, they are separately coated with a piece of foam rubber.
How to properly prime a car with a roller
You can get the expected result by following the steps in sequence:
- The primer is applied to the prepared body elements manually, the number of layers depending on the type of surface is from 3 to 5.
- The surface is covered in several stages - first, the tool is partially dipped into the ground and rolled over the surface, then the treated area is re-smoothed with the dry part to remove sharp transitions (more pressure is required compared to the initial rolling).
- During the initial application, an effort is made to fill small craters and cracks. The primer of the machine with a roller is carried out in different directions in order to exclude the appearance of risks “looking” in one direction.
- Subsequent layers are made thicker than the first - the pressure should be minimal. The edge of each level must be drawn beyond the end of the previous one in order to smooth the boundaries and visually align the treated area. All layers, except the first, are applied with little effort, otherwise it will be possible to separate the previous one, and the work will have to start over.
- Before applying the next layer, the body element is dried to improve adhesion. Drying is carried out in a natural way (in a ventilated room) or using special equipment (lamps, heat guns, etc.). The level of drying must be controlled - the soil should be slightly damp, in which case the adhesion between the layers will improve.
At the end of processing, grinding is carried out with sandpaper, in sequence from larger grain to smaller, until defects visible to the eye are removed.
When to use a roller
Painters recommend using manual application of a primer in hard-to-reach places - the spray gun is unable to spray liquid in a limited space, while falling into craters and cracks.
Potential problems with roller priming
Sometimes there are situations when a solvent is “sealed” in a thick layer of primer, unable to evaporate. If the tool is not correctly selected during surface treatment, air bubbles may remain in the primer layer, leaving craters when dried. When applied manually, irregularities are formed, which are removed with a grinder.
If the painting work is carried out taking into account the recommendations described above, there should be no problems.
