Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

I need to paint the plates behind the heater control levers on my 53' Merc. I painted the instrument dash years ago but never got around to the plates behind the heater control levers. The paint is DAR 9000 - black. It is supposed to use DXR80 harder and DTR reducer. Neither of these are still available. What will serve as a replacement for both the DXR80 and DTR to add to the paint to finish the dash?

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

really thats a question for the ppg dealer. but, i would think if you stay with the same type of product, acrylic enamel and urethane hardener you should be ok. ppg changed all the names on the products a few years ago just to keep us all confused i think. the product is still made, just new name/number.

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

Not 100% related, but I was talking to a buddy of mine who paints cars, and he said a good budget paint is oil based Rustoleum enamel at Tractor Supply. He said the secret is to add hardener. Once you do that, it's pretty good stuff.

Might be relevant to you guys out there wanting to paint stuff in basic colors on a budget.

Good Luck

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

If it were me I would try using current urethane hardener but, use less of it. The acrylic enamel actually is a low grade urethane. I have successfully done this with old DAR 9000.
If you are going over previously painted hardened enamel, I know of 1 case where a friend tried to put another coat on but was out of hardener so just reduced the enamel and it made fish eyes the size of dinner plates. I loaned him some DRX 80 and after he cleaned up the mess it went on fine. Message here is once you use the catalyst, you need to keep using it on successive coats. Good luck.

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

Good to know. I am not going over the previously painted housing, so that will not be an issue. I will just be doing the base plates.

Is the DRX80 still available (my can is rock hard), or has it changed its name? What would replace the DTR reducer?

The fun part is that after I shoot the plates, I then have to let it dry and wipe off the high parts of the letters and lever tracks.

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

I'd like to see how they turn out. I'm sure it's a tedious job to clean the paint off the highlighted chrome parts. Roy please post pics when you're done!

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

looking thru my paint stash i see a can of ppg brand, black, says on the label omni-ae, under that says, mae---acrylic enamel. on the side bar instructions is info that mae paint is reduced with mr reducer, and mh hardener. like i said before, they just made it more confusing for us part timers with all these new numbers, but its the same stuff in my opinion. however, i will stick to my first advise, ask the guy at the store

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

Come Monday, I will make the call. This will give me enough information to be able to ask the right questions.

Thank you.

Now I remember why I didn't do it originally. But now I have all this time on my hands, and the weather is finally turning nice, I have gotten a few things done that I put off originally. I will post new pictures once done.

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

You could also just buy a quart of new PPG black urethane (and hardenr and reducer) . They still have 9000. There are always smaller things to paint black so it would get used up.

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

I don't know of PPG still has Concept acrylic urethane or not. It would be the best replacement for the obsolete acrylic enamels if it's not already obsolete itself. I used to use Deltron acrylic urethane but that stuff is not the same as it once was. Concept was the last stuff I used than was still like Deltron

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

Called the local paint supply store, Finish Master,and they are closed to the public due to Covid-19. He said they might reopen to the public at the end of the month. He also informed me that technically they aren't open and all the lights in the store are off all the time.

I am going to try a local body shop, in hopes they are slow and would consider doing it. It's a good thing I love a good challenge!

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

Local body shop wanted $200 and they didn't sound like they really wanted to do it.

I started checking around and found reducer (15204) and harder (20064) by EXCEL. Has anyone worked with EXCEL products?

Once again this will be used with PPG DAR9000 Acrylic Enamel.

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

I ran into the same problem shooting Centari.
The guys at the paint shop sold me generic hardner and reducer.
It turned out just fine.
The generic was 1/2 the price of the DuPont products.

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

While I am waiting for the reducer and harder to arrive, I decided to shoot the primer and then take it off of the letters with lacquer thinner. Trying to developed a style with the Q-tip. This exposes the chrome and will make it harder for the paint to adhere to the letters and tracks. The plan is not to use the harder with the paint and once it is tacky then remove the paint from the letters. Let it fully dry for 3 days before reinstalling them.

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

Is it OK to use rattle can etching primer under a urethane/hardener top coat?

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

I use ACE primer. It is very a very fine spray and it lays down nice, I have never had an issue with it. I tried Rust-Oleum but I had issues with it. I did the instrument dash and my steering wheel, when I repaired the cracks and repainted it, with it and no issues.

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

I haven't had much trouble with urethane going over any kind of primer. I've not used too many rattle can primers other than zinc chromate but a person can try it on a sample card just before shooting a project to see what it does.

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

Thanks! I'll try that.

Re: Painting with Acrylic Enamel question
 

Finished it today.