metal prep what to use in California?

targa80 · targa80's Garage

I am in the process of striping the paint and went to purchse aircraft stripper and some metal prep. The metal prep was Dupont Kwik Prep 244S at $66.00 a gal. The counter guy said it was all he had but would give me a $10.00 discount. He also mentioned he never sold this before but the most popular stuff he could no longer sell. Does anyone in California Know of another brand or type of metal prep that isn't so expensive and can do the same job?

targa80 · targa80's Garage

I just ordered a gallon of metal prep for $29.00 and 4 quarts of POR-15 from there web site. The metal prep will leave a zinc phosphate coating to prep the metal and it goes hand in hand with the POR-15.

jhelgesen · 02-19-2003, 12:22 PM

I really like the POR metal prep. Works pretty well.

I like to keep a small jar of it on the work bench, I throw a handful of rusty nuts and bolt in about once a day, pull them out the next and they look like new. Amazing stuff. Just remember to degrease them first.

Hetmann · 02-19-2003, 12:34 PM

I recently used POR-15 and their metal prep. I was very pleased with the ease of use and reuseability of the metal prep. It left my sheet metal with an etched surface that the POR-15 liked to stick to. No odor and did not seem caustic or dangerous if used with gloves and proper care.

john70t · 02-19-2003, 04:29 PM

Yeah, the POR15 "Metal Ready" is definitly good stuff. I tried some of the blue prep from a paint store with limited success as it beaded up and rolled off.

Zeke · 02-19-2003, 06:30 PM

I beleive we're talking two different things here. Kwik Prep is just a cleaner used mainly to remove smudges from your hands or othre sources of contamination. A metal prep such as the POR-15 stuff is phosphoric acid based. It's alson called Ospho. This is a mild rust remover and preseravtive. If you are going to leave the metal bare overnight in moist weather or longer in any weather, you should use this.

Also, priming as you go is a good way to keep the metal from hazing over with rust.

In conclusion, whatever method used to strip paint will usually leave the surface less than clean. If you sand the bare metal to reduce grinding marks, it will be dirty. This is when you use Kwik Clean or Kwik Prep. You cannot use Ospho over a dirty, oily surface. Ospho will treat the bare metal chemically to recieve primer. You can also use self etching primer. The main thing is don't let the metal rust or don't prime/paint over a contaminated surface.

BTW, I have used phosphoric acid prep solutions from the house paint store a about $6-7 a qt. very sucessfully. Everthing at an auto paint store is more expensive. List prices are through the roof. Try buying thru an account or tell them you're a fireman or something to get a trade discount.

TimT · 02-19-2003, 06:36 PM

Echoing the previous post.

I believe you cant buy the stripper ( methylene chloride) in Cali..... the metal prep is an acid (phosphoric) that is used to etch the bare metal and give it "profile" or "tooth" so the primer will stick. You should find that in a few different forms

I have never found a replacement for the stripper, The citrus stuff just stops at certain layers of paint,

and none just flake the stuff off like the aircraft stripper