Dupont Centari

A few years ago I got all set to paint my Farmall A. I went to the local auto body guy (who's since moved) and bought some paint. Well life happened and the the project got shelved.

I'm getting the itch to paint the A again so I went to look and see what I had. The paint the local fellow got me a gallon of Dupont Centari Acrylic Enamel. The paint code is 7410A H, I haven't a clue where that number came from but a little googling shows it to be close to IH 50, which is what would have come on my A way back when. Not sure how close it is to 2150 but it sounds like 2150 has more orange in it.

I've also got a gallon of Dupont cold weather reducer and a smaller can of some off brand hardener. I now know that harder is not something I want to mess with unless I have a supplied air system. If I leave the harder out what am I going to sacrifice? Gloss, hardness, chemical resistance?

Anyway, how's Centari? Sounds like it's been around for quite some time. Is it forgiving for a rookie or am I in for a challenge?

Thanks,

K

back in the day, centari was a decent paint, not as good as the urethanes of today, but a good paint anyhow. as far as leaving out the hardener, the paint will dry slower, and will in a broad sense, not have the durability as with the hardener. back when, centari was applied with the hardener using just a charcoal respirator. not saying you should, but a good disposable paint suit, latex gloves, chemical goggles and a quality respirator will suffice if a person is careful. for prep, what we did back then, strip to bare metal, body work was done, then lacquer primer was applied, block sanded, then sherwin williams vinyl wash primer applied, (it was a phosphoric acid etch primer,) then dupont 1984 s sealer, then a quick nib sanding, precleano, tack it and shoot it.

(quoted from post at 05:26:18 06/03/09) back in the day, centari was a decent paint, not as good as the urethanes of today, but a good paint anyhow. as far as leaving out the hardener, the paint will dry slower, and will in a broad sense, not have the durability as with the hardener. back when, centari was applied with the hardener using just a charcoal respirator. not saying you should, but a good disposable paint suit, latex gloves, chemical goggles and a quality respirator will suffice if a person is careful. for prep, what we did back then, strip to bare metal, body work was done, then lacquer primer was applied, block sanded, then sherwin williams vinyl wash primer applied, (it was a phosphoric acid etch primer,) then dupont 1984 s sealer, then a quick nib sanding, precleano, tack it and shoot it.

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Thanks for the info. If I had plenty of air movement (ie leave the big door open) would that make it a bit safer as well? I know that leaves the possibility of contamination but for the main part of the tractor, pretty much everything that is cast, it wouldn't be as important.

For my lesser needs would an epoxy primer be OK? I plan on getting the thing as clean as possible using a wire brush in my angle grinder, prime it then paint it.

I guess I'm looking for decent results but not anything that's going to knock ones socks off. The M you just did was beautiful by the way...

Can you even get Centari anymore?

K

i dont know if centari is still available, if it has, its prolly been reformulated. i know a lot of people use the 170 epoxy primer, which will work well for you. i use basf paints here at the shop, they are spendier than the dupont products, but they have a better warranty and my opinion, they are a better product. we get better color match with less variance tints than dupont.
has your paint been out in an unheated building? if has been subject to freezing cycles, it may not be any good. at the very least, mix up a small batch, then paint something and see how it looks.

(quoted from post at 09:21:10 06/03/09) i dont know if centari is still available, if it has, its prolly been reformulated. i know a lot of people use the 170 epoxy primer, which will work well for you. i use basf paints here at the shop, they are spendier than the dupont products, but they have a better warranty and my opinion, they are a better product. we get better color match with less variance tints than dupont.
has your paint been out in an unheated building? if has been subject to freezing cycles, it may not be any good. at the very least, mix up a small batch, then paint something and see how it looks.

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170 epoxy primer, I'll make a note of that.

I seem to remember the guy who sold this to me told me it was a decent paint, nothing to fancy and from the sounds of it he wasn't to far off. This is my first try at painting, maybe if I prove to my self I can do it with out messing everything up I'll try something fancier down the road.

The paint has been stored in my heated basement since it was purchased.

Do hardeners or reducers have shelf lives? The stuff I have is "Cold Weather" reducer, I may have to get something else if I plan on spraying in the summer (my original plan was for this to me a Fall project).

Thanks,

K

the 170 is ppgs omni line, mp170 epoxy primer. your hardener, as long as it hasnt been open should be ok. check for cloudiness or separation when you open it. if it looks clear, should be ok. the cold weather reducer is a fast reducer, so it will flash off quicker if the temperature is low. as long as you are not too awful hot outside, you should be ok. and the benefit if you are not in a paint booth, it will dry quicker so you have less chance of dust and dirt in the paint.

(quoted from post at 10:21:06 06/03/09) the 170 is ppgs omni line, mp170 epoxy primer. your hardener, as long as it hasnt been open should be ok. check for cloudiness or separation when you open it. if it looks clear, should be ok. the cold weather reducer is a fast reducer, so it will flash off quicker if the temperature is low. as long as you are not too awful hot outside, you should be ok. and the benefit if you are not in a paint booth, it will dry quicker so you have less chance of dust and dirt in the paint.

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Ah, OK. Should I stick to Dupont products or can I mix and match? I'm also not 100% sure who sells PPG around here but know the local autoparts place deals in Dupont, might even be where my paint came form in the first place.

Happy to hear my other stuff it probably fine.

Thanks again,

K

it would be better to stay in the same paint line as some products are not compatible with other companys products. dupont will have a primer that you can use under the centari.

(quoted from post at 10:21:06 06/03/09)

the cold weather reducer is a fast reducer, so it will flash off quicker if the temperature is low. as long as you are not too awful hot outside, you should be ok. .

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Glen, I agree with 99% of what you have to say about paint, but not about using fast reducer in the summer. I have tried it in the past to "save money" using up reducer. Boy was that a mistake. Paint was chalky and just plain nasty. Took an extra couple weeks to get it all removed and recoated correctly using the right reducer. I would say to buy the correct temp reducer for the job as it is only a few bucks.

Just my $0.02 (don't forget to pay the external_link tax if you use this advice!)