Spray can primer.

[Gerald Schamp]

Sparky started a thread the other day about the DC540 primer. True the old stuff is not good any longer. So I went to the NAPA store looking for an alternate.
DupliColor makes 2 that are a substitute. I'm testing both. One is a sealer primer, the other is a filler primer. The sealer one is thin and takes 2 or 3 coats to build up enough to do the job. The filler primer is thicker and is 95% as good as the DC540. So far my tests have been positive. Both are dope compatible. Ingredients are very close to the DC. Wet sanding is a must. Anyhow for what it's worth, this what I've found. Try at your own risk, but so far it's a go for me

[Wynn Robins]

I have been using duplicolor high build for years - its awesome stuff.   they used to do it in white which was really good - I can only find grey now in New Zealand

[Gerald Schamp]

Thanks for the feedback. Yes gray is all I could find also.

[Larry Fernandez]

Hi Gerald, I have been using the Dupli-Color filler primer for about ten years now.
It is a high build primer that sands very easy. At that stage of finishing, I wet sand with a few drops of
dishwashing soap to keep the paper clear.
Dope adheres very well and you can sand it the next day. However, I recommend waiting a week as this primer will shrink. Just because it’s dry, it will still gas off for about a week.
As I said, I have used this material for sometime now and my planes turn out pretty OK.
The first picture is the older can and the second picture is the new can
Part number for both cans are 2691632101

Larry, Buttafucco Stunt Team

[john e. holliday]

Thanks Larry,   the last two cans of the DC549 were very disappointing.   Also the nozzles leave a lot to be desired as they were hard to push/depress.

[FLOYD CARTER]

Any primer, including spray cans and automotive primer, are heavy.  If you need the weight, then use it.

A lighter overall result comes from butyrate clear mixed with zinc stearate.  Not as fast as a shot of primer, but much lighter.

[BYU]

Thanks for the feedback. Yes gray is all I could find also.

For white try here

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/DC_DAP1689

[BYU]

I have been using duplicolor high build for years - its awesome stuff.   they used to do it in white which was really good - I can only find grey now in New Zealand

Try here:

https://www.repco.co.nz/en/brands/duplicolour/duplicolor-sandable-primer-white-450ml/p/A1015758

[John Lindberg]

Walmart and Home Depot sell a spray primer called "Automotive Primer"by  Rust-oleum, it dries fairly fast, 20 minutes or so, around 4 dollars a can, 12 ounce can. Light gray and dark gray, excellent nozzle, the Dupli-color around here is twice the cost. 

[Ken Culbertson]

Walmart and Home Depot sell a spray primer called "Automotive Primer"by  Rust-oleum, it dries fairly fast, 20 minutes or so, around 4 dollars a can, 12 ounce can. Light gray and dark gray, excellent nozzle, the Dupli-color around here is twice the cost. 

I just got through using that on my last ship.  They were out of the regular Rustoleum gray so I grabbed it instead.  Worked great.  Sanded better than the regular and it was ready to be sanded Soooo much faster.
Only problem I found was that it did not seem to hold in the grain as much.  When I did dope I went filler, sand, clear, filler, sand, clear repeated till there was nothing left to fill then I switched to basecoat.  I was advised to skip the clear for Rustoleum.  When the base coat was dry about 2 days the grain started coming back.  I don't attribute that to the brand of the filler.

ken

[Larry Fernandez]

Only problem I found was that it did not seem to hold in the grain as much.

Did you seal the wood with a couple coats of dope before you shot the primer?


  When the base coat was dry about 2 days the grain started coming back.

That is why I mentioned in my previous post to let the primer dry for about a week or two. Even though it is dry, its going to shrink back a bit, showing the wood grain and sanding marks. This is common for all lacquer based materials.

Larry, Buttafucco Stunt Team

ken

[RC Storick]

For white try here

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/DC_DAP1689

Thanks, Bob. I looked at the MSDS sheets and it contains most of the good stuff of DC540 except Xylene. So it does look promising and I will give it a try however I know it won't dry as fast and be as light. 

[Kevin Muckleroy]

Scored the last 5 cans of the good stuff at our local NAPA warehouse.