DuPont, PPG, or Sikkens?

[itb76]

I can get Du Pont, PPG, Sikkens, and Sherwin Williams locally, but not Glasurit. Is there really a difference between them, significant enough to worry about, or is it more a matter of personal preference? I understand poor prep can make any of these give bad results, but is any one easier to apply or give better results compared to the rest?

Thanks for your input.

Lenny

I believe that the key is reading, understanding and following the paint manufacturers instructions and recommendations. Particularly as it applies to temperate and humidity.

I've used several different manufacturers products and that has been the key for me.

Good luck,

[blackmercedes]

Years ago I had a hot-rod that I needed some fancy custom paint for. Sikkens had a really strong rep in the hot-rod arena, but mostly due to it's wide selection of flip-flop colours.

There was some word of better quality too, but that was a decade ago...

[suginami]

Glasurit is manufactured by BASF.

I have been to three paint shops, and all three of them carried it.

I don't think it's hard to find. I'd try another location.

[nthach]

DuPont owns Spies-Hecker and Herberts-Standox, irc.

I require at least some paintwork, and asked a similar question of one of the guys at work who came from a specialty coating company in CA. I knew he had some involvement in the testing of automotive paints.
His response was framed in terms of physical durability and fade resistance.
The way he expressed it was 'Dupont is twice as good as PPG, which, in turn, is twice as good as everything else.'
I doubt that 'everything else' includes MB OEM paint, as the two examples he mentioned of 'everything else' were domestic brands.

He went on to suggest for maximum durability, Imron clear coat. (I have anthracite gray, and will require clear coat.) He explained that the reason Imron clear is not used more often is that it does not apply particularly smoothly (does not 'lie down'), and told me the trick to make it 'lie down' is to mix acetone in proportions up to a third of the mixture.

Here is where I would like to hear from other members. Has anyone heard, or does anyone have experience in applying clear Imron in this manner?

At a cost-per-ounce approaching good champagne, I would like to get a comfort level before going this route.

[mbdoc]

IN todays' world 90% of the quality of paintwork is the prep & the person doing IT. The quality of any of those brands are all just about equal. Any paint job that is rushed won't be as good as one that is allowed time to cure properly.

[Pete Geither]

Do not,,, I repeat,,, do not!!! try to mix some cocktail concoction to put on your car. Most paints are pretty much the same, application wise. The end result and durability comes from the clearcoat. I would shy away from the Imron, as that is usually used for commercial applications and redo's are almost impossible.

[itb76]

No, Imron is out of the question, I've always heard it was expensive and difficult to spray, and the color selection was limited. Gloss is just as important as durability, and I don't want to spend a lot of time color sanding and buffing. This is a panel repair on a car without clearcoat; I'm looking at acrylic urethane type paints. It seems that a few posts up they were comparing DuPont epoxy (Imron) to PPG and everyone else's urethane or enamel--apples to oranges if you will.

The PPG dealer here also sells DuPont; he should be pretty objective about how those two compare. It seems that ten years ago there was some mystique about Sikkens, but since no one here says it's still twice as good as everything else, I'm inclined to go with PPG. I've worked with it before and still have some primer & catalysts left over.

Thanks all. Will post again as the job progresses!

[RickM]

Below is a link to a thread from a Porsche 911 forum....It may be of value. I've also pasted some excerps below.....

"Since i didn't see anyone recommend single stage urethanes, I will. I've done 5 cars with DuPont base/clear and the last 6 (along with my current 911) with single-stage PPG urethane (DCC concept) and a couple of beaters with PPG Omni (an inexpensive option - for an airport car). I really like PPG it's my personal preferrence. Do not use Imron (trade name) good paint but VERY dangerous to spray. I used to paint airplanes and I loved reading the warning about permanent central nervous system damage.

I use the single stage because I find clear to be more difficult to spray well than color and it's easier to touch up. If I were doing a car that saw limited use, I would use a base/clear."


"I paint my own cars in my garage. I have done maybe 20 cars over the years. I would recommend finding a local paint supplier that sells quality paints and is willing to help a DIYer. I use Dupont stuff. I have called the 1-800 # for Dupont in NJ. The guy at Dupont is willing to talk your ear off about painting stuff."

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=108410&perpage=20&highlight=paint&pagenumber=1

[itb76]

Got PPG Concept, and a quart of Bondo, at the local dealer last Friday. Still have plenty of prep work to do, hope to start spraying next weekend, weather permitting. Glad to hear it's worked well for you.

[Aaron]

We use Glasurit and Spies-Hecker. Both are very good paint products and are original Mercedes-Benz. Spies-Hecker paints tend to be found on many of the now antique models while Glasurit dominated from the mid 1970s onward.