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Re: DuPont DP-40 scare

To: William Hartwell Woodruff <woodruff@engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: DuPont DP-40 scare
From: "W. Ray Gibbons" <gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu>
Date: Tue, 4 Oct 1994 12:27:38 -0400 (EDT)
On Tue, 4 Oct 1994, William Hartwell Woodruff wrote:

>       All this talk about the DuPont DP-40 has me scared about 
> the paint on my Healey.  Here is the story...
>       I got my Healey substructure sandblasted and then primed with
> DuPont Veri-prime (vera-prime?) which I think is DP-40 about a year ago. 
> (I didn't prime it, the sandblasting guys did)  Well, I finally finished 
> painting it last month (with Imron).  Unfortunately, I only scuffed about 20%
> of the primer surface with a scotchbrite pad. So, I'd guess the primer sat 
> for about 11 months before it was top coated on the majority of the car.  Is 
>this
> going to be a huge problem down the road?  If so, I might as well bite the 
>bullet 
> and repaint it now.  I'd really hate to see the color coat flake off in a 
>year 
> or two!  Thanks ... I think ...
> 
> william woodruff      woodruff@engin.umich.edu        Ann Arbor, MI

Having contributed to the DP40 discussion, I should answer to the extent I
can.  Dupont Vari-Prime and DP40 are not the same paint.  Vari-Prime is, I
believe, what is called an "etch" primer.  I am not sure exactly what the
"etch" implies, perhaps combination of a variant of phosphoric acid panel
prep with priming.  Anyhow, VP comes as a paint to which is added an agent
that I assume contains acid (it comes in a glass jar).  DP40 is called an
"epoxy" or catalyzed primer, and it is made by Pittsburgh Paint and Glass
(PPG).  I tried Vari-prime and did not like it, for reasons that have
nothing to do with your situation.  I would recommend you read Dupont
literature and/or contact Dupont to see if you should anticipate problems. 
My guess is that you are OK.  Imron is likely to stick pretty well to
anything but the slickest of substrates.  Also, you apparently are talking
about the substructure of a big healey, very little of which shows in the
end.  Unless you are totally committed to concours, I would not lose a lot
of sleep. 

   Ray Gibbons  Dept. of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
                Univ. of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT
                gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu  (802) 656-8910





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