Finally Progress!

[Cobra5]

Well I spent the last two weekends trying to get the tub painted. This was a challenge becuase I decided to go over the old paint instead of stripping to bare metal like a lot of you guys have done. I think I know why you guys went that route. I don't know what the hell was going on but for the life of me I couldn't get several areas clean enough for the paint. I tried everything I knew and finally settled with dawn and hot water. I used windex to ensure the soap film was gone and finally it was clean enough to make the paint and me happy. I was going to trailer the tub to work and use the paint booth but decided against the hassle and just did it in my shop. I thought for sure paint would end up with a lot of dust and dirt but it was surprisingly minimal and after the paint dried I used a tack cloth to pull the dust particles out of the paint. I have six coats of paint on the tub and used less than a gallon. I thinned out the paint @ 2:1. BTW the wheels will get painted later.

[sarmadq]

Did the old paint bubble up and peal when you coated it with a fresh coat . I happen to have that problem on any part I paint. Anything not sanded down well peals away. The fresh paint coat acts as a painter remover.

[Ralph Fuller]

Walmart has "Grease & Wax remover" in the automotive section. The Eastwood Company has a pre-cleaner. You can see what it looks like here:
http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/prod ... ctID=18408
Check with your local automotive paint store, and tell them what you are doing, and they will help you pick a pre-paint product.
It is a lot cheaper and quicker than having to repaint your project. Don't ask me how I know.

[cstaup]

I use mineral spirits, have not had any paint failure..........yet

[halftracknut]

Looks great to me ....HTN

[ida34]

I use acetone for the final wipe down before painting.

[Cobra5]

Did the old paint bubble up and peal when you coated it with a fresh coat . I happen to have that problem on any part I paint. Anything not sanded down well peals away. The fresh paint coat acts as a painter remover.

Didn't have a problem with the paint sticking or bubbling up. Just areas that were near impossible to clean so the paint wouldn't lay down. However I kept at it and won the battle. I had one area that looked as though it was going to give me a headache but I walked away and let the paint do its thing. It flowed out pefectly and you can't tell there was an issue.