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Plastic Pointers - Issue 20

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Plastic Pointers newsletter is a printed newsletter that is sent to thousands of customers. Some things are "lost" in the translation to HTML web format. To see the Plastic Pointers as it was originally printed, you need to view the Adobe Acrobat version by clicking here.

Build a Solid Foundation for your Refinish Work with Black Cat Catalyzed Waterborne Primer-Surfacer

Waterborne primer-surfacers are used by bumper recyclers across North America almost exclusively because of their low VOCs and topcoat compatibility. Since making the switch from lacquer-based primers over a decade ago, waterborne primers have become the accepted standard in the industry.

One of the drawbacks of waterborne primer is that it’s likely to soften if it gets exposed to the rain or wet sanded for too long. Also they will tend to dissolve if rubbed with lacquer thinner, making the typical body shop justifiably anxious about the quality of the undercoat layers.

Urethane Supply Company’s new Black Cat waterborne primer-surfacer addresses these shortcomings and retains all of the advantages of typical waterborne primer. First of all, it has a sprayable VOC of only 2.2 lb/gal, so it’s compliant with both National Rule and SCAQMD Rule 1151. This figure is lower than other competitive waterborne primers, and of course much lower than common solvent-based systems.

Most importantly, with the addition of the 3103 catalyst, Black Cat crosslinks for unrivalled water and solvent resistance. Black Cat is the world’s first catalyzed waterborne primer surfacer for plastic bumper refinishing...you can count on Urethane Supply to innovate in the area of plastic bumper repair and refinishing!

The greatest achievement of Black Cat is that it now offers an 8 hour pot life! That’s right...you can mix enough for your full day’s production without worrying about the primer gelling in your gun.

Once crosslinked, Black Cat offers outstanding water resistance. If speed cured at 120°F for 30 minutes, Black Cat may be wet sanded in one hour. The next day you can immerse the bumper in water for four hours and you will not be able to scratch it off. The crosslinking reaction makes the paint film almost indestructible!
It even resists solvents. After allowing the primer to cure overnight, you can rub it for over three minutes with lacquer thinner before the primer begins to rub through. This resistance to solvent and water attack gives you a foundation for your topcoats that you can count on.

Black Cat does not need to be heated for the crosslinking reaction to take place. It will crosslink at room temperature—it just takes longer. With a room temperature cure, Black Cat can be wet sanded in six hours.

Of course, like any waterborne primer, Black Cat can be dry sanded as soon as it’s dry. With a little heat and air circulation, Black Cat will be ready to dry sand in about 15 minutes. The crosslinking reaction is independent of the drying process. The paint film continues to crosslink after it is dry.

Is Black Cat flexible? You bet! Black Cat doesn’t crack when flexed over a 2 inch radius at -25°F, even when sprayed over an unsanded OEM clearcoat finish. Although we don’t recommend spraying it over an unsanded clearcoat, it’s nice to know that disaster is not lurking around the corner if you miss a spot.

The high build formulation fills 180 grit scratches in one coat. It has excellent dry sandability; it dusts finely and will not load up the paper. Unlike other waterborne primers, you can wet sand it with confidence.

Black Cat will even fill 80 grit “fuzz” on TPO bumpers. To fill 80 grit fuzz, allow your first coat of Black Cat to flash, then apply a second coat. Once the second coat dries, sand overall with 320 grit paper. The next coat of Black Cat will probably be your last.

Using Black Cat is easy. First, open the can and stir the primer. If the primer sits for a while, a light blue haze will appear on the top. Not to worry, just blend the Black Cat with your paint paddle until uniform.

Pour enough Black Cat for the job at hand or for your day’s production. If you have a scale, measure the weight of the paint, then pour in 2% of the 3103 catalyst by weight and blend thoroughly with Black Cat.

If you don’t have a paint scale, you can also measure the catalyst using a volume approximation. The table below shows you how much catalyst to put in for different amounts of primer.

Amount of Primer	Amount of Catalyst
8 fl. oz. (235 ml)	1 teaspoon (5 ml)
1 pint (570 ml)	2 teaspoons (10 ml)
1 gallon (3.8 l)	5 teaspoons (25 ml)

Spray Black Cat with a 1.4-2.0 mm nozzle on your gravity feed gun. The smaller nozzle will give you finer atomization for a smoother finish. With a primer gun, you can lay Black Cat on heavy for the first coat to help fill imperfections.

At the end of the day, dispose of remaining catalyzed Black Cat and flush gun with water first, then with acetone.

Of course we think Black Cat is great, but just listen to what some of our customers have to say about it (and this is what they said with our old catalyst with the 90 minute pot life! Wait till they try it with the 8-hour pot life!):

“We love it! There is nothing else like Black Cat.”

John, Routt Repairables, Bellefontaine, OH

“The Black Cat is great! We are very pleased with it. We are going to start ordering in 50 gallon drums. The only problem we have is we can’t keep our guns full enough of it.!”

Gil Gray, The Bumper Network, Birmingham, AL

“This catalyzed primer has raised our customer satisfaction to a whole new level. Black Cat has been truly fantastic for our company and our customers.”

Randy Norman, Ace Industries, Mentone, IN

“Bewitched by water spots? Switch to Black Cat primer!”

Erttie Veal, Redeemed Bumpers, Lookout Mountain, GA

Repairing a Ford F150 Textured Plastic Bumper Fascia

Here we have a lower bumper fascia on a friend’s 1999 Ford F-150 pickup that was damaged by his teenage son driving the truck into a ditch. The part is only $106, so it wouldn’t make sense for a shop to repair this in a typical situation where the repair costs are covered by insurance, but it demonstrates the steps you’d use for repairing any textured plastic.

Step 1. Clean the plastic with soap and water then 1000 Super Clean plastic cleaner. Heat the distorted area with a heat gun and press the plastic back into position. Quench the plastic with a wet rag once you’ve got it reshaped.
Step 2. Use a hot air welder and the R13 polypropylene strip to repair the crack on the backside (see last issue for details on this). If you don’t have a hot air welder, you can also repair with 5003R10 FiberFlex rod and 2045W Reinforcing Wire Mesh.
Step 3. Once the weld on the backside cools, hog out the plastic on the frontside using the 6122 carbide burr. Make the groove about 1/2” wide and at least halfway through the plastic. Scratch up the groove with a 50 grit Roloc and feather back with 80 grit in a DA.
Step 4. Melt 5003R10 FiberFlex welding rod into the v-groove on the front side. Don’t melt it with the base material; FiberFlex is not a true fusion rod but rather a thermoplastic adhesive that sticks very well to TPO and PP.
Step 5. Once the FiberFlex cools, sand it smooth with 80 grit in a DA. 80 grit tends to make the soft TPO get fuzzy, so sand everything with 180 grit to remove the 80 grit scratches.
Step 6. Apply 1060FP Filler Prep adhesion promoter and 2020 SMC Hardset Filler to fill in any low spots and imperfections. Profile with a block, then DA with 180, 240, and 320 grit to remove all the fuzz from the TPO.
Step 7. Blow dust free, apply 1050 Plastic Magic adhesion promoter, then spray on 3800 Flex Tex to simulate the original stippled texture pattern. Once dry, lightly rub with medium scuff pad to remove dry spray and cobwebs.
Step 8. Once you have the texture the way you want it, apply the matching Bumper & Cladding Coat color. B&C Coat matches 41 different shades of gray, making it easy to find a close match for your situation.

Urethane Supply Company Acquires Flex-Trax

If you’ve called us recently and got our answering machine or seen one of our new invoices, you may have noticed the name “Flex-Trax.” This is a new business venture the management of Urethane Supply is pursuing.

Flex-Trax manufactures a traction device called GoClaws for car and truck tires that helps the vehicle gain traction in slippery conditions like snow, mud, and sand. It’s similar to snow chains in its function, but it’s made of polyurethane material, so it’s easy on the road and on your tires. You can get more information about the product at www.flextrax.com.

Although you may see the name “Flex-Trax” or “GoClaws” on our invoices, we are running it as a separate business and will eventually separate it completely when it’s ready to fly on its own. However, we remain committed to serving our customers in the autobody trade with unique, problem-solving plastic repair products and we’ll continue to innovate in this area. Our new Black Cat catalyzed waterborne primer is evidence that we’re committed to staying at the forefront of automotive plastic repair and refinishing technology.

Products featured in this issue