How to seal carriage bolts

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Re: How to seal carriage bolts

Postby working on it » Sat Sep 09, 2017 3:19 pm

dancam wrote:...Just reading over this again before I go seal my tongue box and I am wondering why you thinned the paint for the first coat?
I plan to use a water based exterior latex paint over the mix to match whats on the rest of the trailer, do I need a primer first? or is it fine to paint directly over the mix? Also how long did you wait after applying the final coat of the mix before starting to paint?
Thanks
  • Actually, I mis-stated my procedure for using, and reasons for thinning the paint (silo-paint only), before application. I had used all my paints and poly on samples, previous to actual application, but had failed to seal the silo paint can tightly, several months before. Some of the volatile chemicals inside had evaporated, leaving the silo paint thicker, with some clumps of reflective aluminum visible, so I used mineral spirits to thin it, and be able to use that can, since my second can (unopened) was over 50 miles away, at home. I said the mineral spirits made it dry slower, but I meant more evenly (since the evaporated solvent suspension needed replaced volume, to achieve the proper thinness for the solids to spread evenly). The mis-statement was due to my badly expressed thought that the clumped aluminum particles would solidify in the heat, before spreading out, so the mineral spirits were added to loosen the clumps before that happened. Otherwise, my poly was the only thinned coating needed, to soak in and saturate the bare plywood, and the last poly coat, and the grey paint, and the final silo paint top coats, were all full strength, out of the can.
  • All successive applications of each coat dried very quickly, in the excessive heat, so each may have bonded chemically together even better, than if done at recommended temperatures? I don't know, but I did no sanding or roughened any surfaces between coats, and there's been no sign of lifting or separation for 5 years. I applied all the poly coats on the first day (106-110 degrees), with the grey paint on the very lower front and the sides, and the (thinned) silo paint on upper front, top, and exterior hatch on the next day (102-105 degrees). The final top coats were done outside on the third day (after starting in the garage, but moving the trailer out into the heat -for a consistent high temp application-) in similar heat. Each day's work was dry, not even slightly tacky, 12 hours or so later. The dry Texas heat that week, combined with the sealed & airconditioned garage that housed the trailer at night, might've acted like an old-time oven-baked auto paint job. Some older cars had paint that lasted many years, until the EPA and cheap-ish car manufacturers skimped on good paint jobs (some 60s-80s paint jobs deteriorated while leaving the dealership!).
  • Since I prefer to use lacquers, acrylics, and enamels with an oil-base and high VOC content, I have no experience with latex of any type, so I can't help you there. And, I used no primer on my bare plywood (which I had de-greased with pure mineral spirits), and no primer between poly and paint (nor sanding), but this was a unique painting situation- new, pre-sanded plywood, with poly and paint appliied in rapid succession under high/dry heating conditions, slowly cooled overnight. Might not work in your situation, especially if your poly has had time to fully cure, before the painting starts, or if your poly has become soiled or contaminated, in between applications.
2013 HHRv "squareback/squaredrop", rugged, 4x8 TTT, 2225 lbs
  • *3500 lb Dexter EZ-Lube braked axle, 3000 lb.springs, active-progressive bumpstop suspension
  • *27 x 8.5-14LT AT tires (x 3) *Weight Distribution system for single-beam tongue
  • *100% LED's & GFCI outlets, 3x fans, AM/FM/CD/Aux. *A/C & heat, Optima AGM, inverter & charger(s)
  • *extended-run, on-board, 2500w generator *Coleman dual-fuel stove & lantern, Ikea grill, vintage skillet
  • *zinc/stainless front & side racks *98"L x 6" diameter rod & reel carrier tube on roof
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