1968 SEM Paint on Metal Dash?

[AADaddy]

OK, so I think I may possibly be having a Homer Simpson "DOH!" moment. I spent the better part of the past couple weeks sanding down my dash and painting it. It turned out great but I think the paint is a little soft. The glovebox door got messed up and I am repainting it. When sanding the glove box door back down to metal I noticed the paint scratched really easy. I looked at the paint and see it is SEM paint for vinyl and plastics. That said, I researched it in different forums and see a lot of people that swear by it for metal and NPD says it's good for that. Anyone used the stuff on metal? I'm wonering if it needs to sit for a while to cure since it's so stinking cold here in IL? I did leave my garage heater running for a few days to allow the paint to dry at a good temp. So did I screw this up by using the wrong paint or am I safe with this? Would a clear coat of some sort make it stronger? Thoughts?

 

[franklinair]

Which aerosol did you use on the metal surface? NPD's lacquer AP#### is what I use on metal. VP### is what I use on vinyl surfaces. Never had a problem.

Neil

 

[dalorzo_f]

+1 Yep, what he said.

Would have thought vinyl dye was designed a bit different to paint to maintain "flex" and bond differently...

 

[AADaddy]

I checked the can. I used a VP. Crap. Well, it looks great for now! When I have the car repainted in a year or so I'll tell them to redo it! It looks better than it did though. I'll have to get in touch with NPD since they say it's good for metal too on their website. It's not as though the paint peels off. It's just that if you scratch at it with a finger nail it will come loose somewhat easy. Odd thing is I used it on the rear panels and it is rock solid on those. No scratching will take it off. Same paint on metal. Maybe it needs to set up a while longer given then cold weather here. I'll just keep telling myself that!:wink:

 

[dalorzo_f]

Have noticed with some sprays if you fail to really shake the s&*t out of the can it can stay soft and not cure/dry properly.

I have an Aluminum paint here that will stay tacky for days if I don't give it an aggressive shake for a good 2 minutes.... one local Ford Blue (great color, PITA to spray) literally needs 5 minutes to mix it properly...

Hopefully if you leave it be for a while it will setup better.

 

[AADaddy]

I reached out to NPD about this and this was the response I got:

"Over properly prepared and primed metal the SEM mix paint works excellent on metal. I talked with our supplier in regards to this years ago who informed me of the possibility. I have used it and I have several friends who have used it (on metal surfaces) on their SAAC & MCA Gold Concours and AACA Grand National winning cars as well as other customers who have used this blend successfully on metal surfaces. I actually like using it better than the lacquer mix paints because it has better coverage and a higher solids content. It sprays on evenly and dries more consistently than lacquer especially since it is not subject to the problem lacquer has drying in humid conditions."

Based on that I'm thinking this is probably a drying time issue and also a result of the cold weather. I was heating my garage when I painted the car and left the heater on for a day to help the drying. So maybe I'll be OK once things warm up outside. I'm fairly certain I prepped the metal right.