Home › Forum › Ask A Member › nymarine paint prep and clean up › Re: nymarine paint prep and clean up
I am by no means an expert on metal finishing, but there’s one thing that I’ve learned over the years: painting aluminum is harder than most other surfaces.
Aluminum alloys oxidize immediately on contact with air….can’t be avoided. So you’re never really painting "aluminum" as much as you’re painting aluminum oxide….and paint really doesn’t stick to oxides very well. Sometimes it won’t adhere at all.
Yes, cleaning with a solvent of some sort to remove grease etc. is essential….no doubt. (I like naptha first, followed by acetone). But all the cleaning & degreasing in the world isn’t enough; the really critical part is choosing the proper prime.
Aluminum etching primers like zinc chromate or zinc phosphate are what work the best, as they’re chemically designed to cleat into the oxide and create a suitable paint base. If you take Peter’s paint and simply "go for it", you may be unhappy with the results, and Peter & his paint are NOT the problem.