Awlgrip Primer, Roll (and tip?)

[Jason K]

FROM THE GLISSANDO WEBSITE:

I decided to reprime, although this time I would not tip off the primer after rolling it on. I rolled on two coats, allowing about four hours between coats, and the initial results appear to be much better. There is roller stipple, of course, but the 1/8" nap mohair rollers leave a fairly smooth surface, and it looks like it should sand smooth without too much trouble.

I will be rolling and tipping Awlgrip in the next couple of weeks. I just checked the manual and saw that Tim found the roll and tip method to be a pain. He ended up, as he says above, simply rolling the primer on. Then, he leaves us hanging by saying it should sand smooth without much trouble.

Well? Did it?

Does anyone else have any experience with the Awlgrip primer and roll and tip application?

[Tim]

I used Awl-Quik, a high-build primer. It did not level, causing frustration during sanding afterwards; in order to sand out the brush marks, I ended up going through the primer over and over. I found a tip somewhere about just rolling on the primer, with no tipping; after simply rolling on a couple coats (on top of the previous two coats), I was able to sand it smooth without burning through.

The primer you're about to use is the 545 primer, a much more user-friendly product. I suggest you try rolling and tipping and see how it ends up. The primers tend to self-level much less than the topcoat, so if you end up with highly visible brush marks in your first primer coat that end up being tough to sand out, switch to roller only for another couple coats.

It's important for the quality of the topcoat that the primer layer be smooth and even, with no holes (spots where all primer was sanded away). So it's better to put on additional coats up front, to ensure sufficient thickness to sand flat and smooth.

[heartofgold]

I used AwlGrip 545 primer roll and sometimes tip, and it worked out well. Check out my website here:http://heartofgoldsails.com/Restoration.htm and choose the March 2004 log for the actual application of primer and AwlGrip. Look at the February 2004 logs for prep.

I found that the 545 rolled on easily. Tipping was, well, sort of a mess, so I ended up simply rolling on. When it came time to sand, I would recomend covering the primed area with some kind of guide coat (I did not do this on mine, but I have a year of experience painting in a yard under my belt now). I like the 3M dry coat:

Or you may also consider either an aerosol or wipe on guide coat, but don't skip this step. Applying AwlGrip roll and tip is a very efficient method, as can be seen with Glissando. However, prep of the hull and sanding the primer are prehaps the 2 most important steps to a truly outstanding result.

[George ( C&C 40 )]

Hi All,

I just got done rolling and tipping three coats of gray 545 primer on the mast, boom, spreaders, etc of my new Wavelength 24. Very easy to work with as long as you keep it thin and remember to keep adding reducer every five minutes or so. I roll it with one of those "ultra smooth" trim rollers and tip with a brush. Produces a nice smooth finish that doesn't require too much sanding. Remember, if it's leaving any brush strokes, thin it some more.

George Jones

C&C 40 "Delphinus"
WL 24 "Poco Loco"