Using primers in Arizona at 100+ F
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4wd Low
Joined: May 2026
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Using primers in Arizona at 100+ F
I'm to the point where I'm ready to strip the old paint to bare metal. I need to spray an epoxy primer to protect the metal from our monsoons. The basic problem is that all of the data sheets talk about too cold, not extremely hot weather. We hit 100+ everyday for 6 months in Arizona. By 8 AM it's already in the 90s.
I'm thinking that the SPI epoxy would be a better choice than the cheap Kirker since it has a much longer pot life. Kirker's 90 minute pot life would translate to clogged gun almost instantly in the heat. The SPI should be stable to spray for a long time. But I'm concerned about its interaction with the metal when the world around it makes Hades look like a place to cool off ? Does anyone have any ideas about painting in a hot environment?
I'm thinking that the SPI epoxy would be a better choice than the cheap Kirker since it has a much longer pot life. Kirker's 90 minute pot life would translate to clogged gun almost instantly in the heat. The SPI should be stable to spray for a long time. But I'm concerned about its interaction with the metal when the world around it makes Hades look like a place to cool off ? Does anyone have any ideas about painting in a hot environment?
Last edited by RanchodeNieve; Yesterday at 06:28 PM.
Tuned
Joined: Feb 2025
Posts: 485
Likes: 277
From: Beverly Kansas
I would spray at about 4AM when its cool! Also, if you put epoxy in the refrigerator you can get about a week potlife out of it. Epoxy cures from chemical reaction , not drying, and needs to be above 50f. to react.
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4wd Low
Joined: May 2026
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The basic problem is that for every 18 degree F (10 C) temperature increase the curing reaction rate doubles. That means that on a typical Arizona day, the epoxy is curing 4 times faster than the manufacturer's temperature guidance suggests. I can keep the primer cool in the house A/C, but it's the interaction with the hot metal that I'm concerned about. I can't bring the truck inside the house to cool off. It cools off to around 80F at night. You're right about 4 AM, but it's still curing twice as fast as they would like. I've tried to spray small projects in the heat and the results were bad. It cools off during the evening monsoon, but the humidity is !00%. Any ideas to defeat the summer.
Tuned
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 254
Likes: 48
From: Somerset, OH
…I'm thinking that the SPI epoxy would be a better choice than the cheap Kirker since it has a much longer pot life. Kirker's 90 minute pot life would translate to clogged gun almost instantly in the heat. The SPI should be stable to spray for a long time. But I'm concerned about its interaction with the metal when the world around it makes Hades look like a place to cool off ? Does anyone have any ideas about painting in a hot environment?
Last edited by g4g2g7; Yesterday at 08:06 PM.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 772
Likes: 309
Another vote for SPI. It's all I've used the last 12+ years, switched over from PPG and haven't looked back. The pot life of their epoxy in a sealed container is 24 hours or more in normal weather and a lot of guys purposely mix it the day before and let it sit overnight so it thickens a little and sprays on thicker to use it as a build primer. If your filler work is really nice you can use their epoxy without the need for high build.
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