Good primer?

Hi Guys and gals, can anyone please recommend a good primer that goes on nicely and dries nicely without showing brushstrokes? I intend to use good quality harris brushes. any advice welcome. many thanks.

I use Screwfix red oxide, does what it said on the tin.

Hi All, As Villiers says Screwfix red oxide is the way to go, I use it myself, use a small brush 1 inch or smaller. mask off any shiniy bits and clean the rest with white spirit. two thin coats are better than one thick coat.
regards tony

Agreed. I always try Screwfix first whatever I'm after.

I have been using Davids 182 zinc primer, I bought a 2.5 litre tin online as it was a lot cheaper than the small tins you get in the shops.

The metal must be clean and free from rust, ie not blast cleaned, but say at least removed the paint and wire wheeled clean.

The benefits of Davids 182 is that you can spray 2K over the top. My engine has been done this way, and even after chemical and pressure washing it does not come off

You need to thin it a lot to spray it though, you could brush it, but it will be too thick. I thin it sufficiently and use a primer gun (not a topcoat gun) that is better, as otherwise it would have to be thinned too much.

I have used Davids 182 on my dexta, and on a set of wheels.

I also tried in the past Bonda Rust primer, that is also a zinc primer but has a resin in it. This is more suited if the metal is not so clean, but the problem I then found that the actually resin, whilst helping the primer to bond to the metal, actually then made the next coat less likely to bond to the primer....

(I used Bonda rust primer on my Dexta Wheels, and then overcoated with Fordson Wheel Orange Synthetic single pack paint.... this is still fine after 3 years and some fairly hard usage...)

I also used Bonda Rust on the engine of my dexta, and that is still fine after a few years, though if anything comes off after intense pressure washing it is the actualy 2K topcoat from the primer itself..)

Bonda rust primer is red, and can actually be left as itself as the final coat.... but Davids 182 is not waterproof and needs a topcoat...

I have also used a 2K filler primer on other stuff, which was awesome... and sticks like nothing else, and can be sprayed really thick and left to dry without sagging or cracking... so is useful when in a hurry and wanting to do the whole job in one evening from start to final topcoat of 2K....

Only one to use to get professional results. HMG kx primer, they will mix it to any colour code you wish.

I use Bonda Rust primer. It works very well, I've used it on engines, tractors ,saw benches and all kinds of machinery. It goes on well and keeps the rust at bay.

Bob