In 1975 a Dupont paint rep. walked into my custom van shop and tried his best to get me to try Imron on my next paint job. He left me a setup of 1 gallon of clear. Almost all of our custom work at that time was done in acrylic lacquer. We did scenes, cob-webbing, metal flake, shading and a bunch of gaudy stuff at the time and I was afraid to use a product that I wasn't familiar with. I was especially afraid of the cure time slowing down our jobs. Long story short....37 years later I still have the Imron that was never opened. General opinion is that the activator is no longer good. I would not dare shoot it on a car, but I would risk it on a trailer or maybe some shop tools. I really don't have an opinion on whether it will work or not. Anybody ever shot any old polyurethane products? I will probably have shot it by the time I come back to this thread, but was curious what the predictions will be.
I got some, too. Same vintage. But a whole gallon of 192. Just went out and shook the cans, they are all still liquid. I'd think it would still work as long as yours are sealed and still liquid and not jelly.
Allegedly, if unopened and exposed to the Air/Moisture, it will still be good. I used to use a lot of that clear. Unbelieveable stuff. Tough as Nails, Shine like Mad. Never dull back, fade, etc.... I was told years ago that activators keep fairly well if not opened. That Rep. also told me that once I opened the can to pour a few ounces into a mixing cup and add reducer. If the stuff turned into clear cottage cheese, it was N.F.G. If the mixture remained clear and mixed together with the Reducer, it would be O.K. Wouldn't attempt it on a 20K paint job, but would try it out on a Gas Pump, Bicycle, Cooler, etc.... VR&C.
I was told that spraying IMRON requires wearing a fresh air resporator and suit. Contains cancer causing chemicals.
A guy I knew, back in the '70's, swore by Imron. He worked in an Auto Parts store but did body and paint on the side. His calling card was a black Baja Bug, painted black with gold flake. He would demonstrate by pouring battery acid and paint remover on his hood, then wipe it off. The paint shown like new every time.
I painted my 57 with it long ago. Held up fantastic. Hard as hell. It's Black acrylic enamel now that probably 10 yrs old when shot. I'd get new hardner and shoot it.
There's a reason that Kenworth used Imron back in the day, Its tough as nails. Its also deadly without a fresh air supply, very high in Isosionates, so beware.
i doubt that any new hardner would be compatible. try it out on something small first. then report back.
Good stuff! Back in the 70's, my mentor taught me all sorts of custom paint tricks. He used it to cover intricate graphics on motorcycle tanks, to protect them from fuel spills and rubbing. Also used it for final finish on race cars, same reason. More recently, I used it to protect the polished copper plating on the Kopper Kart. Not sure I'd use it on a modern custom paint job, though. I believe it's impossible to touch it up (blend it in). Yes it IS toxic, but so is ALL modern urethane!!!!!!!
If the activator has ever been stored below freezing temp., it has "come out of suspension". It will look ok, but, if you use it, it will give you the worst case of sand in the finish that you have ever seen! Been there, done that.
open the can and see if it's still "clear", by that i mean make sure it doesn't look yellow. if the can was never opened, it should still be ok, but i would never use on a job for a customer.
I agree. Old activator has bitten me more than once and caused sandy-appearing clear. I'd pass on using it if I were you.
I learned how to paint with Imron--on constuction equipment--yes It made me very sick in the 70's--thankfully now I don't have cancer now--it is the reason I have a full face fresh air respirator now--I once crashed my Econoline after painting and clearing with Imrom, found a piece of paint 2 foot square almost--so tuff I kept it for years to show
Not any good? Then, why was it the 'go-to' paint for the aircraft industry for 30+ years? It's tough as nails, but applying it without a fresh-air suit is like playing with a loaded revolver. My ex-sister-in-law was a painter for Cessna. She loved shooting the stuff, but respected the fact that it could kill you! Technology marches forward and it seems that Sherwin-Williams' Jet-Glo is the new favorite, although some of the die-hards still use Imron. The flyboys and girls say that Jet-Glo stands up to sun and weather with less fade than Imron.
Got some old stock black Imron and activator from swap meet real cheep. Don't know how old but, judging from condition of the can, I would guess 10+ years old. Shot the bottom of my Nash with it and it looks great. As long as it doesn't look funky in the can or when you mix it I think you will be fine.
Try out a small amount on a junk fender or something. See how it works. Judging by the feedback above, if you can spray it on and it looks good the next day, it is fine. If it has gone bad you will know it either right away when you open the can , or as soon as it drys.
Well, I found my candidate to shoot this stuff on. This is my "use it all the time" roll around welding, cutting, pile everything on it, portable work table. I finished knocking the paint off it yesterday afternoon, performed a few mods I'd been considering and shot several coats of primer. This morning I gave it a quick sanding, blew it off and wiped it down and shot several color coats of lacquer that I had left over from some past job. It looked a little plain with only one color, so I taped it off for a contrasting color and I'll be shooting the Imron later this afternoon. I did open up the cans of clear and activator and other than having a tough time getting the lids off, the material inside looks ok. I'm not going to any great lengths on this since I'm just really curious if the stuff is ok for use on things sitting around my shop that could use a coat of paint.
the old Imron had Cyanide in the activator. It is not compatible with the new stuff. If you use it, use the BEST respirator you can find so that the next thread we read isn't Drewski R.I.P.
I shot the last coat of clear a short time ago. It seems that it was rather thin which might be normal for the product in the 70's. I gave it 3 coats with about a 30 minute flash time between coats. Nothing unusual to report. Now if I wake up in the morning and its still wet or sticky then I'll know I got a problem. I appreciate the health warnings regarding the product. Since I've been in this business for a long time I treat any paint product with respect. I wish I could say the same for the auto manufacturer that I spent my last 23 working years with before retirement. Pictures will be forthcoming tomorrow...........hopefully.
Drewski, whatever you do ,be extremely careful if using this.... I personally knew 2 guys that died from limited use of Imron while not taking proper precautions...... It is a very durable paint and is so slick it had to be sanded to accept decals or stripes.Point I want to make is this,,,,Dupont has taken the product line out of the body industry and is only availble for fleet refinishing nowadays. it even is so hazardous that exposure standing over the can and adding the hardener can expose you to a harmful amount...... I personally used it in my shop very cautiously for a short stint,but I am recommending you take it to a hazardous waste disposal and spare yourself the risk.....
The clear was slick dry within a couple hours yesterday and seems to be dry this morning. I pulled the masking and took a few pictures. It has a great gloss but it really has a shiny made out of plastic look. It may die back after a couple days. I wouldn't want my truck to look that way. A cut and buff might kill the plastic look, but being a work bench, I'm just going to mistreat it anyway. Now that old manual tire changer needs a new look. I've got some other old paint products that I'll have to open up and try. Am I the only painter that is guilty of hoarding paint that I didn't use years ago and still have it stashed somewhere, probably long since forgotten?
The Jalopy Journal
