Duratex as a filler primer

hifiside

JR and I were talking at the DDIY about it. So I tried it, it works! Little on the hard side to sand tho.

PWRRYD

Looks like you sprayed it on.  How many coats and how heavy?  What did you use to sand the Duratex?

hifiside

I actually rolled it on using a foam smooth roller. 3 coats, 10 min between coats with a fan on it the whole time. 30 mins later sanded with 180 grit just until I started to burn through. Then rolled 2 more coats 30 mins later quick 220 grit then quick 320 grit then blew it off and painted rattle can orange.

Gowa

Krylon is an excellent product. That color is very cool.

Wolf

I did that with my Cecropias. Works VERY well.

Turn2

hifiside said:

I actually rolled it on using a foam smooth roller. 3 coats, 10 min between coats with a fan on it the whole time. 30 mins later sanded with 180 grit just until I started to burn through. Then rolled 2 more coats 30 mins later quick 220 grit then quick 320 grit then blew it off and painted rattle can orange.

Do you have the "before" picture? Just wondering if you're covering grain, pits, etc.

Bryan@MAC

This is too cool to not post on Facebook. Hope that’s ok @hifiside ;
Having worked with DuraTex many times I always loved its generous coverage. It has saved me so much Bondo touch up. 

Never painted over it!  It seems like a no-brainer now!!  And you and @jr@mac discussed this how long ago?  Love it. 

hifiside

The last DDIY around a year ago we talked about it. This is over MDF the end grain is what I was concerned about and putting a nice finish over the top and not having it come back to haunt me. I have a couple small projects here I’m going to do this to since it cheap, easy and almost everyone has worked with it before.

hifiside

8 months later. Still looks pretty good. Might have to try a project this way.

ani_101

Will try duratex as a base... What color is that @hifiside ;

Edit: found it in the first picture... Gloss pumpkin orange

ani_101

Is it straight from the can or there is still letting else over the paint?

hifiside

This was clear coated over the orange with a spray gun and 2k clear. I used the orange only for color 1k paints are impossible to get a showroom shine from. Look in my other post “My Diy Kit” I use a 2k rattle can clear coat that so far is Very promising.

ani_101

Thanks, left more questions for you on that post!!!

rjj45

Guys, apologies for jumping in this thread,but I've had nagging doubts about Duratex, and y'all are experts. I have a pair of TMs where veneer basically fell off (Used that water based contact cement, IIRC Titan DX? maybe?) - anyways they weren't nice enough to re-veneer or rebuild, so I researched Duratex. Found a number of threads where people were saying that it never really hardened rock hard, and if you stacked 2 Duratex bass bins on top of each other, they would stick to each other after, say a month or so.
But this thread and experiment seems to show that it does indeed harden very well. I would think that the slightest movement of the base Duratex would show on the gloss top coat. Could it be that the application in this thread differs from "normal" application and the end result is a bit different? Just want to settle this nagging question.

ani_101

my duratex has always hardened.... takes a couple of days maybe to fully harden. Good to touch in a hour or so, and can be re-coated. But wait at least a day to sand - it may feel hard to the touch in a couple of hours, but it's not fully cured... a day or preferably two before sanding is good. I am not sure about sticking, but then then you can use small furniture felt pad - i always use that...

but it definitely hardens....

rjj45

ani_101 said:

my duratex has always hardened.... takes a couple of days maybe to fully harden. Good to touch in a hour or so, and can be re-coated. But wait at least a day to sand - it may feel hard to the touch in a couple of hours, but it's not fully cured... a day or preferably two before sanding is good. I am not sure about sticking, but then then you can use small furniture felt pad - i always use that...

but it definitely hardens....

Thanks!

jhollander

I had some Duratex that never hardened. I believe it was because I thinned it with water

ani_101

Mine is straight out of the can, no dilution, roller grade. Haven't tried the spray grade

PWRRYD

I have used a fair amount of Duratex the last few years.  I even baked one project at 145 F for 4 hours in one of our industrial ovens at work.  I have thinned it with water, I have rolled it on straight out of the can.  I just don't trust it for something like this...  Get off my lawn!  lol  

hifiside

My 2 cents...
 They didn’t let the Duratex dry long enough before smushing to paint surfaces together. Any paint would have stuck together in that situation. ALL paint or coatings can take up to weeks to fully gas it’s solvent out, water, enamel, lacquer even 2k urethanes. I believe in the environment that our enclosures live in Duratex has proved itself to me to a great filler primer. After 8 month and no noticeable flaws is a 👍 in my book.

rjj45

Can't argue with your results. Definitive. Any problems would telegraph to surface imperfections easily.

PWRRYD

Have you tested it as filler/primer over a MDF butt joint?

hifiside

PWRRYD said:

Have you tested it as filler/primer over a MDF butt joint?

No. I don’t bondo or use filler primer over butt joints. Ok maybe on the bottom of the cabinet but I don’t care if you see a shrink line eventually under there. Every enclosure you have seen of mine at a DIY event uses the laminate method when called for.

4thtry

Hi Brad,  So, if I am reading this correctly, you would not recommend using duratex as the filler/primer for something like my Dr. Diffraction donuts.  When the weather improves, my plan is to sand them perfectly smooth down to about 220 grit with my hand sanding templates and then make special matched radius applicator templates to skim coat them with bondo.  Then sand smooth, then re-bondo, etc., etc.   Bill.

hifiside

Well Bill, I’m giong to Duratex these. Which is pretty much what you have a solid chunk of wood when we’re done. I believe if you seal the wood off from the outside world it should never shrink. I would suggest to bondo them sand them to your liking and let them sit for a couple weeks. Then sand quick for a tooth and then Duratex. That’s my plans anyway.

4thtry

Thanks for the tip.   Sounds very promising.  That is one cool looking open back sub project! 

Kornbread

I'm sure they will sound great and know you have worked silly hard on these very creative speakers, but I just couldn't resist.  Please forgive me ...