Dibond.....

[Site Man]

OLD FORUM POSTS

Posted by vance galliher on April 29, 2002

i can't believe the learning curves i seem to have to endure each time i try a better way of making signs !!......this is my first experience with dibond....i'm giving up using mdo as a substrate,too much prep and not good for the longevity . so i do the necessary research before using a neww product, call dibond tech support, talk with fellow sign artist.. so yesterday i scuff the panel with scotchpad, wipe with acetone, spray 2 light coats one shot (no primer)... today i test for hardness....paint comes off with my fingernail ???....so my question is ...to use dibond, do i have to get into all this caustic lacquer auto primer/paint stuff .......?...thanks, vance

Kent Smith

I would suspect the acetone as it will stay in the pores of the coating on the di-bond for as long as 6 hours. This could effect the adhesion of the resin. While acetone may seem to be a good cleaner, it is better to use degreasers which are compatable with the finish enamel so that there is not a cross-contamination. My favorite is high temp reducer as it removes many types of contaminants and will stay high on the surface, drying in 5 to 10 minutes. If any residue remains, it is compatable with the enamel. Isopropol or grain alcohol will evaporate completely but denatured can also leave a non-compatable residue.

Vance Galliher

hahaha....the messes i create for myself !!.....so i thought,. i'll just scuffup the 30"x65" twiced sprayed panel, which has fingernail marks on both sides,and be move on........well after the first spray over the first fingernail mark, i knew this was not the way............, so i lay the panel down, cover with newspaper, flood with lacquer thinner, wait and wipe.......and wipe and wipe ......(2 sides )what a mess......now back to square one......i rolled side one tonight (jeff's advise).....looks likes glass......i like that !...... we'll see........vance

Jeff Lang

Vance,
How did you second effort turn out?
Did you find a solution & did you identify the problem?
Curious,
jeff

Jeff Lang

Vance,
I just did 3 panels last week with DiBond. I scuffed with the burgundy 3M pads, wiped with alcohol, & rolled OneShot on, no primer. Next day, tested for dryness, great adhesion, no problems.
I have used XIM-UMA (waterbased primer) first, with latex topcoat with great success also on DiBond.
Maybe the OneShot was thinned too much?
Don't give up.

Carol

Vance,
I just went out to the test panels that I did before our Team Work meet. I have several patches of acrylic latex on different substrates. The paint would not scratch off the dibond with my finger nail. Try brushing the 1Shot and see if it matters. Or leave more than 24 hours. Or no acetone. I didn't do much before I brushed on the color patches. I definitely did not use acetone. I try to avoid it at all costs.
Let us know what you do.