Painting Aluminium panels before signwriting

[benedmonds]

Anyone any experience painting aluminium panels before signwriting?

Can you cheaply apply and get an OK finish, that the signwriting will stick too. 

We have in the past attached boards or direct wrapping..

[Steve Bullman]

Think the aluminium has to be anodised? Can't tell from the pics if yours are

 

[difflock]

https://www.austenknapman.co.uk/blog/faqs/a-3-step-guide-to-painting-aluminium/

[Khriss]

Etch primer then usual undercoat. Etch primer bites into a thing,  even plastic. K

[Bob_z_l]

As Khriss says.....

It's the same as Landrover Panels...etch primer chemically bonds to the aluminium so that paint can then bond to the primer. If you don't regular paint just peels off. 

Edited May 13, 2019 by Bob_z_l
spelling

[[email protected]]

As Bob_z_l and others have said, you need etch primer. The surface of aluminium quickly oxidises to produce a surface to which paint won't adhere. In olden-times they wire brushed the surface to remove oxides and then painted it quickly before more could form.

You must use an air-fed mask, especially when spraying 2-pack etch primer. If it contains iso-cyanate, the clue is in the last part of the name! Etch primer contains an acid which (naturally enough!) etches into the surface of the aluminium, allowing paint to 'stick'.

You can buy brush-paintable etch primer but you surely wouldn't have a surface that was smooth enough for sign-writing, would you?

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Edited May 13, 2019 by [email protected]
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[alfieb2785]

You will need to sand down to etch the surface I sprayed mine even in a hard frost but I but have a small fire going in the back to heat the metal and painted stuck fine

[Khriss]

@alfieb2785 shameless advertising!!! ? k

[benedmonds]

2 hours ago, alfieb2785 said:

You will need to sand down to etch the surface I sprayed mine even in a hard frost but I but have a small fire going in the back to heat the metal and painted stuck fine

Cheers, it looks like you have had sign writing printed onto boards still. I was hoping to sign write directly onto the sides...  

Edited May 13, 2019 by benedmonds

[Stubby]

6 minutes ago, benedmonds said:

Cheers, but you have had sign writing printed onto boards still. I was hoping to sign write directly onto the sides...  

Looks directly on the sides to me ... Could be wrong . ( often am ) ?