Best degreaser prior to painting?


 
JBaker

JBaker

TVWBB Super Fan
Now that all of us are hunkered down (thanks Canada!) I've got a question.

Best degreaser for cleaning prior to painting exterior aluminum components? I've seen references to Simple Green, Purple Power, Orange, others.

Is there a better overall? And is it better to wipe down with a pre-paint solvent just before the first coat?
 
Always use a non water soluble solvent. Even a quick spray down with BrakeKleen is great. Or lacquer thinner, what have you. You want to avoid anything that is hydroscopic (water attractant) as it will pull moisture from the air as it dries.
 
I used to use 99% pure alcohol but found that it caused issues. Just cleaning with Simple Green and letting it dry seems to work good. If you just want a quick wipe down before throwing down the paint, I would probably go with brake cleaner. I think Xylol is another good prep.
 
Thanks. Xylol is what I was looking for, I think.

I had done a search through the forum prior to posting the question, didn't find an answer. Was wondering if there was some newer item that has been found to work better.
 
Yeah one thing to not use is mineral spirits or generic "paint thinner" which is really only kerosene than knows someone. So it can leave an oily residue.
 
Jeff MA said:
I use Prep-sol/Prep-all and have had good results.

Jeff
Click to expand...
Me as well. Especially for nice finish painting as I did on my Kubota this past spring. The finish is holding up wonderfully even on areas on the floor pan where I end up stepping on it to mount the machine.
 
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