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Dave wrote: "DON'T use 2-pack paints without an air-fed mask. Irreversible damage to brain and even sudden death can occur - and have! From what I understand (certainly true of the professional who sprayed my Fastback) if you don't use 2-pack primers, you can't use 2-pack top coats. Stick to the same system throughout. The reason is the 2-pack system hardens chemically in a short time; the other systems take much longer to harden and stabilise. That's why you can cut and polish 2-pack the next day, but have to wait several weeks with some paints to get the surface settled and hard." I don't think the fact that a primer or paint has two components is the key thing. Paint systems: The key thing is to check and make sure the primer and paint and anything else you are using work together. Of course, manufacturers often only indicate what other products of their own will work with the others; so it is certainly easier to stay with just one. Some of the smaller manufacturers that don't produce a full line will tell you what of theirs works with the products of other manufacturers, however; and you can figure out some of the generic rules. Safety: The epoxy primCDø7 r-sealer I was talking about using on my Square (PPG DP40) does have two components, but, on my understanding, doesn't require supplied air. The paint I mentioned (PPG DAR), on the other hand, requires not just a catalyst, but a hardener. This is the ugly part, since, as far as I can tell, all the paint systems have hardeners, and all the hardeners on the market -- or readily available, anyway -- contain isocynates, which are extremely poisonous. Still, there are guys who do this for a living every day who use this stuff and worse with just an organic cartridge mask. I sure wouldn't do that. All the people I've spoken to quite a few people in the business -- body shops and paint suppliers -- all say it's ok to forgo the supplied air, as long as you don't skimp on changing cartridges. As soon as you can taste/smell the paint, your taking poison into your lungs. Moreover, DAR is an old paint system, and not the the most toxic by a longshot, I gather. Now, this said, I don't think much of the intelligence of the people of the people in the business I've talked to; and I'm not comfortable with cutting corners when it comes to my lungs and my brain. I've considered paint my Square without the hardener, as I've heard is possible; but then the paint would be, well, not so hard, I figure. I've been trying to figure out a way to do supplied air on the cheap; and your posting has given me another push. I've heard of people with surplus fire fighter equipment or SCUBA outfits. I've been thinking about surplus gas masks and a shop vac -- cough! cough! Anyone with a better idea please feel free to chime in. I may, however, just plunk down the money for a supplied air system; and any ideas about where to get one cheap are welcome. There's a "HobbyAir" system available from the Eastwood catalog for about $400; maybe I can get that one cheaper from a less pricey retailer. $400 is starting to sound like a bargain for peace of mind, at very least. Eric Forsman, '73 Square Baltimore, MD --------------------@k ó --------------------------------------- List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list or mailto:help@vwtype3.org