How to Fluid Film your 3rd Gen

What does this do to an asphalt driveway? If I use a tarp when applying, how long does it take to stop dripping?

 

Fluid film in the can literally looks like Bush's baked beans.....

 

I did mine a few weeks ago. Got a couple cheap plastic drop cloths from Lowes for the driveway, plus a disposable suit. I have a good respirator but some cheap masks are good enough to keep the mist out of your nose, there is no solvent to worry about. Your going to be on your back sliding around in the overspray and drippings if you do it right. I pulled over the drop cloths, jacked up the front and pulled the wheels for easier access to the front end areas. For this first time I got the cans and the extension wand which worked well for inside the frame. I took my time, spent a few hours and got everything inside and out, used six cans. Doors, tailgate, pulled plugs from rockers, pulled spare, etc. Cover the exhaust near where your spraying with a trash bag to minimize overspray and smoking. This thing has a frame so full of holes, welds, bends, etc. you really should do something as I can see it trapping salt in a number of places. Looks good, we will see how it looks come spring. Any slight overspray on the driveway seemed to wash away with the few hard rainstorms we had since.

 

Looking to do this soon, what size compressor can I get away with? Don't have room for anything big. Also for anyone using the wagner electric gun, is there attachment to get into holes and the frame like the regular gun?

 

Kellsport is now carrying a product called Woolwax.

From their website:

Question: So what is the difference between Fluid Film® and WOOLWAX®

Answer: Both are great products and you can't go wrong with either. We sell both. The appearance is almost identical (straw colored). The primary difference is 1) WOOLWAX® has almost no smell. We have neutralized the strong woolgrease odor. 2) WOOLWAX® is formulated to be much thicker, making it more resistant to wash-off. Because WOOLWAX® is thicker, in the cold weather it may need to be warmed up a bit to spray properly.

https://www.kellsportproducts.com/ Use promo code woolwax for 10% off and free shipping.

 

More like butterscotch pudding

 

FF is great stuff, but I definitely wish they made a clear version.

 

For what it's worth from Kellsportproducts:

We do not recommend airless spray guns for auto undercoating with Fluid Film. Many undercoaters have told us that airless guns waste 25%-50% more Fluid Film. The airless spray pattern is drastically different from an air atomized system. Airless spray does not wrap and feather around angles and edges like air atomized systems do. Airless systems are great for large flat surfaces such as walls and hulls of ships. They do not perform well on undercarriages with lots of protruding and angled parts.

 

I used a pancake compressor with the Fluid Film® & Woolwax® "Pro" Undercoating Gun. Worked very well and the compressor kept up with me.

 

Got a link on a specific one? looks like there's a few different gallon size ones.

 

I find it unusually satisfying to watch someone undercoat their frame before winters salt/brine comes.

 

Interesting...the fluid Film web site recommends them. Not the hand held ones but the ones the pro painters use.
here are my thoughts and experience. If I was going to do 1 to 5 vehicles I would just use the air atomized guns. They work well with all the different tips. I use four different guns. airless sprayer for the large spaces. then the atomized guns each with a different tip for different places on the vehicle. I don't see any difference in waste between the two types of sprayers. I disagree with the sentence. They do not perform well on undercarriages with lots of protruding and angled parts. My personal experience is they do work well. If your spraying all day you will need a large air compressor. The atomized guns are loud if using them for a ten hour day.
I undercoat about 250 vehicles a year. everything under the sun from Honda Fits to F550 dump beds. I use about 3 55 gallon drums a season.
one side note I am thinking of switching over to Woolwax this year. but I will have to do some testing first.

 

Bob,

I see you are no longer selling the thicker AR version of Fluid Film. Is the Woolwax a replacement for it or equivalent to it?

https://www.fluid-film.com/products/liquid-ar/

 

I've used the AR version for high wear areas where it could be easily brushed on. I just brushed on a coat on the underside of a utility trailer that I am restoring.

I have tried heating it in an old hot pot to make it thin enough to spray. Should work for warming the Woolwax as well.

$24 Proctor Silex 32oz Adjustable Temperature Hot Pot, Electric Kettle for Tea, Boiling Water, Cooking Ramen, Noodles and Soup, PFAS-Free Nonstick Coating, White (48507MN)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BN67KJM/ref=twister_B07D1NPSK4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

Thanks for that information from someone like yourself that has a lot of experience coating vehicles. I would take your advice over someones "opinion". I'm also curious about Woolwax and if it's thicker, I would consider using it in high wear areas, but Fluid Film has worked so well for me I'm hesitant to change the product.

 

Woolwax is certainly thicker and more resistant to wash-off. Also, it has little to no smell. But if you are using FF and it works for you, there is no reason to change. Fluid Film is an excellent product and we've been selling it for a long time.

 

I have a lot of customers comment about the smell. I some what jokingly say is "smells like no rust to me". I may try woolwax I'm curious about it being thicker. If I use a drum of Woowax should I get drum heaters? how much heat is required?

 

Here's a documentary showing how they manufacture it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZCmoInxMzI

 

No need for drum heaters. It still flows well. All you need to do is put some in a 5 gallon pail and let it sit in front of a small electric floor heater for 5-10 minutes. To give you an idea, we have people in the warehouse that have drums tilted on a drum cradle with a spigot, and they fill those quart bottles all day. It flows fine with no heat at all. The only issue can be spraying with the long extension wands. You may need to heat up the quart bottle to make in this enough to push through. Also, you can always thin it out a bit with vegetable oil to make it flow through the extension wands better.

 

is there a way to get a "printer friendly" version of this thread? thanks