Did you spray it or did you brush it
LOL - that's a good question.
When I first started using POR-15 I tried to apply it with those cheap foam brushes - like the kind in the clearance baskets at Home Depot. They actually work great. They spread it out in light coats and leave the surface perfectly flat. But they last about 5 minutes. Then they melt off the plastic Popsicle stick and you are left with what amounts to a sponge. Even the sponge disintegrates in about 10 minutes. So for small projects they are fine.
I don't own spray equipment and I am way to cheap to use bristle type brushes.
So here is what I do now:
Take from the can, whatever quantity of the paint that you feel you can use before it starts to get tacky (this is highly dependent on humidity more than temp - on a cool, high humidity night, the dispensed portion can start to turn sticky real quick).
I pour it into a Mason jar (the kind farmers use for canning vegetables) because they come with a quality, air-tight lid. Screw the cap on tight and let the jar (with the POR-15 in it) sit in a bath of real hot water for an hour or so. This is a great trick: the product becomes nice and thin due to the heat. So a given quantity goes much further hot than cold - important considering the expense.
As far as application - after awhile I realized that what I was doing amounted to sponging the stuff on. I bought a big package of decent quality sponges and cut them up into 2" X 2" & 3" X 3" squares. THEY WORK GREAT. And they are way cheaper than even foam brushes but last as long as you care to push them around.
Advice:
Buy a big box of latex gloves - and use them. If that stuff gets on your skin and is allowed to stay for even 5 minutes - you will have it for 2 -3 weeks. It ain't pretty.
If you get it right away with a solvent (acetone, WD-40, brakeklean, carb clean, gojo, etc all work) quickly it comes off. But sometimes in the heat of the moment it doesn't seem to matter - and you just keep on painting. Only when you sober up do you realize what your hands, arms, face neck look like.
Buy a gallon of brake kleen and before you paint an area, sand it for adhesion and then give it a good wipe down. The POR-15 will stick to existing paint that way. Don't worry about it sticking to light rust - it does! Heavy scale type rust MUST be removed. The product will adhere just fine to the rust flakes but then the flakes fall off and you have to start touching up.
A turkey baster. Keep a little one handy. They are good for moving the POR-25 from the can into the painting jar. Also, if you are like me (i.e. no spray equipment), they work well for squirting into inaccessible corners.
Use 2 light coats - avoid heavy applications unless you are in a hard to reach place.
