Priming Progress

Last time we met, I was wiling away some showery spring weather, playing with my pinstriping tool on an old wheel.  I may attack the wheels on another finished carriage soon.

But in the meantime...

...six days of decent weather came along, allowing me to apply six coats of high-build primer to the shafts,singletree and body bolsters.

The shafts have a light fog coat of darker gray primer on them to allow me to see the low spots when I'm wet sanding.

Singletree and body bolsters in progress.

I'll be using the upcoming few days of showery weather to begin - perhaps complete - wet sanding the wheels, shafts, singletree and bolsters in preparation for paint.

The final preparatory task will be to load the running gear into the painting jig for a few coats of primer, then it will be time to start putting together a painting booth!

I made such good progress today, that I decided to bring a wheel down and begin the final process of wet sanding.

I did something new and different this time.  I did NOT fill the wood grain prior to sealing and priming, with any type of putty or fairing compound.  I could not face the work of sanding it back off.  Instead, I decided to rely entirely on the high-build primer to do the job for me.  I was not disappointed.

Although I could still see the outline of grain after applying the sixth coat of primer, those ghosts of grain vanished under a light rubbing with 400 grit wet sandpaper!  The wood looks like ivory and feels like silk!

There are a few small blemishes that I should have fixed before I began to paint.  That's what happens when I get to the end of my patience before I get to the end of my project!

But overall, I am ecstatic with the performance of the primer and the emerging promise of a beautiful job!