Shoutout to the shop that showed me how to properly prep aluminum panels

I kept seeing guys at my old place in Tacoma just scuffing aluminum with a red pad and calling it good, which led to a ton of adhesion failures down the road. A mentor finally sat me down and made me use a dedicated aluminum prep solvent and a fresh gray pad for every single panel, explaining how the oxide layer forms so fast. Has anyone else had to break a bad shop habit about metal prep?

3 comments

3 Comments

barbarahill14d ago

Honestly, sometimes "how we've always done it" works just fine for the actual work coming through the door. If a shop is doing quick scuffs on aluminum and not getting comebacks, maybe their method fits their specific jobs and price point. Not every panel needs lab level prep to last, and that extra solvent and time adds up on every ticket. Changing a whole shop's flow over one potential issue can cost more than just fixing the few failures.

grant.richard25d ago

Bad habits in shops are tough to break for sure.

wren65225d ago

Ugh, what gets me is how many shops just accept those habits as "how we've always done it." Like the bad habit becomes part of the company culture and that's way harder to fix.