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Durable paint from a spray can

duc916

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Apr 18, 2013
Messages
284
I need to paint a aluminum bumper. Since it will get beat up due to off road use, I want to be able to touch it up occasionally, thus spray can versus powder coat. Does anyone have recommendation for a durable paint from a spray can?
 
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theoldwizard1

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Feb 22, 2011
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SE MI
Prep is always key. Scuff the surface, clean and then use a self-etching primer. Rustoleum makes a good one. Rustoleum is as good as anyone elses. <ake sure to follow the can directions between primer coat and top coats.
 

JonnyMac

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Dec 15, 2012
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Location
Victoria, Australia
My local paint supply place sells colour matched 2 pack in a can. The hardener is somehow in the base and you slam the can down to break and mix. Lasts 12 or so hours but you do get a genuine hard paint finish.
Etch primer to start for sure though...
 

mikester

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Dec 27, 2007
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small town NY
Maybe Im the only one that feels this way but I dont really think any paint from a spray can holds up these days. The VOC laws made the paint garbage. I painted some front end parts on a car Im building with Rustoleum Semi Gloss black. I was lazy. I didnt want to mix up a small amount of paint and have to clean the spray gun. They were already primed with a self etching primer. One winter of sitting outside on jackstands and those parts were rusty. When my car comes back from getting painted I have to pull all of them off to redo them.

The other thing that Ive noticed is the lack of compatibility between brands. My buddy sprayed a heater box for his Camaro with a Gloss black enamel. After a month he decided he didnt want the gloss and wanted it more of a semi. Scuffed it up and sprayed it with Duplicolor engine paint and the whole thing crinkled.
 
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sberry

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Jun 18, 2005
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Brethren, Michigan
If I can help it I use those colors. They are true. I got a couple old trucks with some local blisters, super easy to walk around and a 1/2 a can makes it look like a different machine and unless one looks close almost impossible to tell and can easily fool an insurance adjuster... ha
They match Duponts fac pac very well.
 

wasfast

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Apr 10, 2014
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874
Location
San Diego CA
No single stage paint will ever match a true 2 stage, crosslinked paint. Aerosol cans have limited gas supply and pressure thus higher levels of solvent VS solids. The comments about allowable VOC's have certainly not helped.

You can get 2K or 2 stage aerosol sprays from Eastwood and also these folks:

http://www.66autocolor.com/Auto-Spray-Paint-Spray-Max-2K-Aerosol-p/spm2k-custompaint.htm

The complaint isn't about the paint or the quality but rather the cost. If the ~$25/color is an issue then you're back to single stage paint that isn't as good.
 

Gttrucker

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Sep 2, 2016
Messages
53
In my experience rustoleum spray cans have become junk on recent years. Difficult to get a good spray pattern, paint wants to splatter and its not as durable as some others.
I have had much better experience with Krylon which costs less but has a better nozzle, sprays more evenly, less likely to splatter or drip, and the paint is more durable than the big R brand.
 
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maxpower_hd

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Apr 17, 2015
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Location
Massachusetts
I used POR 15 Undercoating paint on my Toyota rear bumper and it help up very well. I have used it off road as well and it withstood backing into trees and so forth with very minimal touch up. It did take a while to dry though so you have to be patient.

Also, a guy at work started using implement paint from Tractor Supply and that is pretty durable thick stuff too.

EDIT: Chassis paint, not undercoating. Sorry.
 
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Thumper68

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May 16, 2013
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5,134
Location
Duluth MN
I use a lot of the appliance paint, the appliance epoxy from Rustoleum takes a long time to dry but holds up well.
 

K13

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Joined
Oct 24, 2007
Messages
2,223
Location
St. Albert, AB Canada
Maybe Im the only one that feels this way but I dont really think any paint from a spray can holds up these days. The VOC laws made the paint garbage. I painted some front end parts on a car Im building with Rustoleum Semi Gloss black. I was lazy. I didnt want to mix up a small amount of paint and have to clean the spray gun. They were already primed with a self etching primer. One winter of sitting outside on jackstands and those parts were rusty. When my car comes back from getting painted I have to pull all of them off to redo them.

The other thing that Ive noticed is the lack of compatibility between brands. My buddy sprayed a heater box for his Camaro with a Gloss black enamel. After a month he decided he didnt want the gloss and wanted it more of a semi. Scuffed it up and sprayed it with Duplicolor engine paint and the whole thing crinkled.

Sounds like Duplicolor is probably lacquer. Big no no to spray lacquer over enamel. The solvents in the lacquer eat into the enamel and cause the wrinkling. You always need to know what types of paint you are dealing with when spraying one type over another.
 

G-ManBart

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Jan 24, 2015
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2,059
Location
Michigan
I used POR 15 Undercoating paint on my Toyota rear bumper and it help up very well. I have used it off road as well and it withstood backing into trees and so forth with very minimal touch up. It did take a while to dry though so you have to be patient.

Also, a guy at work started using implement paint from Tractor Supply and that is pretty durable thick stuff too.

EDIT: Chassis paint, not undercoating. Sorry.

POR makes some really great products! I painted the brush screen on my dozer with POR-15 and then a coat of semi-gloss black over the top and it seems to be indestructible.

Some of the POR products don't take UV exposure well, so they need a top coat, but that's about the only serious downside other than cost.
 

Nor'Easter

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Nov 30, 2012
Messages
718
Location
Maine
VHT epoxy primer.

I use it on everything. Engine parts, chassis parts, etc. Do the prep right and let it cure.
 

n8n

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Mar 11, 2014
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3,607
Location
Curtis Bay, MD
I need to paint a aluminum bumper. Since it will get beat up due to off road use, I want to be able to touch it up occasionally, thus spray can versus powder coat. Does anyone have recommendation for a durable paint from a spray can?

if it's going to get beat up just use a satin finish black that way when it inevitably does get scratched you just scuff, spray, like it never even happened.
 
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duc916

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Apr 18, 2013
Messages
284
Thanks for the feedback, I will look into the epoxy and appliance paint.
 

DpSyChO

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Sep 16, 2006
Messages
402
Location
Blue Ridge Mountains of Southern Virginia
I've had better results with Walmarts house brand than with the Valspar @ Lowes or Rustoleum/Krylon available everywhere. I think it's Colorplace and I get it in satin black.
The only rattle can that I've used that I liked better was some I picked up from Ollies that looked like it was originally branded for a hardware chain. I wish that I had saved a can of it and tried to find out who the mfg was.
 

AMCguy

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Dec 23, 2009
Messages
2,022
Location
Sunshine Coast, BC Canada
I'm a believer in Plasti Dip spray. It's durable because it's soft and rubbery. It sprays on easily. Can be removed just as easily and it touches up if you need to. It's available in many colours.


Costs about twice as much as a can of spray paint.
 
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