Painting old shop equipment
- Thread starter bmwpower
- Start date
REFLEXX
Well-known member
I don't remember when or where I found this. But whenever I find info on the net, I cut/paste it onto my Palm. This is a mash up of info. Here's what I had:
PAINTING MACHINERY
sherwin williams indust coatings - oil based
1, no to water borne or latex enamels as above
2, If at all possible, pressure wash machine, this is ideal, take outside, gob vaseline over any meeting points on ways spindles etc, tape off electrics, use Zep purple or Butyl based cleaner, and blast. THis is the best way to really get the oils and **** off.
3. remove any thing that is removeable, cranks etc.
4. fill big holes with bondo, little with spot putty.
5. sand sand sand$, a angle grinder with knotted brush for hard to get at ****, next course sanding disks, for rough areas, next finer, etc. finally go over all the area to be painted with a vibrating sander with 100 grit paper, this is the step that makes a smooth tight bonding finish coat.
6. next mask, over tape with masking tape, trim back with a sharp exacto knife, this is the trick for getting clean edges around plates etc. tape cords box openings. on ways and tables use wide tape and newspaper.
Paint, I have had good luck with Sherwin Williams Industrial Enamel, other professional brands have similar. Rustolem is not my favorite for regular enamel. I do liek the Hammered that comes in the quart cans, not the spray cans, that is not as good. IF you like the hammertone finish, this is great stuff, takes a bit of practice to get it good, brush or spray, on coat only of Hammered.
I recommend 2 thinned coats if you are spraying or brushing. let the first one dry overnight and then sand lightly and re-coat. the second coat goes real fast, all the work is done and paint sticks to itself the best.
remove masking as soon as paint sets up
I have not had good luck with epoxy, prep has to be perfect otherwise it peals and with used machines it is difficult to get all the corners etc as clean as is needed.
Automotive enamels tend to be transparent and need a white undercoat if they are gpoing to look good. I have a friend who rebulids fork lifts and is also a hot rodder. he uses auto paint and it looks like a million bucks but he treats them like his hot rods.
There seem to be quite a bit of interest in restoring machinery among us - here is what I found ( through experience ) about painting :
- unless VERY determined and ready for the LONG haul DO NOT STRIP the old paint. A lot of times under the old paint you'll find a strange 1/2" thick in places, filler. Trust me - you don't want to fiddle with that...
- Thoroughly clean the old paint with a rag and thinners until some color starts coming off. Then STOP. If you can use a pressure cleaner, spray some oven cleaner on the bare metal areas to be painted. Wash it off after a few minutes.It'll do away with the oil cast iron so easily adsorbs.
- Use the BEST body filler money can buy to fill in scratches or imperfections. Absolutely avoid cellulose ones they shrink for ages after looking "dry".
- Unless you're an expert hand with the spray gun ( ie you've re-sprayed 20-30 cars...) and have a VERY large compressor + good spray gun, DO NOT USE AN UNDERCOAT. Spray fillers and undercoats must be sprayed very wet and "solid" or they'll be soft under the top coat. A year down the line every ding will show...
- once filled, sand the paint and filler "nicely" with no more than 800 grit. The paper MUST be allowed to stay in water for at least 1 hour before being used.
- Use a "fade through thinner". It'll bond the new paint to the old one ( it'll go to bare metal and lift the old one off if you use too much ). You'll need a VERY small quantity !! This is probably the most important aspect in a re-painting project.
- Unless you're spraying a horizontal surface, do not even dream of getting "high gloss from the gun". It's not possible with modern paints. Look at the vertical panels of all Mercs and BMs out there....
- After sanding allow to dry well. I would allow one week, you might take your chances the next day. Again, I wouldn't.
- ( only if you're a perfectionist - spray a LIGHT but WET coat of final paint, allow to dry and wet sand with 800 grit. You'll be surprised )
- Final coat : try have a couple of machine parts ready to be sprayed at once. Establish clearly which areas you'll tackle on each of them. You MUST allow for flash times and you don't want to have the gun 1/2 full while waiting for 30 minutes.
- Do not use epoxy paints - they can't be sanded and sometimes ( acid etch primer underneath ) they'll never dry. Try use an INDUSTRIAL urethane the kind they use for boats. Glatex8 is an example. Once cured is solvent resistent and almost scratch proof ( just try sand it after 2 weeks...)
- 2K car paints are good - use them. They're not however even close to Glatex8. They're not solvent proof. They scratch easily. They're very easy to polish and buff - Glatex is a mission in itself.
- Have some sort of powerful and adjustable lamp. It's easy to see where the first coat goes - not so easy with the next ones. You'll have to experiment here.
- Use a medium pressure at the gun. The extremes need lots of experience. Never spray "dry" ( keep the gun too far away ) it'll show BADLY. Better to err the other way. Runs can be sanded.
- add some clear in the last coat but do not spray a clear coat unless you'll never put the machine to work...
You'll need a fair compressor AND a pressure regulator close to the gun. However the trouble of spraying a small machine ( Fp1) would make me to shop really hard for some good PAINT BRUSHES. You'll obtain an almost identical result with 1/10 of the mess in half the time. If you MUST remove old paint stay away from the dark brownish paint remover - it'll rust everything on a 10' radius. Very thick layers can be removed by using a layer of cling wrap on top of the paint remover.
Rust-O-Leum system 9000 paint from Grainger
as far as durable paints at a reasonable price i absolutely love the paint tractor supply (TSC) sells, its around 20 bucks a gallon and the hardener is another 8 bucks, but you can do it without the hardener, but the hardener makes it a lot more durable. i have used it on a lot of stuff and have been very impressed with it as far as durability and weather resistance, especially for the price
Sherwin Williams makes Polane B which is a good Machine Paint. A customer has a G & L bar painted with this 8 years ago and the paint is holding up great. it can be sprayed or brushed on
PAINTING MACHINERY
sherwin williams indust coatings - oil based
1, no to water borne or latex enamels as above
2, If at all possible, pressure wash machine, this is ideal, take outside, gob vaseline over any meeting points on ways spindles etc, tape off electrics, use Zep purple or Butyl based cleaner, and blast. THis is the best way to really get the oils and **** off.
3. remove any thing that is removeable, cranks etc.
4. fill big holes with bondo, little with spot putty.
5. sand sand sand$, a angle grinder with knotted brush for hard to get at ****, next course sanding disks, for rough areas, next finer, etc. finally go over all the area to be painted with a vibrating sander with 100 grit paper, this is the step that makes a smooth tight bonding finish coat.
6. next mask, over tape with masking tape, trim back with a sharp exacto knife, this is the trick for getting clean edges around plates etc. tape cords box openings. on ways and tables use wide tape and newspaper.
Paint, I have had good luck with Sherwin Williams Industrial Enamel, other professional brands have similar. Rustolem is not my favorite for regular enamel. I do liek the Hammered that comes in the quart cans, not the spray cans, that is not as good. IF you like the hammertone finish, this is great stuff, takes a bit of practice to get it good, brush or spray, on coat only of Hammered.
I recommend 2 thinned coats if you are spraying or brushing. let the first one dry overnight and then sand lightly and re-coat. the second coat goes real fast, all the work is done and paint sticks to itself the best.
remove masking as soon as paint sets up
I have not had good luck with epoxy, prep has to be perfect otherwise it peals and with used machines it is difficult to get all the corners etc as clean as is needed.
Automotive enamels tend to be transparent and need a white undercoat if they are gpoing to look good. I have a friend who rebulids fork lifts and is also a hot rodder. he uses auto paint and it looks like a million bucks but he treats them like his hot rods.
There seem to be quite a bit of interest in restoring machinery among us - here is what I found ( through experience ) about painting :
- unless VERY determined and ready for the LONG haul DO NOT STRIP the old paint. A lot of times under the old paint you'll find a strange 1/2" thick in places, filler. Trust me - you don't want to fiddle with that...
- Thoroughly clean the old paint with a rag and thinners until some color starts coming off. Then STOP. If you can use a pressure cleaner, spray some oven cleaner on the bare metal areas to be painted. Wash it off after a few minutes.It'll do away with the oil cast iron so easily adsorbs.
- Use the BEST body filler money can buy to fill in scratches or imperfections. Absolutely avoid cellulose ones they shrink for ages after looking "dry".
- Unless you're an expert hand with the spray gun ( ie you've re-sprayed 20-30 cars...) and have a VERY large compressor + good spray gun, DO NOT USE AN UNDERCOAT. Spray fillers and undercoats must be sprayed very wet and "solid" or they'll be soft under the top coat. A year down the line every ding will show...
- once filled, sand the paint and filler "nicely" with no more than 800 grit. The paper MUST be allowed to stay in water for at least 1 hour before being used.
- Use a "fade through thinner". It'll bond the new paint to the old one ( it'll go to bare metal and lift the old one off if you use too much ). You'll need a VERY small quantity !! This is probably the most important aspect in a re-painting project.
- Unless you're spraying a horizontal surface, do not even dream of getting "high gloss from the gun". It's not possible with modern paints. Look at the vertical panels of all Mercs and BMs out there....
- After sanding allow to dry well. I would allow one week, you might take your chances the next day. Again, I wouldn't.
- ( only if you're a perfectionist - spray a LIGHT but WET coat of final paint, allow to dry and wet sand with 800 grit. You'll be surprised )
- Final coat : try have a couple of machine parts ready to be sprayed at once. Establish clearly which areas you'll tackle on each of them. You MUST allow for flash times and you don't want to have the gun 1/2 full while waiting for 30 minutes.
- Do not use epoxy paints - they can't be sanded and sometimes ( acid etch primer underneath ) they'll never dry. Try use an INDUSTRIAL urethane the kind they use for boats. Glatex8 is an example. Once cured is solvent resistent and almost scratch proof ( just try sand it after 2 weeks...)
- 2K car paints are good - use them. They're not however even close to Glatex8. They're not solvent proof. They scratch easily. They're very easy to polish and buff - Glatex is a mission in itself.
- Have some sort of powerful and adjustable lamp. It's easy to see where the first coat goes - not so easy with the next ones. You'll have to experiment here.
- Use a medium pressure at the gun. The extremes need lots of experience. Never spray "dry" ( keep the gun too far away ) it'll show BADLY. Better to err the other way. Runs can be sanded.
- add some clear in the last coat but do not spray a clear coat unless you'll never put the machine to work...
You'll need a fair compressor AND a pressure regulator close to the gun. However the trouble of spraying a small machine ( Fp1) would make me to shop really hard for some good PAINT BRUSHES. You'll obtain an almost identical result with 1/10 of the mess in half the time. If you MUST remove old paint stay away from the dark brownish paint remover - it'll rust everything on a 10' radius. Very thick layers can be removed by using a layer of cling wrap on top of the paint remover.
Rust-O-Leum system 9000 paint from Grainger
as far as durable paints at a reasonable price i absolutely love the paint tractor supply (TSC) sells, its around 20 bucks a gallon and the hardener is another 8 bucks, but you can do it without the hardener, but the hardener makes it a lot more durable. i have used it on a lot of stuff and have been very impressed with it as far as durability and weather resistance, especially for the price
Sherwin Williams makes Polane B which is a good Machine Paint. A customer has a G & L bar painted with this 8 years ago and the paint is holding up great. it can be sprayed or brushed on
I have had good results using most major brand industrial enamels, with the notable exception being Rustoleum. In my experience, it doesn't spray or brush well, takes forever to dry, and is susceptible to chipping until it is completely dry (i.e., 6 months).
A local paint store carries Devoe paints. I used their "Bar-Ox" product recently with satisfactory results.
A local paint store carries Devoe paints. I used their "Bar-Ox" product recently with satisfactory results.
RAYJAY
Well-known member
glad you asked I just got done doing mine I just degreased with brake clean and used a 3m green pad to scuff up the surface,
as for paint I use the rustoleum Hammered Enamel
* A distinctive hammered metal finish
* Can be applied directly over rust
* Hides flaws and imperfections in scratched, rusted and pitted metal
* Indoor/Outdoor durability
* Perfect for wheel barrows, lighting fixtures, wheel rims and other metals
and here is the finished items
.jpg)
a cabinet i did
drill press before
.jpg)
drill press
.jpg)
as for paint I use the rustoleum Hammered Enamel
* A distinctive hammered metal finish
* Can be applied directly over rust
* Hides flaws and imperfections in scratched, rusted and pitted metal
* Indoor/Outdoor durability
* Perfect for wheel barrows, lighting fixtures, wheel rims and other metals
and here is the finished items
a cabinet i did
drill press before
drill press
PAToyota
Well-known member
Lots of good information on such things over at Old Wood-Working Machines.
Basic Machinery Restoration Guide
Some Specific Information on Painting
The Overall FAQ
Although mostly devoted to woodworking equipment a lot of the information applies to other old equipment as well as information that would apply to newer equipment - I can see that knowing how it used to be done would go a long way towards making some modifications to newer equipment...
Basic Machinery Restoration Guide
Some Specific Information on Painting
The Overall FAQ
Although mostly devoted to woodworking equipment a lot of the information applies to other old equipment as well as information that would apply to newer equipment - I can see that knowing how it used to be done would go a long way towards making some modifications to newer equipment...
RAYJAY
Well-known member
wilbilt said:
same paint it gives the same look as the old style finish a little wrinkle to it, I like the brush on better than the spray
I've never seen the hammertone in a brush-on around here. Home Depot has the spray cans locked up in a cage.RAYJAY said:
I have used it in spray cans, but haven't been happy with any of the Rustoleum in quarts, either brushed or sprayed.
z28toz06
Well-known member
I wonder how that epoxy paint that you use for brake calipers would work?
RAYJAY
Well-known member
you may not be able to buy the same rustoleum because of the air quality standards in CA
the only place I can find the quarts is
black - wally world has it
true value hardware most other colors
the only place I can find the quarts is
black - wally world has it
true value hardware most other colors
RAYJAY
Well-known member
z28toz06 said:
I use high temp engine enamel on my vices
Jeff
PAToyota
Well-known member
I've tried the Rustoleum and other brands of "Hammered" paint and they just don't compare to the original - Hammerite. You can get it here online: http://www.paint-store.net/store/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=22
Some people have had luck finding it locally and through other markets. Best to get the quarts or gallons and roll it on with a paint roller that says it is suitable for epoxy paints. If you use a regular cheap roller the paint will dissolve it! Make for a horrible mess... Wonder how I know that...
Some people have had luck finding it locally and through other markets. Best to get the quarts or gallons and roll it on with a paint roller that says it is suitable for epoxy paints. If you use a regular cheap roller the paint will dissolve it! Make for a horrible mess... Wonder how I know that...
RAYJAY
Well-known member
I used the original hammerrite i thought they sold out years ago to rustoleumPAToyota said:I've tried the Rustoleum and other brands of "Hammered" paint and they just don't compare to the original - Hammerite. You can get it here online: http://www.paint-store.net/store/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=22
Some people have had luck finding it locally and through other markets. Best to get the quarts or gallons and roll it on with a paint roller that says it is suitable for epoxy paints. If you use a regular cheap roller the paint will dissolve it! Make for a horrible mess... Wonder how I know that...
PAToyota
Well-known member
Nope, not Rustoleum - that's why there is the "Hammered" line of Rustoleum.
Hammerite is actually a UK company: http://www.hammerite.com/
But in the US they are distributed by MasterChem (who also makes Kilz): http://www.kilz.com/pages/default.aspx?NavID=42
Hammerite is actually a UK company: http://www.hammerite.com/
But in the US they are distributed by MasterChem (who also makes Kilz): http://www.kilz.com/pages/default.aspx?NavID=42
kenfath
Well-known member
I have used engine enamel in spray cans to paint various tools. Ford engine blue produces a tough, smooth, quick drying and lasting finish. Last week I was able to spend some time with my tools and was thinking how well the drill press, that was painted many years ago, still looks. Most of my Craftsman tools and bases are in need of painting. I'm trying to decide IF I want to use engine paint or to match the Craftsman gray.
PAToyota
Well-known member
Another member here pm'd me for pictures of the Hammerite paint applied with a roller. The photos below are of a storage system I'm putting together in my woodshop using lateral file cabinets and the other is of a door of a kitchen cabinet that I painted with Hammerite. Both were done as I described in my post above - a paint roller (for epoxy paints - they recommend a 1/4" mohair roller) and the Masterchem/Kilz product. The woodshop cabinets are in bronze and the cabinet door in gray. It does work best to keep the piece flat to apply the paint as it takes awhile to dry and "separates" as it dries. If the piece is vertical it is very easy to get runs in the patterns.
Last edited:
Charles (in GA)
Well-known member
I've been using Rustoleum for everything, and it works pretty good. Is a little slow drying and yes, it does damage easily till very hard, but it affords good protection. I have been using quarts of grey and red, usually just brush it on, it works lots better if thinnned. I dump a little mineral spirits in it and it helps eliminate the brush marks and dries harder. Did a greymills parts washer in red with a grey lid. I bought a gallon of the Rustoleum Navy Grey for $10 on a clearance so everything will be grey for a while. I have done all 6 of my five ton jack stands after bead blasting them. Found an open casting fissure under the side of the head in the riser of one of them. Probably been there for the 30+ years I've owned that stand, but I painted the head red and marked it for secondary use only, cannot take a chance of being dependent on it. Guess it pays to clean and inspect your stuff occasionally.
Charles
Charles