Painting Metal so it looks nice

I've seen the threads of people who refinish or repaint tool carts and even the old metal desks. How do you do it and have it look so nice?

I can paint wood, and I just painted my house, so I know how to use a brush. And I've painted a few tools with oil enamal, is this the same thing you guys are using? Is the finish on these metal items just limited to spray?

What is the best kind of paint to use? Do you guys always use laquer or something like it? Do you know a reputable internet guide? Help me out!

One option is to paint it like a car on the cheap. Sand with 180 removing small imperfections and smoothing the surface. Then use an aerosol filler primer or primer surfacer. Sand this with 400 grit wet on a sanding block. Recoat with primer and sand with 600 grit wet. Then you can paint it with an aerosol gloss spray paint, 2-3 coat should work.

That is the budget method of how a body shop paints a car except the materials used in the body shop cost at lest $40 per quart.

If you wanted to go the high end route you would have to invest in spray equipment.

:+1 : In the case of the cart I did for my mitre saw, there were some rusted parts that I took a wire brush and a wire wheel to so I could clean them up a bit.

Usually I'll pound any obvious dents straight (though I'm no metal worker) and then use a good primer to give it a few good coats then paint with an enamel color. I'm partial to Rustoleum Sunrise Red.

I've had good luck with rattle cans, painting small machines like bench grinders.

If there's is a lot of rust I'll 'sand' blast; otherwise wire brush, sand paper to prep the surface. Clean with Acetone or similar, mask-off, prime, sand, clean, 2-coats of finish.

Here's a link to one of the restorations ---> http://tinyurl.com/3-4HP-BlockGrinder

Good luck. Oh, over-spray should be considered; I have a pair of pink socks left over from spraying the drawers of a SO box! The white-socks and a lot of things at floor level got a coat of red paint.

Its all in the prep work. If the original finish is scratched up, feather sand it to blend in. Or you could completely remove the original finish of the part you are working on. Make sure its clean. I'll wipe it down with acetone and a lint free cloth.

if you use rattle cans, try to use the Rustoleum enamal clear. That clear is awsome. I recently painted my son's interior with it and was amazed how it turned out. It even crossed my mind to paint a car with it, LOL.

also, I don't have a pic, but I once painted a Craftsman tool box I had that was , of course, red in color. I hate the color red, so I took off the emblems and painted it all black. re-attached them emblems, and it looked factory black! But I did use automotive paint with a spray gun, etc.,

If you have an air compressor, pick up a HF spray gun or get a small gun from a place like Northern Tool or TSC. Read the directions on the paint about thinning and practice on something else or on a hidden area. If not, you can use rattle cans, but the outcome can be sketchy. If you want to roll it, get a fine foam roller. If you use a paint with a hardener and roll it, you can go back and sand it with ultra fine sandpaper and buff it.

use a paint shaker on rattle cans of paint.

A friend of mine restores peddle tractors & etc. He has his paint shaker set up so he can put rattle cans of paint on it. He says rattle cans spray a lot better after agitated good.. His paint jobs look great.

What do you consider nice? If you are looking for quality automotive finish, you wont get that out of a spray can. It also depends on what kind of durability you are looking for. For some projects a spray can is all that is needed otherwise undercoats, sanding and catalized topcoats are what I use.
Tool boxes, equipment, ect. that I want to keep as nice as a cars finish I use automotive quality products.
It really depends on what I am looking for as a finished project.

You can roll on metal paint. Whatever you choose, work well within the shop temp range, preferably on the cool side. After your prep and cleaning is done. Prime it, let it dry and nub if off with some sandpaper or Scotch pad. Clean again.

Now, cut in the corners and hard to reach spots. Then roll on your paint quickly and thoroughly. Then, LEAVE IT ALONE. Over brushed or rolled paint starts to look ropey or textured. Let the stuff level out while it still has solvent flowing before it starts to gel.

Never retouch an area unless you redo the whole area again starting over with the nubbing.

I can make almost anything look like good spray job using this method. I've been painting things my whole life including doing a stint in the local painter's union. (Went on to being a carpenter after 10 years.) It's all in knowing technique and knowing your medium.

I have a small tool box about 15 inches long and 8 inches wide i guess and metal. I want to paint it and thought i would need etching primer? Or should i use filler primer or primer surface? I will use spray cans(don't have a spray gun). I was thinking of going flat black and it has a "W" on it amnd that would be red maybe. Then clear coat it?

choose a common color that you want. Get a hold of some small auto paint shops in the area and make a deal with them that they will call you a couple of days before they shoot a car in a color close to what you want. You can sand - or pay them to prep the chest etc, and they can shoot it at the same time they shoot the car. That way they don't have to clean up twice - all they need do is spray your cabinets. We did that with some office file cabinets years ago to change the color and it was very inexpensive because it only takes 10 - 15 minutes to spray the cabinets tops and the clean up was already going to be done anyway. I hate the setup and clean up. Painting is the easy part.

There are some interesting articles out there on the lost art of brush painting. Search for high quality brush painting and you will find info out there with instructions to do work equivalent to spray. I know its against common perception, but so what.

One thing I discovered with rattle cans is that there is a BIG difference in the various brands. I have had good luck with the Valspar equipment enamel that they sell at TSC. They also carry it in quarts and gallons that you can use with hardener. YMMV.

90% of painting is preparation. If the prep is good you can make a rattle can paint job look like a million bucks. Just don't try and spray too much at once. Use several light coats, you'll be amazed at the results.

Two things that are important when using spray cans are to keep a " wet edge", and have good light. I start from one side, usually in the corner. Keep the light at an angle so that it is reflected in the wet paint. Spray at a slight angle toward the unpainted area so that no overspray falls on the fresh paint you just sprayed. Work your way across, putting just enough paint to get a smooth even coat, and never go back to hit an area because then you lose the smooth surface.Best advice-practice practice practice

At work we the boss wanted the shop walk in doors that the employes use painted. We had one guy spray the new doors and the old door that were on the building our old maintenice man used a roller. The rolled doors look better than the sprayed but thats a differant story.

I have used everything from spray cans to top of the line DuPont base coat clear coat. On small items i use spray paint mostly Krylon, it has been best for me. I did some work on some tools i made and used a brush with a quart of rustolium and they came out nice. The brush strokes disapeared and it was fairly smooth. I also sprayed the rustolium on another tool and it did well too. I recenly painted some cabinets that i picked up from the local habitat for humanity restore and painted them with a car at work. I would have used DuPonts Chroma Preimier single stage but i was base clearing the car so it ended up with the DuPont waterbase color and 72200 clear. I didnt relize the cars was a rusted out, beat up pos when i mixed paint otherwise i would have singe staged them. With a little practic weather you use rattle cans, a roller, a brush, or a paint gun just practice and it will turn out nice. Good luck. Justin

metaleltr said:

That is the budget method of how a body shop paints a car except the materials used in the body shop cost at lest $40 per quart.

Click to expand...

$40? hahahahahaha.....you should see the cost of most autobody materials, paint costs are off the chart!

FrankLee said:

One quart of Rustoleum and a 4" foam roller:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1173707&postcount=57

Click to expand...

I've done this with a car, and the finish was outstanding!



Here is a web site with more information: http://rolledon.forummotion.com/

Jim

Re: A lot to learn

Thanks to all the contributors. You have given me a lot to learn, and I can respond better after digesting some more of it. Any other opinions...I'm still listening.

I've painted a lot of shop equipment, carts, shelves, tables, etc.
I use Rust-oleum rattle cans... Their "hard hat" or "High Impact" version... I think, but am not sure, that these have more solids in them than their regular spray paint.

I paint it all with either red, or flat black. If the surface is going to come in contact with work, feet, etc, it gets flat black. If it's for aesthetics, it gets the red.
I've had the flat black on my vise table, the work surfaces of my shop press, etc. etc. and it's all held up like I just sprayed it yesterday. I can't say enough about the durability of Rust-oleum flat black.

I make sure to degrease everything and let it dry. 99 out of 100 times, I just use spray cans of Brake Kleen, and let it air-dry.

Then I give it a good fogging with a first coat. Not nearly enough to coat the whole thing... it's more like a 1/2 coating of paint. Or less, even.

This does a couple things: it gives the subsequent coat of paint something to grab onto when applied, so I don't get runs, and it lets me know any difficult areas to apply paint to. It will also show me where I might have missed an area while I'm applying subsequent applications.

After the 1st coat has gotten tacky (15-20 minutes), I apply a heavier second coat and cover everything, but not really heavy. Just enough to evenly apply color over the whole thing. This coat will look "dry" when it's applied... it's not slick and glossy, even though I'm using gloss red.

I let that coat get tacky, again, about 15-20 minutes, and then I give it a third coat. This last coat goes on heavier... the 2nd coat will usually have a matt texture to it--it's not slick...
When I put on the last coat, I watch as I'm applying, and I apply paint until the area looks slick and wet. You'll see the change in the surface texture of the paint.

Once the whole thing is covered with a "slick" coat, let it dry.

It seems to stick really well, and holds up well over the years. It'll take some impact and dings without flaking off in big pieces.

I've never coated with clear, but only because I've never really thought about it.

-Brad