Getting best hammered finish from Rustoleum rattlecan?

[4xdog]

What's the forum's consensus in getting the best result from rattlecan hammered-finish paint?

I'm refinishing an old Akro-Mills drawer chest of my father's -- one I probably gave him in the mid 1970s. After forty-plus years in his basement it was a bit rusty.

I've cleaned off the rust and am giving it a simple refinish with Rustoleum Verde Green hammered finish paint. I haven't been able to get the paint to show much hammertone effect.

What works best to give a good hammered finish?

• Heavier wet film thickness? (My coats have been wet, but not so heavy to risk running.)
• Higher ambient temperature? (I've been around 65ºF)
• More shaking of the can during spraying? (I thought I was keeping it well agitated.)
• Something else?

Here are a few before and during pix:

There's a little bit of hammering in areas where the wet film thickness was quite high, I believe, but not much even there.

In the past I've used hammertone Rustoleum on other projects with better results. Here's the refinish of the oil filler cap on my Triumph TR3. Silver, not Verde Green, but otherwise ostensibly the same stuff.

 

[SteveH-CO]

The silver seems to really show the hammered finish well (in my experience on a trailer floor). The black (which is silverish in color) does not. I also discovered that the black paint is not gasoline resistant at all, which means I'll be touching up my gas tank now!

I have communicated with Rustoleum in the past and they were helpful - perhaps you can contact them and see what they say.

 

[fourbyford]

I've used a bit of this in the past and in a variety of colors. I have used the green and it worked well. I had the most success in achieving the hammered effect with wet, heavy coats. I found it best to try to get good coverage from the final coat... if you find you were a little light in an area you can go back and respray that area but the pattern won't always "match" and you can see where you attempted the fix. It's also important to note that not every color will give a good hammered appearance... I've had great luck with silver, copper, bronze, and green... the black produces a nice finish but with no noticeable hammer effect.
...D

 

[bdk1976]

I usually get best results when I lay on thick coats - gotta be really careful on vertical surfaces, though. As others have said, some (lighter) colors tend to show the hammered effect more.

 

[Cap'n Coldeye]

This is a door handle that I made for a barn door. I used the rusto primer. The following day I applied the first coat of rusto hammered black, and applied the second coat right after the first coat dried (maybe 3 hours between). I am happy with the results.

Cheers

 

[4xdog]

Progress!

The mechanism for generating the hammered pattern (if I remember right -- my career in coatings R&D over the last few decades has been water-based) is based on slightly incompatible solvents. These lead to the hammertone "cells" on drying.

With my Verde Green Rustoleum rattlecan, it makes a *huge* difference to apply only ONE PASS. Spray heavy and spray closer than you may be used to (I was about 6 inches) -- don't go back for another coat.

It will help to put a coat or two down first without worrying about the pattern. The hammered finish tends to pinhole, so a second or third coat should be expected.

Here's my result with a single heavy pass over well-basecoated metal. I'm OK with this.
On another section it was obvious that if a second wet pass was applied the hammered pattern disappeared completely.

 

[IndyGarage]

I've used most of the colors and had good luck with all of them.

I tend to warm my cans of paint in a bucket of hot water from the sink before I spray them - that seems to help with the hammered paint.

I've also had good luck rolling it on with a foam roller out of the bulk cans.

 

[Slick111]

My best results are heavy coats have to be very carful not to get runs and sags

 

[danielbuck]

I'll second the "heavy coat" suggestion. even with the brush/roll applications.

 

[G-ManBart]

I've done probably 100 vises using various hammered Rustoleum paints and you have to go heavy to get it to really show. I spray heavy, fast and pretty close...right up to where I think it's going to run, and then maybe a little more. The good thing is that if you don't get it the first try, it won't hurt to go back over it as the next pass activates the paint that's already there. Vertical surfaces are hardest, but can be done if you're careful.

 

[El Bicho Malo]

For what it’s worth, I get way better results using the brush on product than with the spray cans. Generally thick enough and hammered enough that brush marks are a non issue.

 

[danielbuck]

For what it’s worth, I get way better results using the brush on product than with the spray cans. Generally thick enough and hammered enough that brush marks are a non issue.

I'll second this as well :-D I painted a roll cage with brush-on hammer finish, and it turned out pretty good. The brush strokes fade away as it dries. Looked more "hammered" than when I've done spray versions.

 

[4xdog]

For what it’s worth, I get way better results using the brush on product than with the spray cans. Generally thick enough and hammered enough that brush marks are a non issue.

I'll second this as well :-D I painted a roll cage with brush-on hammer finish, and it turned out pretty good. The brush strokes fade away as it dries. Looked more "hammered" than when I've done spray versions.

Me too -- from infrequent use with hammered paints for many years.

One wishes Rustoleum made a brush-on in Verde Green.

 

[csp]

I prefer Hammerite brand to the Rustoleum stuff. Hard to find, but well worth it IMO.

It has a better hammered finish and is very tough, to the point that you won't like trying to remove it. It is soft though for several days that it takes to completely cure.

 

[harley jim]

As the others have said thicker coats work better. I think I have the same cabinet. Now I want to paint mine.

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk

 

[4xdog]

I prefer Hammerite brand to the Rustoleum stuff. Hard to find, but well worth it IMO.

It has a better hammered finish and is very tough, to the point that you won't like trying to remove it. It is soft though for several days that it takes to completely cure.

I’ve had friends in the UK lament that with changes in corporate ownership and reformulations over the years, today’s Hammerite paints aren’t the same, or as good, as the ones from some years ago. Dunno about that myself, and AkzoNobel, the corporate owner of the Hammerite brand, is a first class paint company.

 

[davewo]

Agreed - roll or brush on for the heaviest effect. It's almost foolproof. If you do spray from a can, try to move the object so that each face is sprayed while horizontal. Apply a heavy coat, let it dry a couple minutes, then reposition the object with the next surface to be sprayed horizontal.

 

[klhansen]

I’ve had friends in the UK lament that with changes in corporate ownership and reformulations over the years, today’s Hammerite paints aren’t the same, or as good, as the ones from some years ago. Dunno about that myself, and AkzoNobel, the corporate owner of the Hammerite brand, is a first class paint company.

I know that this is a bit of an old thread, but I've been researching this for a project and the Hammerite line has been discontinued. I was looking for a bronze and it turns out that Rustoleum has shrunk their color selection. I believe they used to have a light bronze, but now only have a dark bronze.

 

[4xdog]

...looking for a bronze...

Is your project capable of being powder coated? There are some powders that approximate a hammered finish and there are lots of "bronze-ish" colors

There might be some experiments worth conducting with brush-on Rustoleum hammered-finish paints to see if a blend of dark bronze and gold and/or silver might lighten the color enough to meet your needs. Maybe even a non-hammered paint that gives the right shade blended in enough not to screw up the hammered effect. That could be tricky, as the solvents and solvent ratios in hammered paints are how the finish is created and one doesn't know how compatible different paints are until one tries.

 

[Spareparts]

I have had good results using the Quarts rather than spray cans, but I use a catalist (hardner) and fast drying thinner.
I also don't use much thinner just open the gun up a little and more pressure.

 

[ColorMeOrange]

I know that this is a bit of an old thread, but I've been researching this for a project and the Hammerite line has been discontinued. I was looking for a bronze and it turns out that Rustoleum has shrunk their color selection. I believe they used to have a light bronze, but now only have a dark bronze.

I hate when a company discontinues a favorite. You should give the Canadian parent company Tremclad rust paint corporation a try. Rustolium is the same paint product. Its just branded differently for the American market. I have had success by doing so (in the opposite direction).

I really like they're paints. I've been using those for years.

<edit> Here is some hammered Tremclad aerosols https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/...Q6ml-GQ_waArNDEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds#store=152

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B089K5X9XQ/?tag=atomicindus04-20

 

[ColorMeOrange]

I have had good results using the Quarts rather than spray cans, but I use a catalist (hardner) and fast drying thinner.
I also don't use much thinner just open the gun up a little and more pressure.

I apply those methods too. Weather applying by brush rolls or air. Its thick stuff and starts tacking pretty quickly. But takes a while to dry and then fully cure hard. Longer than most paints do to fully cure and harden under normal circumstances. I started using a space heater in a broom closet if the parts are needed asap. I'll bake the parts for several hours. At least until it feels completely dry to the touch. I can not comment on durability speeding up the drying process like that. But I should soon find out.

I always got the best results like that (opposed to the aerosol sprayers. So I stuck with it.

With the exception of their flat black heat paint. I am fine with the aerosol counterpart.

 

[DennisCA]

I've been looking at hammerite or hammertone paints as well. My problem is I can't find the proper light green color that old machines have, it's almost all dark green here. Also known as ASEA-green here.

I've used hammerite in the past but not that impressed with it. We have "biltema" which have a paint at half the price, it's not much worse actually. I was thinking of buying a can of silver and dark green and mix my own to get the right color.

I heard Rust-Oleum here was supposed to be better than Hammerites stuff and here I read the opposite, so who knows anymore?

I did read that you could use any regular paint and spray silicone spray over it before it dries to get a hammertone effect. That would be nice if true, never tested it!

 

[GeoBruin]

I've been looking at hammerite or hammertone paints as well. My problem is I can't find the proper light green color that old machines have, it's almost all dark green here. Also known as ASEA-green here.

I've used hammerite in the past but not that impressed with it. We have "biltema" which have a paint at half the price, it's not much worse actually. I was thinking of buying a can of silver and dark green and mix my own to get the right color.

I heard Rust-Oleum here was supposed to be better than Hammerites stuff and here I read the opposite, so who knows anymore?

I did read that you could use any regular paint and spray silicone spray over it before it dries to get a hammertone effect. That would be nice if true, never tested it!

Rustoleum Hammered paint in Verde Green is a very popular choice because it closely mimics the original paint used on old Wilton vises. It does scream "old machine" to me. Right up there with that rockwell grey color.

 

[DennisCA]

I was in a hurry to get this project done so what I did was I bought two small cans of silver and dark green of a "store brand". I mixed them together and it looks closer to what I wanted. I am rolling it on and doing one side at a time so it can dry facing upwards without runs.

 

[ColorMeOrange]

The Tremclad and companies mix up well. I use a ratio of about 70/30 thinner. And toned up the grey a bit.

I need to try for an orange I can live with.

I wasn't that fond of their red until said and done.

Then I figured I midas well slash on a 3rd coat because the doors had to come back off again anyway.

I'm willing to try some hammer paint on something, if its stocked when I get to the store today.

Would you suggest their clear poly over bare scotch brightened metals (I'm referring to the tremclad aerosol bomb if any members use it) ?

 

[wrenchr]

Heat helps, I have noticed when I spray in the sunlight it gives the hammered effect but it needs to be a thicker coat as well. I have used a heatgun in the past.

 

[i4ni]

Get hammered then paint it

 

[All]

Is a hammered finish solely for the purpose of a vintage appearance or period correct restoration?

Or is there any aspect of hammered paint that is thought to result in a more durable, corrosion resistant coating?