How to preserve the patina

[Gasgt1]

I found this tractor hood and plan to make a hanging shop light with it.
The plan is to mount LED lighting in it and hang it over one of my work areas.

After cleaning this up, do you have any suggestions for a coating or sealer to preserve the look?
Thanks

 

[dadsEH]

Yep....sand it with 400 wet n dry and spray with clear.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Great idea. Make sure to show the pics of your project. I bought an old OMC boat fuel tank real cheap. Was going to give it to a buddy for a spare. Found out the bottom had a bit of rot. Going to turn it into a light as well.

 

[crguy]

Yep....sand it with 400 wet n dry and spray with clear.

That's a great way to destroy the patina.

 

[mitusa]

If it's going to hang inside.....what would it hurt to just leave it as is???

 

[lardy1]

I haven't personally used it but I've been reading about using Flood Penetrol for that purpose. Some in here endorse it.

 

[RTM]

Most anything you do will have some effect.
BLO will darken it.
Polyurethane may go blue with time.
Blonde dewaxed shellac may hold true.

Try a bit on the underside, see if you like how it changes it.

I would want to do something, as the garage environment will lead to dust etc, and you'll want it to wipe off fairly easily, without scratching what's left of the finish.

 

[Gasgt1]

I haven't personally used it but I've been reading about using Flood Penetrol for that purpose. Some in here endorse it.

That looks promising,
Thank you!

 

[DougMN]

That's a great way to destroy the patina.

What he said.

 

[Roberts210]

Don't do anything to it. Leave it exactly as is--that's what you like about it, so don't change it.

 

[TailGunner3000]

Clean and seal with a 2k clear coat. Matte will provide a more original look, but gloss would look killer.

 

[SeisMec]

Paste wax. If you don't like the results, it's easily removed.

 

[tym]

Paste wax. If you don't like the results, it's easily removed.

This or a very light coat of BLO.

 

[Farmer J.]

This or a very light coat of BLO.

These are the best suggestions yet. These will preserve the patina, without destroying it and can still be easily removed.
Personally I use Linseed Oil a lot on old patina stuff like the box of my Bethlehem Socket Set. It's not poisonous, I like the smell, and can grow the Linseed on the farm!

 

[yhprum]

Indoors paste wax, outdoors clear coat.

 

[rsanter]

If it’s inside, leave it as is

 

[bob15]

It's going to be inside......leave it alone and it will be fine

 

[TailGunner3000]

This or a very light coat of BLO.

Boiled linseed oil will change the color. Clear coat will not.

 

[acer66]

If it's going to hang inside.....what would it hurt to just leave it as is???

Makes me wonder too.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I'd leave it as, other than painting the underside white.

 

[derek_m]

it won't be seeing weather, just wax it.

that's all i do with my '61 schwinn. even as a rider the patina is still keeping as is and not rusting any more.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

it won't be seeing weather, just wax it.

that's all i do with my '61 schwinn. even as a rider the patina is still keeping as is and not rusting any more.

That Corvette is amazing. Is the bullet tailight, fender and handle bars original to the bike? I like the extended rear fender the best. Sorry for going off topic but just had to know!

 

[faultymechanics]

My experience would say a thin layer of BLO + Beeswax + Turpentine will do a good job without changing the color much. Also doesn't smell too terrible. I wouldn't recommend clear coating though. If it was me I'd wire wheel and leave it, maybe rub some oil into it just to prevent flash rust.

 

[outofbounds]

I'm in the "leave it as is" camp. Me thinks you'll be long gone before what's left of the finish.

 

[drivesitfar]

Gas: do you have something similar to test on or maybe just test a small area? I'd clean it up with simple green (don't leave on too long or it will eat some paint) or a wet rag and then wipe on some BLO.

here's an old Reed 2c I didn't want to completely remove original paint that I put a few coats of BLO on.

one thing about BLO is that you'll have to reapply every now and again if you don't want any surface rust type patina to show up like is now on my Reed 4c. I had a couple coats of BLO put on my 4c after sandblasting 5 years ago and I haven't put any more BLO on since.

 

[CGT80]

I use a product called permalac for rust patinas and also coated my K5 blazer where the clear and paint was peeling and I wanted to slow it down and control the rust until I do something with the paint.


https://permalac.com/permalac-online-store/


My steel supplier sells it and it dries very fast without damaging patina. The matte looks like it isn't even coated and there is a satin finish for more gloss. It isn't cheap but is fast and easy to use. It was also good for coating the steel frame of my tig cooler as it went right over the clean steel, dried fast, and then I covered it with the aluminum skin that I built. Paint would have taken much longer and all I wanted to do is keep the steel frame from rusting.


Originally, I used permalac over corten steel for some sign frames I built for a city park. It looked great a couple years later and had great reviews from other builders/welders on the internet.

 

[dadsEH]

What he said.

Yep ....its ruined.....

 

[dadsEH]

That's a great way to destroy the patina.

We dragged this out of a paddock and put a coat of clear on it...totally ruined.

 

[Farmer J.]

We dragged this out of a paddock and put a coat of clear on it...totally ruined.

Yea! It's so 'ruined' I'm tempted to print a picture and look at it on the wall!
It's great to see something interesting and different like that, brought back to life and preserved, and you can now take it out in the rain and not have to worry about it getting rust holes. The total 'better than new' restoration paint jobs can be great as well, whatever you prefer.

 

[383]

I sprayed this old Briggs engine with satin clear lacquer. The lacquer changes the look a little, but I think it gives it more of a finished appearance.

 

[jd_1138]

I'd leave it as, other than painting the underside white.

Yeah just use some light duty chain to hang it from the ceiling after installing the lights in it.

 

[BFBOB]

I'd leave it as, other than painting the underside white.

Depends on the lighting he's planning on using. If it's the quick, easy, unobtrusive strip lights, they're so directional painting the "reflector" white won't do anything since almost none of the light will hit it.
If he's using bulb replacement type LED's, or fluorescent tube replacement LED's then, yes, white paint will brighten the light.

 

[BFBOB]

We dragged this out of a paddock and put a coat of clear on it...totally ruined.

Opinions vary ...
I suspect you were being sarcastic; while I don't take your statement literally, I think it might look better wearing a satin or semigloss clear coat. That said, it is definitely a spectacular truck! (in my opinion)

 

[Stillgottimefor1]

Hey 383, that lamp is very cool! Great Job.[emoji106]


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[southalabama]

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