painting a vise question...

[taumac]

Wondering when restoring your vise do you guys primer it then paint or just paint it. This is second vise ive done and I painted yesterday and I checked with my nail this morning and can pull paint off but primer still there. I use electrolysis to remove any paint, oil etc. Heated it to dry any water. Then primer and paint. Should I let in cure longer or strip it again and just paint no primer?

 

[SweetD]

When I have used rattle can to paint a vise, here are a few things I have done:

- electrolysis
- wire brush / 3M red scotch pad as best I can after electrolysis
- fully dry vise with compressed air / sunlight
- acetone metal surface and let evaporate
- prime, 2-3 coats following instructions on can
- paint, several light coats following instructions on can
- let dry/cure for a week - takes forever to cure, and is still not always cured hard

I'm sure others will chime in.

Dave

 

[taumac]

This is what i use.... btw Rustoleum gloss cherry num 248568 matches the HF 44 gloss pretty close.

 

[taumac]

I didnt do the acetone step but guess its just gonna have to cure to see. At least I found color to match my HF44 boxes

 

[Dragfluid]

No,,,, just no.
If you want the vise to be functional, don't paint it. During normal use, it will get banged and chipped and scraped and start to look like hell.
Strip off all the paint and primer. Buff it up a little if you like. Keep it clean, keep it free from water. It will look great.

 

[CNGsaves]

No,,,, just no.
If you want the vise to be functional, don't paint it. During normal use, it will get banged and chipped and scraped and start to look like hell.
Strip off all the paint and primer. Buff it up a little if you like. Keep it clean, keep it free from water. It will look great.

Huh ?? They come painted from the manufacturer.

Big difference is spray bombing the entire thing, than only painting the surfaces that ought to be painted.

See the GJ vise thread . . . . . . . majority of vises ARE painted.

 

[taumac]

Well this isnt my main vise but I do use it. Its more a show vise on top of my HF44 tool bench.

Before

View media item 30431
After

View media item 33775

 

[PCO6]

No,,,, just no.
If you want the vise to be functional, don't paint it. During normal use, it will get banged and chipped and scraped and start to look like hell.
Strip off all the paint and primer. Buff it up a little if you like. Keep it clean, keep it free from water. It will look great.

I've painted several of my Record vices to duplicate what they looked like when they were new. After another 20 years or so of use I'll just do it again.

 

[ZRX61]

I don't prime mine & I've done at least 30. I use Hammertone on them mostly.

 

[DIC]

Leave it alone... It'll dry

 

[justanengineer]

Im a big fan of Rustoleum's rusty red primer followed by color. I apply light coats with a few hours in between, 2-3 coats to get full coverage, then let it sit for at least 48 hours to dry and cure, preferably in warm sunlight most of that time. Rustoleum is darn durable if you get a good clean application and let it dry thoroughly.

 

[taumac]

Well, Its been about 10 days and paint seems to had cured good. I already start on on Columbian D44. Just primered and ill let sit 24+ hours then paint it and forget it for a least a week. Maybe never paid attention before to cure times but if can reads 24 hours to fully dry why a week to fully cure?

 

[MrMark]

From what I've seen the Rustoleum takes about 1 year to fully cure.

 

[taumac]

From what I've seen the Rustoleum takes about 1 year to fully cure.

A year... thats freaking crazy.

 

[coolreed]

I grind off the old paint and rust with abrasive pads and wire wheel brushes using my offset grinder taking the parts down to bare metal. The laminated sanding wheels work very well. The wire wheels work better around lettering. I file the machined areas to refine those areas. After that I clean with acetone.

I have found that Krylon Engine enamel is a good paint that becomes very tough but colors are limited. I have also used some Hammered and Metallic colors with success.

I have not found the need to use electrolysis as yet.

 

[AnEv942]

Possibly something in cast-often seemingly clean material can leach or stuff can be drawn out as paint cures. Possibly high enough air moisture trapped, one of the reason I dont like the fast dry sprays, but eventually it will cure. Primer itself can absorb moisture which would impede adhesion and drying of top coat. Also noted different products line-I try to use same line-to ensure compatibility. Generally when Ive had bonding issues it was grey primer-unless it going to set for a few days I try to paint within the intial window.

All that said rustolem does just take quite awhile to fully cure, which imo as far as paint goes is a good thing.

 

[StillKeen]

I'm painting a vise now, and have Hammerlite for my topcoat and a Rustoleum primer. I'm wire wheeling the vise, and will then use acetone/thinners to clean it off. I've got the anti-seize lube on the way.

Now, my question/hijack, how do you paint the logo lettering in white easily? I'd like to paint mine white. Do they undercoat in white, then when the top coat goes on they wipe it off the letters with a sponge? Do they wipe the white on with a sponge? I cannot believe that they paint them by hand or mask them.

Help please.

 

[Albiemanmike]

I just picked up a Wilton Bullet the other day and blasted it today. Still have some tenacious paint that I will remove with the wire wheels but it is all ready for painting so this post is very timely. Not sure what color I am going to paint it yet but I liked the idea of painting the letters a contrasting color to make them stand out a little. I know it is only a vise but it is a nice vise that i got for $75 so I would like to make it look nice at least for a little while. It isn't going to be a beauty queen it will be used a ton. I think I will remove my Parker swivel vise and replace with my new Wilton it is so much more stout than my Parker. The Parker has seen 30+ years of abuse and could use a break anyway.

 

[ZRX61]

Maybe never paid attention before to cure times but if can reads 24 hours to fully dry why a week to fully cure?

Depends on the weather/temp/humidity etc. I paint mine outside here in the Mojave Dessert & they are dry/cured in about 30 minutes when the temps up over 110deg & the air is drier than a popcorn fart....

I still leave em out in the sun all day though. They get too hot to pick up without gloves.

 

[ZRX61]

No,,,, just no.
If you want the vise to be functional, don't paint it. During normal use, it will get banged and chipped and scraped and start to look like hell.
Strip off all the paint and primer. Buff it up a little if you like. Keep it clean, keep it free from water. It will look great.

HERECY!!

 

[taumac]

That's a great deal on that bullet. Are those raised letters or recessed? I still believe electrolysis is best way to removed old paint. That's stuff pretty tough. I've tried grinding and sanding but I put it in tank and forget it.

 

[StillKeen]

That's a great deal on that bullet. Are those raised letters or recessed? I still believe electrolysis is best way to removed old paint. That's stuff pretty tough. I've tried grinding and sanding but I put it in tank and forget it.

With your electrolysis setup, are you using a 12V battery charger for the power source? I'd like to try electrolysis (already painted this vise, so it'll be for another project), but ideally don't want to spend much money at all on my first bath setup. Is there a Harbor Freight charger that'll work?

Thanks.

 

[taumac]

With your electrolysis setup, are you using a 12V battery charger for the power source? I'd like to try electrolysis (already painted this vise, so it'll be for another project), but ideally don't want to spend much money at all on my first bath setup. Is there a Harbor Freight charger that'll work?

Thanks.

Honestly you can using any 12v battery charger. The one I use is a pos I got from friend with a 50amp start feature. They are many many video on YouTube on process but it shouldn't cost much at all. I can't post pics from phone but mine setup is a mop bucket, with old rebar welded together and a pos charger. I find it works great for rust paint etc.

 

[taumac]

View media item 33706

 

[G-force]

Electrolysis weakens metal you know...

 

[ZRX61]

So does rust.........

 

[G-force]

Rust dissolves metal, electrolysis makes it brittle. I have used electrolysis for years but anything that relies on it's structure for function gets blasted or wire wheeled.

Then again I don't buy tools to look pretty either,... so my wiltons have the OG beat up finish so when I weld or grind on or next to them I'm not worried about the perfect paint getting messed up.

 

[taumac]

Electrolysis weakens metal you know...

Really? I never heard that before. Is there proof somewhere I can read up on? If is does how does it weaken it? I'm curious.

 

[coljar]

I use mine to bench bleed master cylinders at times and you know what that does to paint if it's DOT 3-4. I just wipe oil on it once in a while.

 

[yhprum]

Alloy steel may develop hydrogen embrittlement using elctrolysis. You can alleviate it it by cooking in an oven immediately after coiming out of the bath. Check on google.