Started a tool box repaint.

[NUTTSGT]

Well, I finally got around to start repainting my boxes black. I have been waiting to get the locks from Sears. That has been a nightmare and another thread. It's not finished but I'll get the thread started.

It began even less innocent than this. I upgraded from a 26" top, intermediate and bottom box. When my step dad decided to retire, he was an elelctrician at GE. He never put in use the bottom 40" box mom bought for him. So he gave it to me (awesome)and the box he was using, with the tools to my step brother. I'm currently storing it til he retires from the Coast guard. It's the one to the right of my box. I sold my 26" boxes and bought a 40" top box.
I added a side box a few years ago. I had a ******* attack and ordered a quiet glide instead of the ball bearing drawer. Oh well lesson learned. It was the start of the "black box" era.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Once I started to accumulate more airtools and impact sockets, it was time to upgrade again. This time I bought a single griplatch ball bearing drawer. I got it for over $50 off, you know the drill, on sale gotta get it. This is what it looked like adding the black drawer.

Now at this point, I was comtemplating buying a new side box with ball bearing. I was really liking the black. When the wife and I were at Sears one day and the sales man offered me this side box. It was Sunburst Orange (cool color but it's not black) for about half off, $160. Iwas waiting to put it in service to it got painted black, so last week I started.

As you can tell the bottom drawer is out, I started disassembly before I got a pic of it.
I noticed the slides were a little trick to take out of the box till I found the clip the needs pried up. I figured I get a picture of it for anybody ever doing the same.

Even me, the china naysayers, I was surprised to find the slides were made in china not the US. I guess so much for an american made tool box.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I wanted to use a urethane from NAPA, Martin Senour paint. But evidently they are phasing it out and can't get the hardener anymore. Luckily I still had some so I did get a quart of black.
Now this created another problem, running out of black. I decided not to do the inside of the drawers, nobody would see them right? Except me. So I decided to make them black too. I went to TSC and bought some Herculiner, truck bed liner.

I had to mask off the top edge and all the holes in the sides and bottom of the drawers. It's like 75 holes that needed masked over. Since I was paint limited, I also did the bottom of the box and the back with the bedliner.

I had everything scuffed (320 for the inside and 400 for the outside) and ready to paint. I ended up working a double at the firehouse, total of 48 hours, so that put me a little behind. I came home yesterday and wiped everything down,mixed some paint and let it fly.

So today is going to be an assembly day. Depending how freaking hot it gets today, yesterday was 95*, and the garage gets just as hot, I might start on the other "red" boxes.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Sorry, I didn't realize some of these pics really ****. I need to give that camera a once over and check the settings.

 

[BetterDays]

Not too shabby sir....

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

Looks like you're on your way....though I gotta admit, I like the orange!

 

[ChristopherLutz]

Great Idea with the herculiner - thanks for the pics...keep them coming!

 

[NUTTSGT]

Not too shabby sir....

Thanks Kevin

Looks like you're on your way....though I gotta admit, I like the orange!

The orange did look good, but with literally having no chance of finding other orange boxes, getting more orange to match or funds to even buy new boxes, it was an easy choice.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Great Idea with the herculiner - thanks for the pics...keep them coming!

It was just something that popped into my head. The bottom box will be getting the same treatment, bottom and back. The top box, maybe just the back.

 

[plinker]

When I spray can refinished my S-O box, I used bedliner for the drawers. It is durable, but it can/will scratch the **** out of tools.
The spray cans I bought were either Duplicolor or Plastikote, and it has a "gritty" feel to it.

You may want to use drawer liner.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I had drawer liners in them already. That was a past afternoon project. I put the side box back together, the only thing missing is the Cman badge. One of the tabs was broke, go figure. I improvised with some clear RTV, it's drying as I type.

Now, if it'll cool off again, I can start on the top and bottom box.

 

[JohnFreeman]

Hey, that came out nice, and you got rid of the HF Orange too!

 

[NUTTSGT]

Thanks.

Actually it's a Craftsman box, not HF. It's a color they only used for a year or two called "sunburst orange" I believe.

 

[Rickster55]

Looks great - nice job!!!

 

[cowboy73]

Very nice paint job.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Now this created another problem, running out of black. I decided not to do the inside of the drawers, nobody would see them right? Except me. So I decided to make them black too.

A classic Garage Journal moment.

 

[Sterff]

Looks good so far! I would like to paint my lower box to match my top box at some point.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Looks good so far! I would like to paint my lower box to match my top box at some point.

I think that will start tomorrow.

 

[johnny1290]

Grown men worried about matching toolboxes!

;-)

Well, count me in, because I am too!

Actually even worse, I just want to repaint my SO to make it pretty under the guise of 'fixing rust'

Thanks for the heads up on the bedliner!

 

[seagravedriver]

Grown men worried about matching toolboxes!

;-)

Well, count me in, because I am too!

Actually even worse, I just want to repaint my SO to make it pretty under the guise of 'fixing rust'

Thanks for the heads up on the bedliner!

That's important stuff, not like matching clothes or something

 

[NUTTSGT]

So I started the day moving forward, quite literally, with the tool boxes.

Remember to lock your box before moving it, alot of my drawers started to come out, oops.

I pulled all the drawers out of the top box and the bottom box. I stacked them up on the workbench. There's a lot of drawers there. Since they are black already, I'm not painting them. IMHO, they are more like charcoal grey, and may get painted at a later date.

AS I was removing the slide out of the bottom box, I encountered a problem, two slides wouldn't come out. I smacked them with a hammer and screwdriver and they still didn't budge. Then I thought there must be a reason they're not moving, yep they have a rivet in them.

Not sure how well it will show up in the pic. Quick work with a drill and bit and they were free to come out.

I got both boxes ready to paint by wet sanding them with 400.

As in my previous posts, I'm concerned with running out of this paint and decided to use bedliner on the back of the bottom box. A little masking tape and Herculiner and it was done in a few minutes.

Ahh, time to mix paint. I stuck the fan in the window, opened the valve for the compressor, it kicked on and ran. I did a quick drain on the tank, walked away and thought the compressor was running to long. Then I noticed a strange noise and knew something wasn't right.

Well, I guess I get to work on the compressor tomorrow instead of doing some painting. I think (hope) it will be an easy fix. Atleast I didn't start mixing paint and put hardener in it. . . . . being optimistic lol.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I finally put it back together today. I left the original drawers "black" or what looks like charcoal to me. I think this might be a winter prject to repaint the front of the drawers a matching black.

 

[Boiler]

Wow, you don't realize how light the charcoal drawers are until you see them against black.

 

[yogitech]

Looks good!

I would have painted the drawer fronts now though, at least it looks like its supposed to be that way with the two side cabinets.

 

[mrholeshot]

Looks good. Dwawer fronts should be easy

 

[Interex]

Very nice, I like that black and charcoal combo!

 

[z28snksknr]

Your project ran quite like the majority of mine: your real job keeps you from making progress, mechanical failure of a critical system half way through the job, and small complications that greatly extend the time to complete the project.

Awesome results though!! Great job!

 

[NUTTSGT]

Looks good!

I would have painted the drawer fronts now though, at least it looks like its supposed to be that way with the two side cabinets.

Thanks. I was waiting on some more hardener to come in, I am out. The other part I'm dreading is actually taking everything out of the drawers. When I do paint them, it'll be just the front of the drawer, I can live with the rest of it being charcoal.

 

[Ocho]

I like the charcoal. Just paint the middle drawer front charcoal to match the rest and leave the side boxes all black.