[How do I?] Painting A Machine. How To Spray Or Do I Brush?

countryguy

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First test project: http://www.hobby-machinist.com/thre...lathe-a-few-qs-and-1-issue.48244/#post-407375

To paint this I may as well make darn sure the paint job comes out exceptional with this much work going into the unit.

How should I paint this economically? I think brush will be a disappointment. Can I pick up one of the diy paint sprayers. Wagner stuff? Or do you guys call up a paint shop? It'll be stripped down and ready. Would that be a few hundred? Several hundreds?

Thanks for the help here !!!
Having a great time on this. Very relaxing. Feels good knowing how well this can come out when done right
 
I like to brush on hammer paint to get a nice texture..2 coat min

IMG_0716.JPG
 
Depends on the 'perfection' you will be happy with...

I have painted a lot of dark blue Rustoleum (Royal Blue) with a brush... note this is oil based paint... and the results are quite acceptable.
Note the finish is by no means like an auto... but acceptable.

Rattle cans, to me, are not really high quality paint... they chip and ding and are sensitive to chemical issues.

As always... preparation is the key to a nice paint job.
 
I think the lathe gods are happy with me today. I bought this spray system in the early 2000s and totally forgot about it. My post set off the light bulb. Yep still here in the barn in my cubby space. Thank goodness her garage sale antics did not find it.
Manual says it can do oil based enamels. I think I will give this a go on some test items when ready to paint. Suggestions stl very welcome. Clueless when painting anything but walls.
image.jpg
 
that is diamond vogel paint that i bought about 10 years ago.. good stuff
 
I think the lathe gods are happy with me today. I bought this spray system in the early 2000s and totally forgot about it. My post set off the light bulb. Yep still here in the barn in my cubby space. Thank goodness her garage sale antics did not find it.
Manual says it can do oil based enamels. I think I will give this a go on some test items when ready to paint. Suggestions stl very welcome. Clueless when painting anything but walls.
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You can buy a "smoothing" agent at most well stocked paint stores. Can't remember a brand name or the proper terminology but the stuff allows the paint to flow out before drying. I've used with brushes and I got near spray gun quality finishes.

Tom S.
 
You can buy a "smoothing" agent at most well stocked paint stores. Can't remember a brand name or the proper terminology but the stuff allows the paint to flow out before drying. I've used with brushes and I got near spray gun quality finishes.

Tom S.

You can get similar results with Rustoleum paints... might thin them just a tiny amount with mineral spirits.
Plan on two coats, and use a quality brush.
 
Hard to beat a spray finish BUT it takes some practice to do it correctly. Prep time will far excede painting time. Surfaces must be CLEAN! Any imperfections in the surface will show. Make sure every bit of it has been sanded. Paint will not bond to chaulky old paint. A coat of primer/surfacer wet sanded will fix minor scratches and when wet let you see imperfections. The finish will lay down better if you have the right reducer and amount. Reducers are available for use at different temperatures. I used to paint our truck fleet with Imron from DuPont. Great paint, Urethane based, very durable, expensive. But you get what you pay for. Don't buy cheap paint!
Is the painting equipment in the photo an airless outfit? If so, good for painting big surfaces, lacks controls for doing fine finish work. You would be better served with a gravity gun from Habor Frt. They aren't high quality and won't last long but are adjustable.
Tip- remove the masking tape as soon as you can. Don't let it stay on until paint is dry! Doesn't matter if it is just covering something and not meant to separate two colors on one surface. But don't leave it until paint is fully hard or it may be dificult to get it off cleanly. Several just wet coats are better than one thick coat. Catalized finishs all have a window, the time that you can't apply another coat. Read the instructions! Do a test on somethingbefore the main event.
 
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