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

I know it's all a matter of cost & how much time and effort vs quality you want to achieve, but I've used cheap rustolium enamel (pint or quart cans, not rattle spray cans) and a cheap Harbor Freight spray gun with excellent results. A few tips...

-Dismantle, clean, tape, wipe down with acetone all your parts. Just like with any other paint job. The better the prep, the better the final finish and longevity.
-Prime with rustolium primer 2 light coats should be fine. The primer will dry faster than the enamel. You can use the rattle cans to prime, or buy a pint (or larger) and thin and prime for best results.
-Thin both paint (and primer) with 1 to 4 or 1 to 3 parts acetone. (I prefer 2 parts paint to 1 part acetone). It's thinned more than they say on the can, but it works great believe me. Without thinning it takes forever to dry. Days or a week or more depending on the temps. Paint it in the winter and weeks to dry thoroughly. You can use naptha for good results also, but I've been happiest with dry time, quality and hardness using acetone.
-Buy a cheapo harbor Freight HVLP gun to spray it with. They are about $15 and less with a coupon. They also make disposable paint cups. Toss the disposable paint hopper when you're done and just run/spray a little plain acetone or naptha through the gun to clean. All in all pretty easy cleanup.
- Spray 2-3 thin coats vs one heavy coat unless you're in a dusty area. let it dry a day or two before you reassemble. Use light coats. Let the previous coat tack well before spraying on the next. I waited and hour or more between coats. Put the last coat on a bit heavier. Remember its thin (like water) so spray carefully (good gun control) and don't over do it to avoid runs. It will dry to touch by overnight depending on you mix/thin and how heavy you coat, but let things harden well to avoid marring the new paint job during assembly. A day or two may be fine, but the longer you give it the tougher it will be. Once again it just depends on your thinning ratio and outside temps/humidity.

The cheap harbor Freight HVLP spray guns are one of the better HF products for the money. (I think the current model is anodized purple). I've used some pretty good (and expensive) guns over the years and I was impressed the first time I tried one especially considering the cost. Definitely good enough for farm and machinery spray jobs. Do a little searching on the web for spraying rustolium. Lots of info and videos out there. There are folks who have painted cars with rustolium (really!) and with some pretty amazing results.
 
It has been a long time since I've taken the time to paint a machine, I'm afraid that if I took it apart it may never go back together. On the other hand, I do like some of the excellent tear-down, clean, repair and paint jobs that many have posted.
Pittsburgh Paints used to sell Industrial Enamel, it brushed on beautifully and provided a hard, solvent resistant surface.
Use a good natural bristle brush like a Purdy. I like the sash style brush.
 
In the olden days, I was told that repainting a machine reduced its value. People seem to want original. I worked for a company some years back. The boss wanted to paint all the production machines. He decided to let the operators choose the color they wanted. It looked like a carnival. Once they are painted, they stay that way!

Bill
 
I believe camping fuel might be kerosene, which is a light oil/solvent. I don't think it's a degreaser, but it's one helluva good cleaner!
Camping fuel is naphtha, also called "white gas" in the before-time. It MIGHT have a very small amount of light oil in it, but I have evaporated the Coleman product on paper and not noticed any stain-It's about the same price as acetone so take your pick. Acetone can sometimes have a small amount of water in it, IIRC.
MS
 
Rustoleum colors can be mixed for a "custom" color, and the one time that I used it, I found that a brushed on finish leveled out very well.

My mix was one-half of a pint of blue to a quart of smoke gray. This is a pic before I moved it into my shop:

That's a good looking color for a machine. Paint looks very good.

Mike
 
image.jpg Thanks Mike,

I played with the mix to try to match the original color. It was close, but I probably added a little to much blue. Overall though, I was pleased with the outcome. The rustoleum really leveled out pretty darn well, which is a tribute to the paint, not the painter...



Tony
 
I tried a 4" foam roller on my Burke mill this spring, with rustoleum paint. . The finish turned out substantially better than if Imhad used a brush. Still need a brush for tight corners and various touch up spots.

BTW, Rustoleum chips pretty easily. A bit disappointed with it...
 
Back
Top