Spray Or Brush Paint A Machine?

Paint from a rattle can often leaves me less than pleased. The best rattle can paint that I have found that goes on thick and smooth is the 2X stuff. It’s not perfect but works…Dave.
 
For spray cans Rustoleum hammertone Does a good job. And is durable. It is a textured paint and hides a lot of stuff.
 
Where I am at on this........for sure use a good quality brush on oil base enamel. Don't be in a hurry...it will flow out and look good, but actually take weeks to cure. Sure you can handle pieces in a day or so, but they will get marked up and scratched easily. As time goes on the paint becomes more durable. I do rattle can a few things it just depends, but the bulk of that machine gets a heavy coat of oil based enamel. My 10k lathe is holding up great after umm some 20 years ago of being painted. When you are done after a day or so, take a razor blade and clean up all the surfaces that weren't meant to be painted. With that said ... someone also said it as well....prep is everything in a paint job

20151116_175856.jpg
 
I've used similar stuff from Valspar.
http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/678390-valspar-aerosol-anti-rust-oil-based-enamel.html
http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/777146-valspar-tractor-and-implement-enamel-spray.html

for small projects I just buy it in spray cans, for larger projects I but a quart and thin it so I can spray it through my hvlp system. like you said, once it's fully cured it's pretty bullet proof.

I used it to paint these benches.
http://www.dans-hobbies.com/2009/06/02/finally-finished-kind-of/

I also like the Valspar enamel from Farm & Fleet. I recently sprayed a Harrison back splash for use behind my South Bend 9A. I used a "Harbor Frought" gravity feed gun at 90 psi & used the paint directly from the package. I got great coverage & just enough orange peel to provide hiding of slight rust pitting after prep. I chose Ford tractor grey for a pleasing off-white finish.
 
I am a tool snob, its either brush or spray a good 2 part epoxy or urethane, I wont even waste my time with a rattle can for a durable finish.....Tim

I have had excellent results with the PPG aquapon 35, its a chemical resistant epoxy that is durable if you get a good primer under it. Tim
 
Another option is to roll with a short foam roller. I bought a gallon of Sher-Kem enamel to paint a Mill Rite mill. I rolled one coat of that paint on and covered 99% of the machine. It took me about 1 hour to do the whole base, cabinet and column. I was impressed; talk about "one-coat coverage". I put on another coat later for good measure. Touching up with a brush took care of the other 1%.

However, I use both spray and brush when I feel like it. Getting inside some surfaces is easiest with a spray can. Brushed and rolled paint is thicker though.
 
I used to spray weldments years ago. I also touched up paint on machines with a brush too. Be sure to follow paint manufacture's instructions on thinning their paint. A body shop painter told me years ago if you spray paint carry a small paint brush so if you see runs they can be brushed out while the paint is wet.

In either case use a lot of ventilation and old clothes or coveralls. Good luck, would like to see photos of your finished project.
 
I am a tool snob, its either brush or spray a good 2 part epoxy or urethane, I wont even waste my time with a rattle can for a durable finish.....Tim

I have had excellent results with the PPG aquapon 35, its a chemical resistant epoxy that is durable if you get a good primer under it. Tim


I never knew one could brush paint a two part paint, going to check that out for sure. Good tip
 
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I never knew one could brush paint a two part paint, going to check that out for sure. Good tip
You can brush catalyzed paints, the only problem is some of them have very short pot life like 20-30 minutes, you could easily spray a coat on a machine in that time but you wouldnt get too far with a brush.
 
I brush painted my walker turner drill rebuild. While it came out ok, I was not pleased for the amount of effort. I used sherwin williams alkyd. For my delta wood lathe restore, I bought a campbel hausfeld hvlp gun kit from walmart and shot it with rustoleum smoke grey. It came out an order of magnitude better, you can see your reflection in it.

I also used the hardener from tractor supply, so it hardened in about a day. For the lathe, I also thinned the pain with acetone so that the paint would flash quicker, allowing a heavier coat without runs. Careful with that stuff, it's poisonous
 
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