Quality refinishing of old rusted metal

[Bearskinner]

Been welding up some implement parts, old steel wheels and other metal items for yard art. The local tractor supply company sells Van Sickle paint and supplys. It is a high quality paint, and when added to their self etching primer, and used with their poly hardner , creates a great long lasting outdoor painted surface.

 

[dstig1]

I've used the Van Sickle Kubota orange, and I was unimpressed. It is just generic enamel. If you add the hardener is does improve the durability but it is still far better to go to a dealer and get the Kubota orange there. What they sell is an acrylic and it covers far better and is much more durable than enamel. If you want REALLY good paint then you start getting into the urethanes but they are not found in normal stores and are complicated to handle and use.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I used the Van Sickle red and black on my disk about 9 years ago and it is still in good shape. I just used it straight out of the can without a hardener. It took about a week to dry to a non-tacky finish but it was cool weather in the fall. I brushed it on and it smoothed out nicely. I for sure am not a painter, I am a welder so anything that covers the metal and doesnt rust is good paint.
I did QC on a paint job using Dupont 26P epoxy one time and it was really good for easy prep. It didnt require any, just wipe off the lumps of dirt and grease and roll, brush or spray it on. It was warranted for 10 years in salt water contact. It would chalk in direct sunlight after a few years just like any other epoxy but with little to no prep, it was cost effective to use on a construction project in Buffalo New York. Painters only needed to carry a rag and hand scraper for prep. It was impossible to remove when hardened without using a grinder or sandblaster.
The cost per gallon was really high though at over $100 per gallon in 1988. I dont know if they still make it.

 

[Bearskinner]

Cost is a major factor here also.the paint is $27. Per gallon. Poly hardner is the most expensive part. Of course powder coating is better, but most times not an available process. I have things that sit in the yard ( for years of sun to snow) and still look great. Anything that goes into the dirt, gets stripped of paint, or powder coat within a minute.its nice to remove an implement clean it paint it and put it up till next year.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Powder coat seems to work ok till it gets a tiny chip, then the oxidation gets under it and soon you can peel off several square inches of the paint. I like the old fashioned spray on enamel or acrylic but they require a good sandblasted profile and grease free to work well, something that no company is willing to do nowdays.

 

[California]

I like the old fashioned spray on enamel or acrylic but they require a good sandblasted profile and grease free to work well, something that no company is willing to do nowdays.

Housepainters wash down kitchen walls with Trisodium Phosphate to get off grease and etch a little 'tooth' to the surface. i wonder how that would work to prep for painting tractor implements.

 

[Bearskinner]

You can use a quality etching primer, and it holds on to paint well. Biggest problem I have is running implements thru the dirt and gravel, it removes everything. It does a good job polishing the metal though.

 

[Gary Fowler]

When I was just a tyke, my dad had a 2 disc pan plow. After he ran it for a while it was polished to a mirror shine. If I got just the right distance from it when if was facing the sun it was like a 30" magnifying glass. I could set all kinds of things on fire. Great fun for a 5-6 year old.

 

[Bearskinner]

Not that it matters on heavy equipment, but I always clean, paint and lubricate implements before putting them away for the season. When I hook them up to use next, I know they have been serviced as needed, and are clean and ready to work.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I usually do the same thing. Fall is the time to change all the oil and grease up all the fittings on my mowers so they are ready for spring. I also put on freshly sharpened blades when I am finished for the season.