Prepping and painting SS Parts

[dgale]

So I started in on my Mark V carriage as the first piece I'm going to re-paint...I'm not sure why I started with that piece but there it was in front of me, so I took it apart and today I used a couple of those nylon sanding wheels in my drill to take it down to bare aluminum (the coarse wheel) and then went over it with a finer grit wheel to smooth it out a bit. These are the sanding wheels I'm talking about FWIW:



So I guess my question is, what are the preferred next steps? I have a wide array of fine grit sandpaper, a couple spray cans of self-etching primer (per a recommendation from a previous thread), and a few cans of the SS gray spray paint. Should I do any additional prep work before priming? Preferred way to clean it once I am ready to prime? Do I sand between primer and/or paint coats, and if so, wet or dry sand and what grits and in what sequence? I also have soft and firm buffing wheels for my grinder and aluminum buffing compound available if needed.

Any advice on where to go next would be appreciated. I have countless hours experience painting all things wood in my house but minimal experience prepping and painting metal.

[db5]

I recently did some painting on a 510. From several years of experience on various projects here's what you need to consider:

If it is a work of art you have a lot of steps to complete before you paint. Let me know if that is your purpose and I will offer comments.

If it is for use and to ensure long lasting adherence of the paint but not be showroom perfect then here's what you need to do:

Make sure that the surface is clean, free from rust or corrosion (as much as possible, it doesn't need to be perfect); then either use a tack cloth to clean it or wipe it off with lacquer thinner. Then coat it with a metal primer. After that you need to paint it within 48 hours (not much before and not later). Wipe off with a tack cloth before spraying. Light coats. Light coats. READ the directions. NEVER a heavy coat. You are not in a hurry. Perhaps 24-48 hours between coats in winter depending on the temperature. Three coats should do it. Let it dry for several days before assembling. It will take weeks/months to harden. That doesn't mean you cant touch, assemble or use it. It just means that you can mar the paint if you are not careful. But you will anyway if you use it because the Shopsmith is not something to be just admired but to produce something for you.

Got it?

[dgale]

So is that one coat of primer and two coats of paint, or more than one coat of primer, or when you say 3 coats should do it, do you mean one primer coat and 3 (light) coats of paint? Is lacquer thinner the preferred solvent for cleaning? I'm not sure if I have any but I know I have a can of acetone...just wondering if I go the solvent route how much it matters which I use? I know acetone evaporates quickly and doesn't seem to leave a residue. I have a bunch of tack cloths, so I can go that route but it seems like I want to clean out the passages for the way tubes, carriage lock etc. really well and seems like a solvent rag might make that job easier and more thorough (?)

As far as wanting a work of art...no, I don't want to get too crazy with it but I would look it to look nice (at least initially). I saw lots of discussion in past threads about sanding with progressively finer grit sandpaper, spraying a clear coat etc. I assume these types of steps fall into the "artwork" category? I guess out of curiosity I'd like to know the additional steps one would take to go this route...I doubt I'll go that extreme on my shopsmiths but having watched many an episode of American Restoration, I'd be intrigued to know how one goes about making an old metal item shine like it's brand new on the showroom floor.

[newportcycle]

I dont use spray paint to refinish machine tools, I use brush on oil base enamel. Its self leveling and will provide a very durable finish but, I would look at the particular paint you are going to use regarding recoat times, 48 hours seems a little long to me from memory. When I do spray, I prefer to spray light coats about 20 minutes apart, letting each coat flash then continue with light recoats. I agree completely on letting the paint set up several days or even a week or two before putting into service.

I dont believe you want to coat the areas where "the way tubes go into", I believe those areas and areas where the floating tables go into the castings should not be coated.

The tack cloths are fine, if you have acetone, it will work well, just read the label and follow the directions. During my career Ive been in charge of several industrial painting projects, one of which was a complete ship recoating, our rule of thumb to the new folks was, if you can drop your lunch on the floor, pick it up and eat it, its clean enough to paint. Keep that in mind and your paint job will be fine.

As for the sanding and recoating, yes thats what is done to achieve a very fine finish and usually not applied to working tools, usually cars, motorcycles, or furniture.

Good luck and post a few pictures.

[dgale]

Any thoughts on how to best mask off the way tube and carriage lock holes before painting?

[dusty]

Any thoughts on how to best mask off the way tube and carriage lock holes before painting?

Using my belt sander, I created wooden plugs that were slightly tapered. I then installed those in any hole that I did not want painted. This approach required I think three different size plugs.

[dgale]

I guess I should have looked into this before I tore my machine all apart I also wish I had saved my old way tubes when I replaced them with clean, used ones last summer...I could have mounted parts back on them for painting. Alas, I gave them to a friend who had some kind of plans for them. Maybe I can check my local (fairly well stocked) hardware store and see if they happen to have some rubber stoppers or something similar that might fit in some of the holes. There's also a marine supply store down on Eureka...seems like they might have some similar stuff, although not sure there will be anything large enough.

[beeg]

Use newspaper stuffed into the hole, then masking tape around the end inside edge ought to do it.

[JPG]

Use newspaper stuffed into the hole, then masking tape around the end inside edge ought to do it.

Yep, but tape first, stuff last(from the inside).

[ljhhontx]

I haven't checked them for size but I have used dixie cups to block holes when painting equipment for years, there are several sizes available, or the cone cups which will fit anything under 3 inches