How much paint do I need?

[donpol]

I have a '55 greenie I am restoring. I've got it stripped to bare metal and I'm getting ready to paint. Not sure what color I'll go with, but I've been thinking of ordering the green from Shopsmith. I'm not sure how much I would need. I thought some of the guys here who've repainted machines could give me an idea of how much paint is needed. I'll be painting the headstock, mounts, legs, miter gauge, etc. No special purpose tools though, just the Mark V.

[dgale]

I ordered three cans from SS to paint a similar amount of items on my M5 - so far I've only painted the carriage (2 coats self-etching primer and 2 coats SS gray) and there is plenty left in the first can. The legs will require the most and I'm not 100% sure 3 cans will do it all but I think so...I knew I was going to be painting things piece meal and not all at once, so I wasn't too concerned about not having enough, as I figured I'd be placing more orders with SS by the time I would figure out if I needed more. If I was placing an order all at once and wanted to be safe, I'd probably order 4 cans...seems like that should cover everything and still have some left for touch ups down the road.

[trainguytom]

I've been using Rustoleum #7219 Verde Green hammered enamel. It's pretty much a dead on match & the hammered look looks, to me, better than just regular green metallic.
I get it at Menards for somewhere around 7-8 bucks a can. You can probably see it on their website. I've also seen it at Ace Hardware. As to the amount, I'd use a gray primer on the legs first. Any metal primer will work...doesn't need to be Rustoleum.
Use an aluminum primer on the aluminum parts. Clean them good with an acid wash first, if you can. As to color, probably 3-4 cans I think.
I haven't found a good color match for the lighter headstock color.

[nil]

Paint? If it is stripped down, don't miss an opportunity to chrome plate the whole thing and skip the paint completely.

I am not serious, but it would be quite a sight if someone did do that.

[JPG]

Paint? If it is stripped down, don't miss an opportunity to chrome plate the whole thing and skip the paint completely.

I am not serious, but it would be quite a sight if someone did do that.

MickyD's polished aluminum comes close!;)

[terrydowning]

I used 6 cans when I painted my '55 4 black and 2 silver. that was for 2 coats. I did have some left over. in each color.

[allsas]

On Goldies.... I was using 1 can Hammered Copper and 1 can Hammered Gold.

But I had to paint the inside of the legs Hammered Copper. That's stretching the paint a little too far. Who sees the inside of the legs besides Tom, the cat?

[fjimp]

Recently we were at a local Ace hardware shopping for paint for our bathroom. Another customer was in front of us and giving the clerk a rough time. The customers last question was, "Okay just how much paint do I need for this project?" The clerk responded, "Just enough to cover all surfaces!" I was forced to walk away while stifling my laugh. Jim

[dgale]

Recently we were at a local Ace hardware shopping for paint for our bathroom. Another customer was in front of us and giving the clerk a rough time. The customers last question was, "Okay just how much paint do I need for this project?" The clerk responded, "Just enough to cover all surfaces!" I was forced to walk away while stifling my laugh. Jim

I'm not sure I would have been able to stifle my laugh...or felt the need to do so...it might have helped this person realize what an ass they were being

[dgale]

I finally got around to painting one of my 10E's this past weekend and thought the results were pertinent to this thread. First off, I quickly realized how much easier it is to paint an all cast iron 10E than it is the steel and aluminum on my MV. Working with the rough surface of the cast iron reminded me of how easy it is to finish a sheetrock job with texturing vs a smooth finish.

The original paint was still all intact, just dirty. After disassembly and a thorough cleaning that only took maybe 1.5 hours, I put things out in the sun to dry for about an hour and I was able to start in painting. Most of the parts covered easily with one coat but I went ahead and did two. I was able to paint all of the cast iron parts and the motor with a single can of SS Gray paint. Everything looks great and now I'm in the middle of assembling it as a wall-mounted drill press. Disecting and reassembling a 10E reminds me how stury and simple they are - it will outlast my grandkids' grandkids.