Paint...For a rookie

[DeHart16 37]

Restoring my 854 and obsessing over the paint job that I have yet to undertake. I know the forum has a lot of info regarding this topic but I still have some questions.

 

I used the search function to come up with instruction on painting my engine which I did with high temp primer, followed by duplicolor engine paint in ford red.

 

As I get ready to paint all tins, frame and wheels all the online info is over whelming me. My tractor will be a worker, but I do want it to look good and not chip or peel. I have access to a spray gun if needed, but I have never used one.

 

So far all I have wire wheel'd is my transmission, the rest of the tractor has traces of old paint and light surface rust....and previous owner primed the seat. Should I continue to wire wheel each and every part? Or clean and go over older paint?

 

Once I make that decision, what PRIMER?? I'd like to make things easy and use rustoleum auto primer from home depot if possible...Or should I really be purchasing an epoxy primer from a company like eastwood?

 

Lastly, I guess the primer I use will determine paint? I dont want to be waiting a month for my tractor to cure. I see that eastwood sells a one stage paint, but the rustoleum regal red also looks damn good to me and easier to apply....

 

Greatly appreciate any help, and the help I have already gotten from this awesome forum. This tractor has become an addiction for me.

 

Doug

[WHX?? 46,633]

28 minutes ago, DeHart16 said:

This tractor has become an addiction for me.

Welcome to our world!!!

 

Is the tractor in pieces or are you going to paint assembled is an important question? I woudn't think you have to get all the old paint off unless your after a trailer queen. Wire  brush it good  to get all the old loose flaky  paint off and most important all old grease & oil.  Wipe parts down with mineral sprits.

Lots of guys here use the regular Rustolem self etching primer in a rattle can. Again I wouldn't use anything fancier for a worker. Regal Red will work just fine. Paint just before bedtime beacause if your like the rest of us you will want to fiddle with it before it's dry. Regal does take a full 24 hrs to dry. Warmer temps in the shop help cure time. The only problem I have with Regal is it seems to chip easily...for me anyway.

A gun will give you the best results but if your a HVLP rookie like me its best to practice on something first.

 

Others will be along shortly who are pros at paint so listen to them before me!!! A nice 854 or any horse for that matter does deserve good paint.

Edited March 9, 2016 by WHX6

[DeHart16 37]

Thanks Jim, that was just the type of advice I was looking for...This wont be a trailer queen by any means. I think I get looking at all the amazing restoration jobs on here and forget this tractor will be doing serious work for me hopefully this spring when I get her back together...

[WHX?? 46,633]

Agreed some of the paint you see here is truly show automotive quality with clearcoats. Probaly done by the pros in a very expensive paint booth! I do see some nice paint on machines at the tractor shows tho that are done right out in a the garage so it can be done!

[rmaynard 14,851]

My advice is to completely disassemble everything, sandblast to bare metal, prime with etching primer, followed by a good leveling primer. Then paint with whatever you decide is your top coat. I have given up on epoxy primers because they are just to danged hard to sand, and alkyd enamels because they take too danged long to cure. Whether you use an HVLP sprayer, or rattle cans, the end result is sure to be much better than what you have now. If you take a look at any of my tractors, they have all been painted with acrylic urethane or acrylic enamel, with an HVLP spray gun, in my driveway.

 

Now, here is my safety rant. No matter what you use to paint, use the recommended breathing protection. Long term medical problems will occur if you breathe paint. If you can smell it, you are breathing it. COPD is no laughing matter. 

[DeHart16 37]

Well I don't have a sandblaster, and the only local place I could find wants to charge $125 an hour.

 

so I am hoping rustoleum sprayed on to cleaned metal will do the job. 

[Wheelin'theSky 57]

Best result if you do remove all the paint, but you said you plan to use this as a worker...sorry, you are gonna get some imperfections/chips eventually.

I'm with WHX61/X, you don't really need to go down to ALL bare metal if you get rid of the loose stuff. Then, if you are pleased with the look from a rattle can (which you can get very good results if you are patient and apply the paint slowly in a few coats) you can do touch ups in case you scrape something in the field.

It's totally up to you.

I am jealous of some of the incredible automotive quality resto's on this forum but there are some fantastic workers out there with flaws, but I find those just as nice.

[RedRanger 1,468]

Based on a modest budget and a worker, I'd use Rustoleum Regal Red with a self etching primer underneath.

A good wire wheel or sanding disc on a drill will work wonders.  Harbor Freight has some cheap sanding equipment for this use.

Buy a sanding pad that fits the chuck of a drill and buy the replaceable sanding discs for it.

Use 80 grit to remove the old paint and then use a 220 to smooth the metal.

No need to remove all paint if it is bonded well and there is no rust under it.

Rattle can spray is fine for your expectations.

Degrease and wash the tractor before you begin sanding.  If the tractor is greasy or oily, you will grind the oil into your old paint and or metal and you will have a nightmare when your new paint begins to fish eye and bubble.

 

One thing to consider though, high heat paint does not have the same resistance to fading as regular spray enamel.  It will fade and become chalky if it sees a lot of daylight.  

I'm not sure a cast iron block or tins would ever get hot enough to need engine paint.  I'd paint the engine with the Regal Red as well.  Paint it right over the engine enamel.

 

Post some pictures as you go.  The project doesn't need to be high dollar to gain interest here.

Some of the lower budget builds are the best.

 

Just realized you're working on a 854.  Even better.  Great round nose.

Let's see it!

 

I've got a 702 that is now a 852.

Edited March 9, 2016 by RedRanger

[N3PUY 1,031]

First is clean, clean, clean.   Clean, sand, and clean again.   One or two coats of primer .... very thin coats.  Then a very thin coat of Regal Red,  and maybe another,  followed by a heavier coat (thick enough to shine but not thick enough to run or sag).   Always spray the hard to get at places like corners and edges first.   Read the instructions on the can for "recoat" times.  (primer, 20min, primer, 20min, paint, 20min, paint)   If you wait too long between coats it will wrinkle and you'll be back to square one.  Now if it's a horizontal panel like a hood make sure you keep a fan on it.  This is to move the evaporating solvents away from the panel.  This actually applies to all pieces.   If you don't it could be back to square one all over again!  Paint won't dry below 60 degrees.  Do the little stuff for practice..    I use an old clothes rack and mechanics wire to hang stuff.  That way all sides can be painted at once.  Too much time is wasted painting on cardboard.  Use the Rustoleum primer from WalMart.  The paint will take over-night to dry.   For the little stuff that I want to assemble rightaway I'll use the WalMart $1.50 stuff.   The black or white paint is $.97.  And you can't tell the difference!  Good luck.

[Phatboy 565]

I use self etching primer with the wheel horse toro rattle can paint i buy it at my kubota Wheel Horse shop,, there are 2 different ones ,, you need the wheel horse paint called "New Red" it is a very durable good paint in my opinion,, comes out noce and shinny and if doing parch painting like ya habe some peal off it matches the original paint , minus the sun fading,, i habe done that in the past done a little patching and it works out well..

[can whlvr 991]

I know it can be daunting,i like tremclad paint,dont know if  its in the states or not,i add a bit of hardener and its a bit slow but gives easy results ans holds up just fine for a working garden tractor,for 25 bucks worth of paint it works for me,heres a pic of it,regal red and a cheap spray gun

[DeHart16 37]

I've painted some small engine parts and had them sitting in my home to dry, temp easily over 60 degrees for about a week...the paint chips with my finger nail. I used rustoleum self etch primer followed with rustoleum regal red.....any ideas????

[Cole J. 71]

I have herd that regal red chips easily, I think someone mentioned that in here maybe I seen it somewhere else

 

I will learn from what you do so I get the best non chipping paint possible, today I seen rustoleum professional "industrial" grade paint (Rattle can), i dont think it match quite right but at this point looking for the closest paint is putting me behind.

[RedRanger 1,468]

Yes, rattle can paint will chip easily.

Next step up is buy Rustoleum by the quart and mix in the proper amount of hardner and maybe reducer and spray with a gun or buy a small Preval system.

Preval works great for small jobs.  Anything you would spray with a rattle can... can be sprayed with a Preval.

Lowes carries Preval in the paint section.  http://store.preval.com/collections/preval-sprayer/products/preval-sprayer?gclid=CND20fux3csCFdgKgQodrkcOJg

 

Next better and more expensive method would be working with automotive paints.

Edited March 26, 2016 by RedRanger

[953 nut 51,388]

Since you have a spray gun I would recommend going with the IH Red oil based enamel with reducer and hardener from  Agri Supply.

http://www.agrisupply.com/tractor-paint-international-harvester-red/p/20066/

http://www.agrisupply.com/reducer-for-majic-paint/p/57796/

http://www.agrisupply.com/catalyst-hardner-majic-paint/p/34536/

I have had good results with this combination and if you practice a bit before shooting the  you will find that it dries rapidly and delivers a good durable glossy finish. You will want to have some Lacquer Thinner on hand to clean the spray gun when you are done.

 

As stated before, preparation is a big factor on the outcome. Don't skimp on cleaning and don't use cheap primer or your top coat will fail.

[Achto 26,445]

VanSickle makes an automotive grade single stage acrylic enamel that is reasonably priced. I used their IH red on my 1076 and have been very happy with the results. One thing I really liked was being able to spray paint over the primer after a 30min waiting period, without having to sand the primer. This greatly reduced time on all the rough and small parts. On the sheet metal parts I waited for the primer to dry, then wet sanded with 400grit before painting for a smoother finish. 

No matter which brand of paint you choose use their hardener, if it is available and follow the instructions they offer. I made the mistake of spaying one brand of paint over primer that was flashed off and had the misfortune of the primer not fully drying under the paint. Hard lesson learned!

Other than that, as stated above clean is key. To know how long to wait in between coats of paint. A good rule of thumb is, pick a spot that won't be seen after assembly and touch it with your finger. If paint sticks to your finger, it's not ready for the next coat. If the paint feels sticky, like tape but does not transfer color to your finger it's ready for another coat.

Best of luck with you project

 

 

Edited March 26, 2016 by achto

[dells68 7,494]

If down to bare metal, always use a good etching primer.  I built a vw thing.  Started stripping a small section at a time with a paint removal wheel.  When I quit for the day, I shot 2 or 3 light coats of etching primer on.  Never an rust where I primed, but sure as I missed a spot - flash rust!  All of this left in the weather until I was done stripping and could move inside.  Stuff works really well at helping stop rust for the future.