To paint, or not to paint

[thekevin 14]

I just picked this up and I after I power washed it I can't decide if I should paint it or clear coat it the way it is.  I have a few days waiting on electrical and fuel parts for it so I need to decide.

 

 

 

Edited yesterday at 05:09 AM by thekevin

[kpinnc 15,325]

Your pictures didn't load. 

[thekevin 14]

I think I fixed them

[kpinnc 15,325]

Yes you did. 

 

I'm the worst for always painting my tractors- with varying degrees of success. 

 

But if I was gonna go with the patina look, I'd probably just paint the wheels and leave the rest as is. So long as you can protect from rusting more...

[Racinbob 12,165]

Looks great. What did you use?

[ebinmaine 74,161]

In short... don't paint.. yet.  

 

If you really can't decide,  wait a year.  

 

Several points to consider: 

 

It's only original ONCE. It isn't like these are super valuable vehicles or pieces of great art but they ARE a part of our history. 

 

Here in our Herd we have both fully restored and original "work clothes" tractors. 

 

For a looooonng time I've been a "fresh paint" person. So has my S/O Trina. Over the years we've done half a dozen full frame off restorations and several mechanical only builds where we painted only what was necessary. 

 

We've both come around to appreciate both types.  

 

TIME is going to be a HUGE consideration for you. In order to properly paint a whole tractor you'll need to partially disassemble. Even a "quick repaint" takes many hours to accomplish properly. 

 

"Patina" is rust. Period. Rust needs to be stopped. You're already headed the right direction there.

 

We were pleasantly surprised to see how much positive difference wet sanding alone makes.

 

DO wet sand it now. 

 

That'll be another positive step because it needs to be done either way.  

The top coat is your option. At the recommendation of the folks here on Redsquare we've tried Flood Penetrol. Excellent results. 

 

 

 

IMHO..... wait a year.  Let your mind wrap around what you're desires are for the tractor and the amount of work it takes. 

 

Maybe you'll get totally enamored with the "work clothes" look. Maybe you'll be completely sick of it by then...

 

[SylvanLakeWH 29,167]

[953 nut 61,650]

We all like fresh RED paint,  but we LOVE an honest patina original paint .  In my opinion a clear-coat demises the beauty of patina, just use some WD-40 and fine steel wool to remove oxidation and knock down the rust a bit while celebrating the experiences your Raider has had.

[peter lena 9,396]

@thekevin  personally like the original patina look  on the older units, always bring back what's  there , like penetrating oil first  , for a days long  soak in , then a mineral oil rub down , clean oiled cloth . have a multi stage  recovery  used on all my stuff , most important is , don't  rush it , you can easily try a spot / area  for effect . regularly  maintain my paint  , with lubrication . pete

[Lee1977 7,349]

Rust don't take a day off around here. Can't remember the last measurable rain, maybe three week ago.  Got a fine mist some time last Sunday, noticed a little moisture on the north side windows.

Just checked the Humidity meter 56% and climbing.  If it less the 1/2" thick and you want to keep it around we paint it. Can't say it helps much but I paint it. The only tractor I haven't painted was my 520-H

95% of the original paint was still there. I did treat the rusted spots and patch paint thoes. I even sanded and painted the inside of the wheel covers.

[thekevin 14]

6 hours ago, Racinbob said:

Looks great. What did you use?

scotchbrite pad and some purple power.  It’s wet in the second pic.

[Ed Kennell 42,804]

Looks great as is.  Don't cover that beauty with paint.  Maybe a massage with light oil.

[Handy Don 14,493]

2 hours ago, thekevin said:

scotchbrite pad and some purple power.  It’s wet in the second pic.

Even I, a “paint first and ask questions later” guy, think that one looks good in its work clothes. 

[1968Commando 170]

13 hours ago, thekevin said:

I just picked this up and I after I power washed it I can't decide if I should paint it or clear coat it the way it is.  I have a few days waiting on electrical and fuel parts for it so I need to decide.

 

 

 

I’d honestly just keep it EXACTLY how it is I think it looks cool 

[JoeM 8,690]

I say leave it and wiper her down some kind of shine juice.

[ACman 7,672]

I’d just do a Comet/Ajax wash or use 0000 SOS pads then just whatever shine juice you want to protect the that beautiful patina . There’s also satin protectants offered by different companies that are made if you don’t want the shiny look . Here’s a good video of such company and he explains how everything works together . WWW.SWEETPATINA.COM
CODE:  COTTENCANDY for a discount .