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MattM

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H-M Lifetime Diamond Member
I am restoring a WW2 vintage Vernon/Sheldon horizontal mill. It appears complete and in working order. No rust just very dirty and clogged with hardened grease and other stuff.

I don't have the skill or equipment to spray paint. I seem to remember reading that a good paint job could be had with Rustoleum and a brush.

Comments?
 
MattM said:
I am restoring a WW2 vintage Vernon/Sheldon horizontal mill. It appears complete and in working order. No rust just very dirty and clogged with hardened grease and other stuff.

I don't have the skill or equipment to spray paint. I seem to remember reading that a good paint job could be had with Rustoleum and a brush.

Comments?
Click to expand...

Most machines I have restored have involved paint and a brush and possibly rattle can paint too. I want them looking as good as I can make them, but not done to the point they look like they belong in a museum. I buy mine to use, not just to look at so a well done careful job with brushes and rattle cans suits my needs just fine. Hardware store enamel is all I ever use too.

If it looks better than it did when you started and suits your needs then you accomplished your objective to me. I hope that helps. BTW: No slight intended to anyone doing more than that. That is just what works for me.
 
Last edited:
MattM said:
I am restoring a WW2 vintage Vernon/Sheldon horizontal mill. It appears complete and in working order. No rust just very dirty and clogged with hardened grease and other stuff.

I don't have the skill or equipment to spray paint. I seem to remember reading that a good paint job could be had with Rustoleum and a brush.

Comments?
Click to expand...

I used to spray paint weldments in the frist shop I worked in. If you use spray cans keep a paint brush handy in case the paint trys to run. Most of the equipment I have used the paint looked like it was brushed on.
 
I had very good luck with a good foam roller and Valspar paint. Just another option for you.
 
I've been doing my Heavy 10 with RustOleum Professional High Performance Protective Enamel, Smoke Grey color. Use a good brush. It doesn't have to be top-line but definitely don't use a cheap $1 brush because the bristles will come out and you'll be pulling them off your paint job and you'll be :angry: you went cheap. I've been using $5 brushes which is midline and have been happy. The paint flows nicely and fills itself in well so no stroke/bristle marks will be left. I've been doing 2 coats, but 3 coats on the parts that get handled more like the compound, etc...
 
I have to agree with all of the above. I have done the full on mask and spay with high dollar paint and the brush job with the Ace Hardware brand. There's no arguing that on the sheet metal parts the spray job looks a lot better, but if you use rustoleum with a good brush and put it on heavy enough to let it flow out, it looks pretty nice. I would really rather not even paint the equipment I buy, but most of it has such gaudy colors with half the paint peeling off that I really have no choice. The funny thing is that the machines that I keep are the ones that I never seem to get around to painting.

Chuck
 
I use either a rust inhibitor Enamel or good old Tremclad grey for all my painting needs lol. While Tremclad takes a long time to dry, once its really dry its pretty hefty stuff and hard to mark up. Seems after it has set for a week or so it stands up to just about anything I throw at it (which on a bad day could be a tool LOL)
 
Thanks for all the advice. I've been experimenting on a few small parts using the Rustoleum Smoke Gray on bare metal with a foam brush (two coats). Seems to be OK.

What's the take on foam brushes and no primer? Maybe better to go with primer and one coat?
 
The foam brushes work fine for most surfaces. I find a small artist's brush is easier to control when painting small parts or painting around machined surfaces that I don't want paint on. No masking required.

I would recommend you use Rustoleum primer on bare metal. Even then you will need at least two coats and sometimes more.

Steve
 
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