Spraying bare metal

[neilgrahamirwin@hotmail.c]

Hi All, I make smallish (about 500mm x 400mm) brackets etc out of mild steel and currrently spray them with aerosol primer then black gloss, i find i need to spray 3 coats of gloss to get a half decent finish, now i know there must be a better way of doing this and have looked at those earlex hvlp paint systems-my questions are....
are these any good
what type of paint, can i use just normal gloss paint or is there a special paint for steels etc?
how much cleaning do they require
does the paint run

I'm not looking for a perfect finish, these aren't works of art but i want decent thick coat of paint with no drips, they are for internal use only so it doesn't need to be really corrosion resistant etc, i'm looking for speed, cheapness (of paint, not so much a cheap sprayer) and i don't want anything toxic-any suggestions
many thanks, neil

 

[neilgrahamirwin@hotmail.c]

Just to reply to my own thread! I think the only benefit i can find with using the aerosols is the lack of cleaning, i might spray say 10 items in 1 go, it might take 10mins, i can then leave it all and come back later and spray again, no cleaning etc. If these hvlp systems need 10 mins of cleaning/setting up every time it just won't be worth it-any thoughts?

 

[neilgrahamirwin@hotmail.c]

one final thing! Do i need to use a primer -i'm sure the proper answer is yes of course, but as i said these things live inside only and the paint parts are never touched (apart from when installing) and it doesn't have to be a perfect job ??
thanks

 

[Chickenjohn]

Get some cheap chassis black alkyd type paint. For indoor use this can be sprayed onto metal without a primer.

 

[neilgrahamirwin@hotmail.c]

Get some cheap chassis black alkyd type paint. For indoor use this can be sprayed onto metal without a primer.

sounds good, where can i get it from and is it toxic or anything? Also do paints like this just spray without thinning?

 

[Chickenjohn]

You can get it from an autofactors or a paint suppliers. Use cheap cellulose thinners with it, 1:1.

 

[paintpot]

you can get hammerite smooth in aerosol black no primer needed.or aerosol radiater paint,But i dont no if you can get it in black.

 

[neilgrahamirwin@hotmail.c]

Thanks for the help with this, i will go down the chassis paint and thinners route i think
just wandering about those hvlp spray guns, are they a ****** to clean or is it just a case of spraying some thinners through them to get rid of all the paint-if i had two of the paint pots, one for paint and one for thinners, could i just keep the paint one topped up and store it with a lid on when not in use, saves emptying it and cleaning it after every use?? and use the one with thinners in to blast through the gun and clean the gun??

 

[Chickenjohn]

I don't know, I have only ever used normal air powered spray guns and sometimes aerosol cans.

 

[chunkolini]

Try using Plasticoat gloss.

I did the forks on my push bike with this about 8 years back, they still look good and no primer or rubbing down. It gives a good thick coat and does not run if you are careful. Much better than smoothrite.

Chunko'.

 

[Windy Miller]

Try using Plasticoat gloss.

I did the forks on my push bike with this about 8 years back, they still look good and no primer or rubbing down. It gives a good thick coat and does not run if you are careful. Much better than smoothrite.

Chunko'.

Yep I'm with Chunko here!

Bloody brilliant stuff that Plasticoat! - sometimes (most times!) I wish I could get that finish with a spray gun!

 

[medlar]

High Volume Low Pressure guns are no different to any other type of spray gun mate, they gotta be cleaned out before the paint starts to dry and clog the jets and dry out the fibre packing washers.