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Acrylic Machinery Paint?

Jeff_G

Hot Rolled
Joined
Aug 25, 2004
Location
Granite, MD USA
Its becoming expensive to buy alkyd ("oil") paints in my area, and the color choices are limited. Everything I'm hearing suggests that solvent-based paints may be completely unavailable in a few years, or at least may be restricted to industrial application processes where the VOCs can be controlled.

Anyone have any recent experience with acrylic paints on machinery?
 
Jeff G,

I've been using acrylic based enamels for a couple of years. I use PPG Pitt Tech Plus with varying results.

Preparation is crucial, more crucial than oil or solvent paints. Do not use hydrocarbon base cleaners on your project or the paint will come off in sheets.

If properly applied the coating will have excellent adhesion.

I have not found a way to get high gloss from this product tho I am experimenting regularly and am looking at other brands of coatings.

I have painted my hydraulic punch press with this and it has been holding up very well. I have painted all my racks and with it as well.

Acrylic enamel is very thick and you may be tempted to thin it with water. I have had poor results with thinning even at the manufacturers recommended ratios and prefer to modify the spray gun so I can spray it unthinned. I have gone to pressurizing the cup on a gravity feed Fuji HVLP turbine system.

Soap and water for cleaning the gun is an added benefit.

Good luck and please report back.


Chuck
Burbank, CA
 
I used it on my last machine restoration and found that oils and coolants stain it badly.Sherwin Williams industrial brand.Don't remember why I used it as oil base enamel is plentiful in this area.
 
Painted my new zinc steel shed door with acrylic exterior paint, there must have been oil residues as it peels off in huge sheets after drying.

If "zinc steel" means galvanized the problem was likely the primer, most metal primers are NOT rated for use on galvanized metal. Read the label carefully as I found the guys at the paint store didn't know which one can be used.

Steve.
 
So for painting machinery to as close to factory spec as possible, what is the best type of paint? What did / machinery manufacturers use?
 
One of our guys ordered up some water based acrylic paint for metal buildings to repaint a machine we were repairing. We went ahead and used it because of time constraints and haven't had any complaints. But we normally use the industrial alkyd enamel which has been running $40 a gallon, $80 for a color matched gallon.
 
With the new VOC rules in the last few years.
Who makes a fast drying enamel? We use to get
one that dryed in 30 minutes, now it takes hours.
Not good for our needs.
 
I don't know of anyone who makes a fast drying enamel unless it's automotive type paint,I use Japan Dryer to cut drying time on oil based enamels.It's much quicker than without but still takes time.When it does dry,if used correctly, the paint turns out hard as nails.
 
We used to use Martin Senour fast dry alkyd enamel but the local supplier was bought out and changed to repcolit which was crap. Now we use PPG industrial alkyd enamel which dries to the touch in half an hour but you still need to be careful handling it for a few hours.
 
Unless you guys are going to be judged for usinging the original paint why use 100 year old technology as far as paint goes.

Sherwin Williams Polane High Solids is the best paint you can get. After sandblasting, filling and priming nothing will stand up to coolant and oil any better.

Find the local sherwin Williams industrial store in your area and they can custom mix any color you want.
 
We tried the local Sherwin williams store and they did not sell industrial paint thats how our guy ended up buying water based steel building paint. We have had great success with with Alkyd enamel, what makes the Polane high solids better?
 
Paint on machine tools is subjected to many chemicals, including those in cutting fluids and used for cleaning machines, and hot chips. Finding a paint that will hold up to that environment is difficult before you add in environmental restrictions.

http://cimcool.com/newpaint.pdf
"Many years ago, machine tools were coated with lacquer or enamel-type paints that were susceptible to attack by certain chemicals used in cutting fluids." Most machine tool manufacturers now use the more resistant acrylic, epoxy, and polyurethane coating"

CRC handbook of lubrication says something similar regarding machine tools manufactured after WWII.
http://books.google.com/books?id=HbmRTYPdeoAC&pg=PA365

At least acrylic is listed as cutting fluid resistant, in those two sources. But whether it is a special variety they didn't say. Old fashioned acrylics seem to be susceptible to toluene and acetone and, when fresh, alcohol. Acrylic lacquer paints are organic solvent based. There are acrylic enamels, acrylic/melamine, acrylic/epoxy, and acrylic latex formulations.

An old thread here on paint:
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/sitemap/index.php/index.php/paint-advise-machinery-t72430.html

Forrest Addy has made some comments about nothing holding up to chips, such as this one:
http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/archive/index.php/t-13489.html
"I use SW industrial coatings for machine tools. Paint where the chips rub and wrenches clatter is strictly temporary. If a neat tidy shop in important to you then an easily touched up paint is the way to go, preferably in a standard, easy to match color."

One difference with regard to VOCs between manufacturers and end users may be than manufacturers need very fast drying/curing time.

There is some mention of acrylic industrial coatings here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=ri6FkY2xvgcC&pg=PA49
 
I have used acrylic floor paint to paint a lathe and milling machine in the past and found it to be extremely tough and durable and resistent to soluble and mineral oil and its quite cheap to buy.
MBB
 
We tried the local Sherwin williams store and they did not sell industrial paint thats how our guy ended up buying water based steel building paint. We have had great success with with Alkyd enamel, what makes the Polane high solids better?

To be honest I really do not know what is in them to make them better. All I know is all of the machines we rebuild we blast to the castings and use the sherwin williams product and as long as the surface has been prepped properly we have has no issues with it peeling off or being affected by coolant or oil.

I have heard stories of shops that repainted their grinders with cheap paint and after the coolant started to contact it the paint just peeled off.

Here is an exaple of a machine that has been in service for approx 10 years. Painted with sherwin williams polane. This machine sees 2 shifts of use 5 days a week. Scroll down to the picture of the mattison grinder. Sorry, I have not figured out how to post pictures here yet.

http://www.knifemaker.com/113_kfacility.html
 
another country

I have been using PPG paint products for about 20 years.....I like their products, and they were very helpful..when they come out with the urethane's, and the various other processes's they held a traing session in their factory facility that is free of charge for consumer's....

Which brings me to the current topic....another country....my supplier just told me that in 2012 I will not be able to buy any of the components to use the paint I am currently using...JUST LIKE IT IS IN THAT OTHER COUNTRY..CALIFORNIA.....yes, right now you can not use any of the paints that you use in the other 49 states..... bleeding heart liberals..they are truly destroying our country...just another step towards the united nations agenda....

before I go off on a tangent....I have tried other paints by other company's ...ie Sherwin-Williams....they gave me some water bourne paint to try painting industrial equipment ( forklifts ) it goes on nice and cleans up nice.....very little shine and not very durable....the sun fades it quite quickly...so I guess we are destined to end up back to the history books of being under soviet rule,,,,,, pretty soon I will need "papers" to travel from state to state.....

and the sheep go on sleeping !

good luck america

Mick Martin
 
We tried the local Sherwin williams store and they did not sell industrial paint

There are two types of Sherwin-Williams stores: the retail stores, which are meant for consumers, and the Sherwin-Williams Industrial stores, which are meant for professional painters.

Polane is sold only at the Sherwin-Williams Industrial stores. If you walk in a Sherwin-Williams and soccer moms are looking at paint chips, you're in the wrong place :)
 








 
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