What paint would you recommend for a full restoration?

I know someone worked out a color blend that matches the original south bend grey, but I haven't been able to find anything on the forum thus far about it. I have heard good things about the Tractor Supply enamel paint, but are there any other paints people would recommend?

The code you seek is down in this thread, among many others:

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/south-bend-lathes/south-bend-paint-color-update-236397/

I've refinished several lathes with Tractor Supply brand of Alkyd Enamel. I mix the Ford Grey and Black to make various shades of machine grey. It takes forever to cure without a hardener but it's cheap, easy to find and oils wipe off fairly easily once cured.

Here are a few I've done with various shades of TS brand paint:







and a Heavy 10 I am almost finished with.

Domodude17 said:

I know someone worked out a color blend that matches the original south bend grey, but I haven't been able to find anything on the forum thus far about it. I have heard good things about the Tractor Supply enamel paint, but are there any other paints people would recommend?

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Are you going to grind the bed then scrape all gibs and surfaces into proper alignment? How about the spindle bearings? Will you be boring the tailstock for a new oversize quill? Does the half nut need attention? You are not doing any of the that stuff you say? Well then it is not a "restoration" it is a paint job.

If you are near Moscow,Ohio I have 2 gallons of SW Macropoxy in light machine gray...good stuff, a little tricky to get it to lay down but once you have your technique together it looks like porcelain and you don't have to wait a year for it to cure.

moonlight machine said:

Are you going to grind the bed then scrape all gibs and surfaces into proper alignment? How about the spindle bearings? Will you be boring the tailstock for a new oversize quill? Does the half nut need attention? You are not doing any of the that stuff you say? Well then it is not a "restoration" it is a paint job.

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Not in the hobby homeshop world. Take it all apart. Clean it. If something is broken just put it back together because it's too expensive to fix. Slather on some paint. Presto-chango, it's like new.

moonlight machine said:

Are you going to grind the bed then scrape all gibs and surfaces into proper alignment? How about the spindle bearings? Will you be boring the tailstock for a new oversize quill? Does the half nut need attention? You are not doing any of the that stuff you say? Well then it is not a "restoration" it is a paint job.

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I'd love to be able to do all of that, but I know that would only result in one less usable lathe in this world. Maybe some day...

If all you're going to do is paint it, then consider saving the time and trouble and just wipe it clean. I suspect I'm not alone in this but I would not consider buying a used lathe that has a fresh coat of paint. I'd rather look at oiled cast iron than some partially dry water based enamel. All that fresh paint comes off with the first splash of hot cutting fluid anyway.

ewlsey said:

Not in the hobby homeshop world. Take it all apart. Clean it. If something is broken just put it back together because it's too expensive to fix. Slather on some paint. Presto-chango, it's like new.

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Replacing worn and broken parts is a bit different than a regrind and scrape. Spending $4000-$6000 on a regrind and and scrape on a machine that most people paid a $1000, and will have difficultly selling the same machine for $3000+ even with a regrind, well a lot of people will see how well the machine operates first. As not everyone is making parts for Nasa.

Domodude17 said:

I know someone worked out a color blend that matches the original south bend grey, but I haven't been able to find anything on the forum thus far about it. I have heard good things about the Tractor Supply enamel paint, but are there any other paints people would recommend?

Click to expand...

I use tractor supply Massey Ferguson gray. Its a little darker than the original South Bend gray. It has a little more gloss, imo also, not shiney like a mirror, but pleasant in a work place.

I prime first, then paint. I have not used hardener. I usually leave primer and paint both to dry for a day each, however the paint seems to be dry in 4-8 hours. I use a brush so I don't have to deal with over spray, and its kind of relaxing, lol.

The paint seems really resilient to oil or staining from oil. It does not seem to scratch or chip easily from incidental tool contact. I'd imagine only epoxy paint could do better. I'll personally be going with the same stuff on most if not all my machines.

The pics of that color are my lathe, and a rotary grinder I've started. Looking at the pics side by side they look like different shades. But it must be the lighting over each, they look identical in person, I'd say the lathe looks a little lighter in person, while the grinder a little darker in person: