Im restoring my south bend 9.I've got alot of it nroken down but there are alot of stops where the metal rubs and I'm looking for tips on masking it off.I see alot of restorations and some seem to get a perfect line around those parts.like the hand wheels.the spokes get painted but the outer rim doesn't and I want that line tight and uniform.I've had a few I deal #1 just be super careful and use a small brush,#2 use painters tape,I was toying with the idea of copying the stops I don't want pant on with a grease and then spraying over it,once dry I could wipe off grease.could be genius could be a disaster.any input appreciated.
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Painting south bend 9 tips and tricks
- Thread starter Jbonez
- Start date
- Replies 15
- Views 6,331
Whatever you do, do not use grease. You cannot control the placement of greece, any better than you can control the placement of the paint. And the grease can migrate into the paint. Use good quality painters tape. Use a sharp knife to cut away the excess tape, to ensure a clean line. Do not use a spray can or a spray gun. Although a spray gun can work, normally it leaves a thin coat of paint. You need a thick coat for good resistance to chemicals and hot chips. Use a brush. And take your time. And work in a well ventilated area. I recommend a good machine grade enamel with the hardener. Available from the local tractor supply dealer.
stay safe and have fun.
Joe.
stay safe and have fun.
Joe.
thomasutley
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2014
- Location
- Oro Valley
The best tips I've run across for painting machine tool parts is in the back of Steve Brooks' Ilion Publishing restoration manual. The basics are:
1. Never, EVER, let paint get on a machined surface. Nothing else is as important as this rule. It's one of those "pay me now or pay me a lot more later" rules that you just have to learn the hard way before you appreciate it. I violated this rule recently on my lathe's apron and paid dearly during reassembly. Just don't let your guard down and you'll thank yourself later.
2. It's OK to paint up to and beyond the edge between cast and machined surfaces, just have a rag ready to dip in thinner and wipe it off immediately. The rag mimics the same path followed by the tool that made the machined surface. If you're careful, it will look like the cut was made after painting.
3. Plug all holes for shafts, threaded fasteners, and taper pins. The easiest way I've found is to simply insert the fastener, paint over it, then throw it in some thinner to clean it. Much easier to clean a screw than a screw hole. Wood dowel stock of the same OD as the shaft works well for larger bores. You can also use long wooden dowels to suspend parts like gearbox castings while painting.
For areas where you do decide to mask before spraying, apply painter's tape beyond the edge of the machined surface. Then, take a razor blade held at nearly 90 degrees to the surface and "scrape" the cast edge through the tape. This abrades the tape in two right at the interface. This is especially useful at the edges of shallow bosses, etc., where it's difficult to cut the tape in the traditional sense. You'll be surprised how easily you can mask a complex perimeter perfectly by scraping through the tape this way.
Spraying is great if you can contain the overspray, but it does require multiple coats to build thickness and it's still best to brush the first coat to ensure adhesion on cast iron. With a good quality slow drying oil-based alkyd enamel, you'll be shocked at how good a finish you can get brushing. People will debate whether or not a primer is required; my practice is to not prime cast iron and to prime steel. Cast iron has built-in "tooth" for the paint to adhere to, steel does not and is much more prone to rust than cast iron in the same environment.
Finally, if you ask ten restorers what paint is best, you'll get at least eleven answers back. I understand those who use catalyzed automotive enamels or two-part epoxies to increase the wear resistance and improve the finished appearance. These paints are tough, but the organic solvents and catalysts in them will harm your health if you're not equipped to spray them. If you don't have a friend in the business who can get you a discount for small quantities, they usually cost several hundred dollars for the quantity of primer and paint required for a typical machine tool.
For what it's worth, my opinion is all paints fail eventually and it's better to use one that is easy to touch up in the future. I have used Sherwin-Williams All Surface Alkyd Enamel with great success on two restorations now. Spray it, brush it, whatever's easiest. It takes several days to achieve good handling hardness, and several weeks to reach full hardness, so patience is required. The benefit of all that cure time is brush marks essentially disappear as surface tension has time to pull them down flat.
I always ask for the low sheen version, but that's a personal preference for vintage tools.
Good luck!
Tom
1. Never, EVER, let paint get on a machined surface. Nothing else is as important as this rule. It's one of those "pay me now or pay me a lot more later" rules that you just have to learn the hard way before you appreciate it. I violated this rule recently on my lathe's apron and paid dearly during reassembly. Just don't let your guard down and you'll thank yourself later.
2. It's OK to paint up to and beyond the edge between cast and machined surfaces, just have a rag ready to dip in thinner and wipe it off immediately. The rag mimics the same path followed by the tool that made the machined surface. If you're careful, it will look like the cut was made after painting.
3. Plug all holes for shafts, threaded fasteners, and taper pins. The easiest way I've found is to simply insert the fastener, paint over it, then throw it in some thinner to clean it. Much easier to clean a screw than a screw hole. Wood dowel stock of the same OD as the shaft works well for larger bores. You can also use long wooden dowels to suspend parts like gearbox castings while painting.
For areas where you do decide to mask before spraying, apply painter's tape beyond the edge of the machined surface. Then, take a razor blade held at nearly 90 degrees to the surface and "scrape" the cast edge through the tape. This abrades the tape in two right at the interface. This is especially useful at the edges of shallow bosses, etc., where it's difficult to cut the tape in the traditional sense. You'll be surprised how easily you can mask a complex perimeter perfectly by scraping through the tape this way.
Spraying is great if you can contain the overspray, but it does require multiple coats to build thickness and it's still best to brush the first coat to ensure adhesion on cast iron. With a good quality slow drying oil-based alkyd enamel, you'll be shocked at how good a finish you can get brushing. People will debate whether or not a primer is required; my practice is to not prime cast iron and to prime steel. Cast iron has built-in "tooth" for the paint to adhere to, steel does not and is much more prone to rust than cast iron in the same environment.
Finally, if you ask ten restorers what paint is best, you'll get at least eleven answers back. I understand those who use catalyzed automotive enamels or two-part epoxies to increase the wear resistance and improve the finished appearance. These paints are tough, but the organic solvents and catalysts in them will harm your health if you're not equipped to spray them. If you don't have a friend in the business who can get you a discount for small quantities, they usually cost several hundred dollars for the quantity of primer and paint required for a typical machine tool.
For what it's worth, my opinion is all paints fail eventually and it's better to use one that is easy to touch up in the future. I have used Sherwin-Williams All Surface Alkyd Enamel with great success on two restorations now. Spray it, brush it, whatever's easiest. It takes several days to achieve good handling hardness, and several weeks to reach full hardness, so patience is required. The benefit of all that cure time is brush marks essentially disappear as surface tension has time to pull them down flat.
I always ask for the low sheen version, but that's a personal preference for vintage tools.
Good luck!
Tom
Yan Wo
Stainless
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2014
- Location
- Highland, Utah, USA
I've had Steve's 9A renovating book for almost three years and have wondered what his last name is for most of that time. Thanks!
No doubt about that. I used Rustoleum. Not gonna say its the best stuff on earth but you can get it anywhere, and when dealing with a standard color its easy to touch up as needed. If you use solvents to flush off chips between operations, you will find that it eats the paint off. I've got a bald spot on my compound now because of that.
jdgoguen
Aluminum
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2015
- Location
- Central Massachusetts, USA
If you have an under drive set up and need to paint the cabinet, consider using a roller followed by "tipping" with a brush. Worked well for me.
Jon
Jon
kitno455
Titanium
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2010
- Location
- Virginia, USA
I used the older Valspar implement paint from tractor supply, in M-F gray on my 10L. It took more than you would think, so I'm glad I got the gallon. The color is very similar to old, oiled cast iron, but not exact. So, it looks kinda funny in my opinion, almost like I tried and failed to match the bedways. If I were to do it over, I would probably pick a lighter color, like ford gray. I used regular, white rustoleum on the inside of cabinets, headstock, gearboxes, etc. I prefer the increased visibility. When installing various bits of hardware, I found that the rustoleum is a tougher paint than the valspar. The latter chips and dents more easily.
allan
allan
Ford grey is pretty light. I used Rustoleum smoke grey on mine. The quart was enough for the machine and the chip tray. I did the handles in black because I was getting to the end of the can and I had the black hanging around. The bed got 3 coats, everything else got 2. Didn't have enough for the rest of the cabinet so it remains in the sky blue color it came to me in.
porthos
Aluminum
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2013
- Location
- western pennsylvania
i used rust-oleum professional in smoke gray; brushed on. then, a coat of same out of a aerosol can (same color is available) this i belive helps the brushed on coat flow a little better to be smother. have your solvent rag ready for overspray. this paint does take a while to harden. maybe several days, but is handleable after one day
They do look good, Until you start to use it. Unless your shop is very well lit, you may have problems seeing the controls. Black absorbs light, it doesn't reflected very well. There is no light and shadow. No definition to easily identify the controls. This is one of the reasons they started painting them gray. Gray has a good light reflection making a shop brighter in general. It also gives better definition between the lathe parts and controls. And in those days, As Henry Ford said, you can have any color you want as long as it is black. Not because it was the best color, but it was cheaper. And because of the carbon black it is more durable. But these days, you're better off painting it in a neutral color such as gray. You probably have some electronic device that is all black. Video players, computer/keyboards, etc. these buttons are very difficult to see. But they are not normally dangerous if you put your hand in the wrong place. A lathe can be dangerous if you put your hand in the wrong place. If you're going to build up a Museum piece, you need to paint it in the original color. But for one that is going to be used. Don't paint it black.
Just my opinion.
Stay safe and have fun.
Joe.
Just my opinion.
Stay safe and have fun.
Joe.
