If not powder coating (although it sounds like that's what it was), then very likely a type of urethane industrial paint; it's a two-part system (paint with catalyst) that is very durable, gloss finishes available, and looks good. It also works well if you want a relatively thick coat.
It has been available since the late 1970's. It is toxic ... a full clean air respiratory system is mandatory, which is why it's something you would find in an industrial paint shop who are properly equipped. Not as fine a finish as automotive paint, but attractive none the less.
Although powder coating has supplanted it in many cases, you can find examples such as the black paint on motorcycle frames painted before the last 20 years or so. It is also widely used on aircraft.
When properly applied, judging by appearance alone, it's indistinguishable from powder coated finishes.
Andrew, it would be common in larger scale enterprises back at the time you had yours painted as the technology was relatively expensive at the time. Today, although it's not trivial, you can get DIY kits that allow you to powdercoat at home.
For non-metal finishing where charged particle paint (ie powdercoating) cannot be used, modern water-based two-part epoxies also work well. This can be applied with a good VOC and particle blocking mask, rather than full air supply masks, or with the use of brush and/or roller, as they typically are self-leveling.
For most of the projects typical of DIY, rattle-can paint is a cost-effective option, and properly done gives excellent results. However, you can often get professionally applied paint by talking to a local auto body shop.
Tell them the general colour you want, and that they have any leeway they require as to when and the exact colour choice within your general requirements. Then, when they are spraying a car that meets your requirements, they can just add your small parts to the booth and carry on.
If you do all the prep work ... give them a part that needs nothing more than a clean and go, and if not bare metal, ask them what primer/sealer works with their paint system, and do that yourself if possible ...it's an inexpensive way to get great results.
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Quite! If you can live with a semi-gloss finish rather than dead-flat matt, living with the finished article will become considerably less troublesome!
Cheers, Carl.
Hi all,
An update where I'm at.
I applied a few cans of the Duramax Flat Black spraycan and it looked fantastic, but yes has the problems of flat black as others suggested so I've given up on the flat black finish for the time being.
Ideally I don't want a textured finish which rules a few approaches such as Truckbed liner. I've changed tact towards a semi-gloss finish and going with an oil based enamel for durability.
On this, I purchased some paint and filled my electric spray gun and proceeded to coat.
What a disaster! blotches all over, maybe I didn't set something properly. I hadn't used it for detailed painting before, only the fence and garage. I think a too high a flow rate was an issue...
Being oil based I had some time at least to go over with a roller too smooth things out. The end result is more textured than i am after.
Some more research I think before I sand and re-coat.
An update where I'm at.
I applied a few cans of the Duramax Flat Black spraycan and it looked fantastic, but yes has the problems of flat black as others suggested so I've given up on the flat black finish for the time being.
Ideally I don't want a textured finish which rules a few approaches such as Truckbed liner. I've changed tact towards a semi-gloss finish and going with an oil based enamel for durability.
On this, I purchased some paint and filled my electric spray gun and proceeded to coat.
What a disaster! blotches all over, maybe I didn't set something properly. I hadn't used it for detailed painting before, only the fence and garage. I think a too high a flow rate was an issue...
Being oil based I had some time at least to go over with a roller too smooth things out. The end result is more textured than i am after.
Some more research I think before I sand and re-coat.
Sorry to hear of your problems. Using a foam or very short pile roller and a paint tray can achieve excellent results, but the roller must be wide enough to coat the entire width of the largest panel in one pass or you will, most likely, end up with visible tramlines. Oil-based paint is definitely the way to go for many reasons, and I would suggest reducing the paint with 5-15% of an appropriate thinner.
Some paints are best rolled quickly and just left to flow, others respond better to more thorough rolling - you should experiment! Further, the flow-out characteristics of paints tend to very different when applied over fully cured paint films compared with those which are just touch-dry; in the latter case solvent can be 'sucked out' of the second coat and flow-out greatly reduced (more texture). Aim for just one, thin finishing coat over your sanded surface, and the longer you can leave the original coat to cure, the better will be the result; you will probably need to leave it for a week or two to harden to a state where you can sand it anyway.
Hope this helps. Cheers, Carl.
Hi Carl - thanks for the great tips.
I look at this as an experiment. Since its paint theres nothing I can't undo by waiting to cure, sanding and reapplying with alternate approaches.
Its just a matter of time and patience and I'll achieve a satisfactory result.
Cheers,
Largely true, but be careful if recoating with paints having different chemistries, as solvents can react with the previous coats with disastrous results, often immediately, but sometimes over a period of months! Oil-based/alkyd paints, for example, cannot usually be painted over with cellulose/acrylic/polyurethane/epoxy paints as the solvents tend to be a little aggressive.
Cheers, Carl.
FWIW, if anyone has access to a professional paint shop, have a look at Nextel and Alexit coatings. Both very durable 2 component paints used in auto- and aerospace industries. I think Zu uses Nextel as one finish option. It's very matt, akin to a fine suede. Alexit is a fiber reinforced coating, also very matt but with slightly heavier texture. I've used both in our kitchen cabinets.
Por 15 is not (or was not, the last time i looked!) UV stable.
...which is fine when its on the bottom of a car, but not the best for other stuff : )
As has been mentioned, could be paint chemical incompatibility, or could be as simple as trying to apply to an improper physical surface.
You may want to go back to the primer stage, rather than battling on with top coats. I am not a professional painter, however, i have painted things in a professional context (if you see what i mean) and my own take is that you can never make things better with the top coat.
What i mean to say is, if there is *any* imperfection in the prep, its always tempting to think that the top coat will hide it, but it just never ever does. And then you spend more time in the end on sorting it out. (it took me a while to get wise to this, and im sure im not the first!)
I wouldn't have thought you need a mega tough finish though. Its not like theyre going to get a load of abrasion, moisture, temperature change, uv, etc. (like a car roof would) so im sure simple rattle can acrylic gloss would do you as well as anything else?
...but, again, i suspect you may need to go back to primers before pressing on further?
Hi Julian,
I have heard very good and very bad things about POR15 - it probably depends upon preparation. All single-part polyurethanes cure by reacting with atmospheric moisture, so I suspect it is popular due to clever marketing and not anything magical...
Electric sprayguns do tend to throw out paint at an alarming rate, so rattle cans are probably a better bet for a fine finish unless you can get access to air-fed spraying equipment. Blotchiness could be due to uneven paint application causing the flatting agent to settle out, or high humidity causing blooming. Try Simoniz Tough Black Satin; I have used this extensively and find it to be extremely good and easy to apply. You will only need a couple of light coats (not full wet) to achieve the finish you require. I suspect it is alkyd-based and has a more benign solvent than acrylic aerosols and the like, so should not hurt the existing coating, but I would let that cure very thoroughly before sanding and recoating.
For a superlative finish, sand using a long flat wooden block in stages from grit 180 to 320 and finish with 600 or finer before spraying. A piece of thick MDF or machine planed timber works well, with the abrasive paper glued to it using aerosol carpet adhesive.
Cheers, Carl.
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