Paint for bare steel homebrew attachments?

Garrik · Dec 18, 2019

Did a quick search, didn't see anything.

I am looking for recommendations for a paint or coating product to use on a bare steel attachment that I have just finished welding up (log arch). The steel that I used is new - and I cleaned it well prior to assembly.

I would like a very high adhesion product that will provide excellent abrasion resistance and good to excellent UV protection in a fairly wet (30 inches of rain per year, but no snow) outdoor environment.

The local commercial team at Sherwin Williams has proposed an undercoat of a high adhesion epoxy topcoated with a high solids polyurethane. This sounds like a great approach to me, but their products only come in gallons - and I will end up with 3.25 gallons of product (both are two part materials) costing me a bit over $325. I need far less material than that - I probably have 50 square feet to paint.

In a perfect world, I would want to spend quite a bit less than that - but only if I can find a very high quality product that will really last in a very rough and abrasive environment (logging).

Any specific suggestions for paints or epoxy coatings that we are well suited to this kind of industrial use bare metal application?

Thanks!

GreensvilleJay · Dec 18, 2019

too bad you're so far away, I've got 20 gallons of both epoxy and urethane in the basement you could have, safety red and safety blue. The urethane is TOUGH, 6 years covering my water tank.
You might try a car body/paint shop, they could paint the log arch when they shoot single stage urethane on a car. It's pretty tough. Maybe drop by a 'Line-x' bed liner shooter, see what he has to say.
You do NOT want ANY kind of powder coat..that stuff is worse than laytex paint !!
I agree a base of 'epoxy primer' is needed. Also 100% of grease and oil must be removed before ANY painting. I power wash steel projects then let air dry and see if rust forms. That is a GOOD sign ! lightly sand, wipe with acetone/thinner, then paint. If rust doen't form, there's STILL oil on the steel.

SidecarFlip · Dec 18, 2019

Go to your local friendly Kubota dealer and get a spray can or 2 of Kubota primer what Kubota uses on their tractors and implements. It's light colored so it melds well with Kubota orange paint. You can also buy Kubota Orange there. It comes in Orange 1 pr Orange 2. Orange 1 is the old shade used on equipment made before 1999 (I think) and Orange 2 is the later shade.

Having said that, I prefer the Rustoleum Kubota Orange which I've found (from actual use) to be a dead match for Orange 2 and the Majic Kubota Orange (which I've also used) to be a match for Orange 1.

Surface prep is important. Make sure you grind or wire brush off all the spatter and wipe the parts down with a clean towel with either lacquer thinner or mineral spirits on the towel to remove all the grease and oils. I tend to go over the parts I'm painting with a jitterbug sander with 200 grit paper too, just to give the topcoats a better bite.

I totally repainred all the tin and wheels on my open station M9 this last spring with the Kubota primer (available in spray can or pints or quarts, whatever need is) and the Rustoleum Kubota Orange, again available in spray can, pints or quarts. I used a conventional spray gun myself with a mineral spirits thinner. Came out fantastic.

Russell King · Dec 18, 2019

I just had a presentation at work on a new one step paint (direct to metal) that is similar to a epoxy primer polyurethane top coat that dries within a couple of hours. The sell it in a kit that results in.75 gallon.

Unfortunately I can’t recall the brand or name of it now but will look tomorrow. They developed it for the industrial tank people along the Texas coast. It is a company we use for epoxy and polyurethane at work and a good brand.

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Garrik · Dec 18, 2019

Russell King said:
I just had a presentation at work on a new one step paint (direct to metal) that is similar to a epoxy primer polyurethane top coat that dries within a couple of hours. The sell it in a kit that results in.75 gallon.

Unfortunately I can’t recall the brand or name of it now but will look tomorrow. They developed it for the industrial tank people along the Texas coast. It is a company we use for epoxy and polyurethane at work and a good brand.

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Sounds very interesting Russell, I look forward to details. Thanks!

mikester · Dec 19, 2019

If you want a real nice durable finish go to a local sandblasting paint shop, get it blasted and get a good quality industrial coating applied. It will seem a little pricey but you will get a better prep and better adhesion. A high solids 2 part epoxy paint will be very durable...not cheap though. Expect to spend $500 but you dont have to do anything but drop it off and pick it up.

If you arent picky get some tremclad gray primer and top coat with tremclad gloss black paint. Brush on the primer and work it for better adhesion. Expect to spend $100-200 and you get to enjoy the fruit of your labours.

You get what you pay for. Cheap paints have lower solids and are less durable.

Stick with black, medium blue and gray for cost effective colours and good coverage.

Garrik · Dec 19, 2019

Ok, after a few days of chasing around and getting a different answer/suggestion at every turn (very much appreciate the thoughts shared here and by PM, but there was just no consistency in the answers that I got), I made a decision.

I felt that the original suggestion of a two part epoxy base with a two part urethane overcoat was probably the right call for maximum protection. But I was unwilling to do the required work and spend the $350. I also decided that the various single part consumer products, like Tractor Paint and consumer Rustoleum were not going to give me the robust finish that I wanted.

So like any good engineer, I split the baby and went with a two part urethane - the System 9800 from Rustoleum. It is a commercial/industrial product, but my local Grainger could get it in 48 hours. It is a high solids, high build, direct to metal two part urethane mastic, designed for use in moderate to severe industrial environments. It can be applied with a brush or roller.

I will report back if I learn anything more in the application process.

Thanks again for all of the input and insights.

Russell King · Dec 19, 2019

The paint I was trying to suggest is Carboline Carboquick 200

Be careful about the fumes of the polyurethanes. They are supposed to be dangerous to the applicator.

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B737 · Dec 23, 2019

bring them to be powder coated or to a bedliner shop to be Line-x'd

GreensvilleJay · Dec 23, 2019

Both powder coat and linex WILL chip off and allow rust to destroy the steel.
The problem with them is that once the 'plastic' gets cut or scored, water seeps underneath and rust WILL form....that's game over.
The entire front lip of a Chevy PU box was GONE...only thing 'holding' it was some of the Linex material... the steel structure was 'punky'.
I've yet to see any powder coated object survive after getting nicked, scrapped, cut, slit, chipped....ANY itty,bitty opening and water gets in....

B737 · Dec 23, 2019

GreensvilleJay said:
Both powder coat and linex WILL chip off and allow rust to destroy the steel.
The problem with them is that once the 'plastic' gets cut or scored, water seeps underneath and rust WILL form....that's game over.
The entire front lip of a Chevy PU box was GONE...only thing 'holding' it was some of the Linex material... the steel structure was 'punky'.
I've yet to see any powder coated object survive after getting nicked, scrapped, cut, slit, chipped....ANY itty,bitty opening and water gets in....

if the finish is chipped off of any of the suggested methods it's going to rust, it's steel, same result. Line-x and powder coat will be one of the more robust 'finishes' for the value. OP went with 2 part epoxy which is prob the best of the bunch, curious how it will hold up over the long run as epoxy can be sensitive to UV exposure.

GreensvilleJay · Dec 23, 2019

At least with paint, you CAN easily repair the area. PC is a PITB and NOT easy to repair. Every deck, trailer, etc. that comes my way is a disaster. 100% of the PC has to be removed. usually it'll peel off like a snakeskin.....what's left is STILL miseable to deal with.

BigG · Dec 23, 2019

I can not believe the cost of some of these paints. Clean it and use a rattle can primer and color coat. If and when it gets damaged redo it. It is a log arch after all. You did not build it to take it to the car show.

tjstractor · Dec 26, 2019

Did you look at any of the POR-15 products.

flyidaho · Dec 26, 2019

For all my bare steel paint needs, over the years I have settled on plain old Rustoleum rusty metal primer. Whether the steel is rusty or not, and it's not. That's it, no top coat! My home and shop's handrails on the steel staircases, look like the day I painted them, 13 years ago. I like the color, it's relatively cheap, and I brush on 2 sometime 3 coats, usually 2. My 2 home made trailers, and about 45 or 50 very large (10'x 20') solar panel steel racks I fabricated, plus countless other projects. One look at my shop floor tells the story!

I agree on the powder coating, when rust gets under it, it's over before you know it. For us with homemade airplanes, with 4130 thin wall steel tube structures, powder coating had a brief in vogue moment, but has somewhat faded from the scene. On my plane, I can't remember exactly the product name but it was a 2 part epoxy primer with a top coat, all airplane product type stuff but it works really well. The stuff that has the warning labels, the more labels the better!

greenacresnorth · Dec 26, 2019

flyidaho said:
For all my bare steel paint needs, over the years I have settled on plain old Rustoleum rusty metal primer. Whether the steel is rusty or not, and it's not. That's it, no top coat! My home and shop's handrails on the steel staircases, look like the day I painted them, 13 years ago. I like the color, it's relatively cheap, and I brush on 2 sometime 3 coats, usually 2. My 2 home made trailers, and about 45 or 50 very large (10'x 20') solar panel steel racks I fabricated, plus countless other projects. One look at my shop floor tells the story!

I agree on the powder coating, when rust gets under it, it's over before you know it. For us with homemade airplanes, with 4130 thin wall steel tube structures, powder coating had a brief in vogue moment, but has somewhat faded from the scene. On my plane, I can't remember exactly the product name but it was a 2 part epoxy primer with a top coat, all airplane product type stuff but it works really well. The stuff that has the warning labels, the more labels the better!

I think the powder coat fad was a kitfox thing.... no one else thought it was cool....LOL

chim · Dec 28, 2019

Pittsburgh makes a DTM coating that really holds up well. It's AUE370(?) Used it about 5 years ago on my rear snow blower and it still looks pretty good. We used this Pittsburgh coating at work on a few things and it impressed me.

We've also used coatings by Tnemec, but I don't recall if they have a DTM product. Seems to me we primed the metal for that.

Powder coating isn't anything I'd do on something that lives outdoors.

Recently had decent luck with some enamel from both TSC and TruValue. Both use hardener.

B737 · Dec 28, 2019

not much love for powder coating around here. Most of the metal on the boat that lives in very harsh saltwater environment 365/24/7 has done just fine, industry standard on most sport fishing boats. I’ve had stuff done that’s outdoors and it’s fine. Those of you with aluminum fencing, also powder coated. It’s not the end of the world, and it’s usually not too expensive. But I guess no one here likes it.

POR-15 is another coating mentioned here that is also awesome. Needs uv protection though.

greenacresnorth · Dec 29, 2019

B737 said:
not much love for powder coating around here. Most of the metal on the boat that lives in very harsh saltwater environment 365/24/7 has done just fine, industry standard on most sport fishing boats. I’ve had stuff done that’s outdoors and it’s fine. Those of you with aluminum fencing, also powder coated. It’s not the end of the world, and it’s usually not too expensive. But I guess no one here likes it.

POR-15 is another coating mentioned here that is also awesome. Needs uv protection though.

powder coat works great on things that don't deal with impacts or abrasion. its when the surface gets impacted is when powder coat goes to crap.

Shawnmc · Dec 29, 2019

One I've always had luck with is TSC epoxy primer and then a couple thick coats of their implement paint. Lately I haven't bothered with the epoxy primer and have just been slapping on thick coats of rust paint. Held up well on my box blade and scraper blade.

Cutting edge always gets chipped but there's nothing you can do about it. Box and scraper blade board stay good though.

Paint for bare steel homebrew attachments?

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