Re: (ET) painting mower deck...

[dave barden <daveb speakeasy org>]

Rick et al,

    Thanks for the responses about painting.  Looks aren't that important 
to me,
I feel the same way as Dave R.  If it looks too good I may be reluctant to 
use
it!

    I'll use just the POR 15 on just the bottom of the mower.  Sounds like 
it'll
be smooth enough.

    I finished sandblasting the bits and pieces today and am painting them 
with
Rustoleum yellow, not an exact match but close enough.  I'll be able to 
tell
better when it's all done.  However the yellow on the tractor is quite 
faded so
what hey.

    I'm replacing all the screws, nuts and bolts with stainless steel 
items.
The original stuff was badly rusted and corroded, broke a coupla bolts 
trying to
get the nuts off.

Rick Barnes wrote:

> Know what you mean about sandblasting, sounds like a good idea but takes
> forever with inadequate equipment.
>
> I bought a pressurized sandblaster which works amazingly well with a much
> smaller air demand. This type would be a good match for your compressor. 
> I
> found it at a local tool store called Lucille's for $120. Here is a link 
> to
> a picture of one like mine.
> http://www.northerntool.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/NTE_full-sizeimg.d2
> w/report?prrfnbr=581&prmenbr=6970 I use the white silica abrasive sand 
> from
> ACE Hardware, they have 2 or 3 different grits.
>
> Or, you might consider taking it to a professional sandblasting company.
>
> Rick Barnes
> Aloha, OR
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-elec-trak cosmos5 phy tufts edu
> > [mailto:owner-elec-trak cosmos5 phy tufts edu]On Behalf Of dave barden
> > Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2000 9:37 AM
> > To: MR23 (Christopher M. Meier, Mpls, MN); fiskfarm mediaone net;
> > elec-trak cosmos5 phy tufts edu
> > Subject: (ET) painting mower deck...
> >
> >
> > Well before putting the mower to use I decided to paint it.  Searching 
> > the
> > archives I decided to use POR 15 on the underside and rustoleum 
> > topside.
> >
> > I had visions of quickly sandblasting the whole thing down to bare 
> > metal
> > with a friends compressor and sandblasting gun.  It didn't take long to
> > burst my vision.  It takes a lot of air to blast, I quickly discovered.
> > I've now lowered my expectations (and increased effort) to wire 
> > brushing,
> > disc sanding, and blasting only the small nooks and crannies the wire
> > brush and disc can't reach.  Perhaps my blast media is too course?  I'm
> > using (trying to use)  #35 Kleenblast which is copper slag medium fine.
> > For the blast gun tip size I'm using it recommends 10-15 cfm of air.  I
> > have 9 max.  I can blast about 40 seconds before the compressor motor
> > kicks in again.
> >
> > So you folks that have done this before what are you using?  Do you 
> > remove
> > all rust and paint over the entire piece or just spot prep before
> > painting?  I know, it depends on how good you want it to look.  I don't
> > care much about looks I'd just like it to be effective and last a 
> > while.
> >
> > Any other tips and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Oh one 
> > other
> > question.  I am debating whether or not I need to topcoat the POR 15.  
> > I'd
> > rather not (it is  underneath where the shine don't shine so I'm not
> > worried about UV light) but would like as slick a surface as I can
> > reasonalbly get so the grass won't build up so bad.  I need to decide
> > before I apply the POR 15 as the primer/top coat needs to be applied
> > before it dries.  Will the POR 15 (brushed on) produce a reasonably 
> > smooth
> > surface??
> >
> > Thanks much,
> >
> >     dave
> >
> >