Paint prep question?

[Dan Stuckey]

Looking to paint the hood/gas tank on my Cub this winter. This is not a show tractor, just a working one but want to protect it. Paint is in poor condition and metal is somewhat rough or pitted. Not too bad but not like your cars fenders. So how do I get the metal smooth. Will sand off the paint to the bare metal. So do I keep sanding til smooth or at some point smather on some sort of filler and sand it smooth?

Going to rattle can it, prime and color. To get the proper red, do I just use the cans from IH dealer or is there a cheaper brand that would do me just as good. Top coat the paint with anything? Thanks guys.

[clodhopper]

After cleaning to bare metal, use a brush in a drill to remove any rust down in the pitting, wipe it down good with laquer thinner, and depending on how bad the pitting is, I would use either filler, or a primer putty.

[lazyuniondriver]

You will get many responses, my choice would be to prepare the metal as you described, spot putty from a tube, sand, prime, repeat until you are satisfied with the finish.

Prepare the surface then use Majic brand IHC red from TSC.

I've had awesome results with the Majic brand, nearly as good as a hvlp prayer.

Of course the better prepared the surface, the better the finish job.

[Yogie]

I like the spot putty in the tube, kind of a finishing filler. I use it all the time, sands much eaiser than Bondo filler.
Usually needs a little extra time to dry...

[lazyuniondriver]

sands much eaiser than Bondo filler.

Can say that again and also finishes the surface just as well with less effort and less sanding media.

[lazyuniondriver]

Dry finish, not wet paint

Less than 6 bucks a can at TSC. Takes 24 hours plus to dry in ideal conditions.

[Don McCombs]

More information on the spot putty, please.

[JackF]

I’m not a professional painter; I’ve done a lot of painting and have been around a lot of professional auto body people. They always told me the biggest problem with spot putty is that after application it’s not allowed to set long enough for it to shrink before putting primer or paint over it.

I use it all the time for small imperfections and properly used it works great.

[clodhopper]

More information on the spot putty, please.

Spot putty is basically a primer that is thick enough to spread on. It does not require any activators or resins, you just squeeze it out like toothpaste and spread it on, HOWEVER, it is only used to fill small imperfections and must be applied only in thin coats. The bigggest problem people have with spot putty is trying to use it as a filler, which it was not designed to be, and if put on thick, it will never dry.

[lazyuniondriver]

More information on the spot putty, please.

Spot putty comes out of the tube ready to use. It has the consistency of toothpaste and is intended to fill minor surface imperfections not holes or large dings.

It unlike catalyst bound fillers requires overnight drying for best results making standard fillers more economical for the body and finishing industry due to rapid drying time.

The stuff works great as long as you allow the time for it to completely dry before sanding or finishing.

There is nothing fast about bodywork, those jobs rushed indicated by the results. If you are familiar with drywall filling or joint compound, drying time is the same.

[Matt Kirsch]

You can get spot putty in the automotive section of walmart. Look for the product on a squatty-looking metal toothpaste tube.

[Dale Finch]

Since I was fortunate enough to do my SA restoration at a paint and body shop, I saw and took advantage of a lot of their expertise. They helped me with the selection of filler and primers, which included regular body filler (2 part like Bondo), spot filler (only for real small spots or scratches), and high build primer (which allowed me to do a fair amount of sanding to get the sandblasting roughness and scratches that remained out).

Here is one reference that I Googled that might help with some information.
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/primer.htm
Please be aware that I am NOT a body/paint person...just kept my eyes open and asked questions. One real factor in all of the painting was if you want the finished paint smooth, you MUST have a smooth primer finish...the paint will NOT fill any holes or rough surface. Also, sand between any dry paint coats. (Prep work: 90% of the job, Painting: 10%!!)

Good luck, and I hope a real painter comes along with better info!! I'm sure you will do fine.

[JackF]

You're right the best finish is smooth primer, sanding between paint coats and the finish will be like a mirror and very deep looking. You can sand between paint coats on the Acrylic and Urethane paints but on the Alkaline enamel paints (IH Iron guard, Van Sickle, Majic and ect.) you have to let set (cure) for a period of time.

Because of the hazards of the Urethane paints I’ve been priming with sandable primer and painting with Alkaline enamel paints. After a period of time I buff the last coat with Urethane paint buffing compound.

You’re fortunate to be working with a body shop.

[mrdibs]

I've done a lot of paint work. If the tractor has all original paint, it can be fairly simple. Wet sand with 220 wet sandpaper and use a lot of water. Goal is smooth, not stripped. Think of the old paint as a filler.
Grind dents and rust to bare metal. Fill those spots with Bondo, then sand with 36, then 80 grit. Prime with a laquer primer, building it with 2 or 3 coats. It dries fast. Sand all with 320 wet until baby smooth. Run your palm across the surface. If you feel it, you will see it. This is where the difference between 'real nice' and 'just shiny' is. If you're not happy, fill again if necessary, repeat priming and sanding until satisfied. Use Putty only when filling very small imperfections - less than 1/16th inch thick. Putty adheres best to primer, not metal. Paint with a single stage urethane paint. Shopline is reasonably priced. You can use enamel, but once you do, prepared to be happy with it because repairing enamel is much more difficult than repairing urethane or laquer.

I've helped a lot of those kids who like to spray paint their cars, and in each case they learn the hard way how hard it is to fix the mess they've made with Krylon.

[Hengy]

L U D... You mentioned that you really liked Majic Paint. I have heard several folks on here really complaining that it is not nearly as nice as the old paint from TSC or from IH. Most said that they didn't like the fact that the paint took so long to dry and cure and that it did not like to cover as well as the old stuff...

I'd like to hear more about your experiences as I am going to be going through just this same path soon with Lewis, piece by piece...