Stripping Paint+Painting

[lil cat mec]

cleaning parts?
i am throwing aroud the idea that i want to paint my 22 im just not sure how to go about this... i want to do it myself, it will be the first one i have ever done... im not positive on how to remove the paint!!! it will not be too soon i just want ideas on what i need and how to do it!!!

[kutzy23]

One of the best ways of preparing a piece of equipment for painting is sand blasting. I t does a grat jpb of cleaning rust and paint from tough spots. But you need to be really careful when you sand blast, like removing anything that could get hurt during blasting and covering up any holes or places where sand may enter. But you need a fairly good size air crompressor for a job as big as your dozer. Good luck and nothing is more rewarding than having piece of equipment that is painted up nice after you worked so hard to fix it up!!!

[zootownjeepguy]

A cheaper way (if you don't have a BIG compressor and sandblast pot) is liquid Paint Stripper. Just brush it on and let it soak for a while. The stripper will make all the old paint & grease bubble up so you can scrape it all off with a putty knife & wire brush. Works great, just wear gloves because it will burn your skin. I even use the stripper before sandblasting. It really helps soften up all that vintage petrified paint and makes the sandblasting go quick (if you've ever done any sandblasting you know that quick is a good thing). Another useful tool for paint removal is a wire wheel on an angle grinder.

[puffer@rpi.edu]

lcm, a couple suggestions. First I swear by using cold galvanizing compound (CGC) as the primer for any equipment that is going to spend time outdoors in all sorts of weather. CGC is sold many places under a variety of brands. You can buy it at most welding supply stores, NAPA, and also from industrial supply companies such as McMaster Carr or MSC. I consider it the very best primer for use where there is or was rust. The 99% zinc rich primer acts just like hot dipped galvanizing to heal over scratches to prevent rust from forming. It also make the preparation for painting much easier. It comes in spray cans. Be sure to shake well and often. I sometimes spray a conventional Rustoleum primer over the CGC, that works well, too. I also recommend that you keep several cans of spray Old Caterpillar Rustoleum paint around for those darn small parts that we too small to warrant getting out your HVLP spray rig. I get mine from www.Zorotools.com. They sell the 20 oz. cold galvanizing compound spray cans for $7.97 each. The Rustoleum Old Caterpillar Yellow spray cans are $6.50 each, and the gallon cans of Old Caterpillar Yellow are $49.07 each. They also sell gallon cans of cold galvanizing compound. Zoro Tools ships quickly and are great to work with. Be sure to get the "Old" Caterpillar Yellow which is correct for your CAT22, not the "New" Caterpillar Yellow. Ray

[drujinin]

At any Car Show/Swap Meet, there is always a guy advertising "Soda Blasting". Its not as hard on the metal plus unlike sand it won't grind up bushing if it should someplace you don't want it. They also claim that it puts a smoother rust resistant (?) finish on that needs less prep for paint and its "environmentally friendly". Personally unless it is a hundred percent show tractor, I would pressure wash, feather the edges of the old paint, then steam clean it, wash it down with degreaser, then paint it. Industrial Paint is thicker and not that high gloss stuff you usually see on Show Tractors. (my opinion on a good looking work tractor)
Jeff

[ol Grump]

The soda blast doesn't leave the small pits in the metal that sand blasting does (unless you use a fine sand) but is slower than sand blasting. Also it supposedly doesn't chew up the face of glass gauges or chrome plating like sand blasting does. A buddy actually cleaned up the bumper of an old Mercury with it. .took all the rust stains right off, then he sprayed a clear lacquer on to keep it from rusting and staining again.

Unless you're making a show machine, I'd sand blast the rusted areas and spots to sort of feather 'em in, light blast on the rest to rough up the old paint, wipe it down with lacquer thinner and go ahead and start squirting the paint on.