Farm Truck Gets a Home Paint Job

[sixdogs]

Here's bunch on Harbor Freight HVLP spray guns



It has to be this one. Looks like same gun with two makers. It's 20 oz, not 2 oz,
2 oz. HVLP Gravity Feed Air Spray Gun with Regulator
2 oz. HVLP Gravity Feed Air Spray Gun with Regulator

Don't buy this $70 one below unless you are painting cars. I have one and it's not much different than the above for farm spraying.
2 oz. Professional HVLP Gravity Feed Air Spray Gun


Here are the paint cups and wire stand. These are a must so get two packs of cups. Don't use the screw-in adaptor. Mine leaked so just screw the paint cup onto gun.
5 Piece Air Spray Gun Disposable Paint Cups
The paint gun stand I like looks like this below but I can't find on the net right now. It's in the store.

You also could use some HF paint filters, especially if you store partial cans. I have but don't use very often. You'll need a metric hex wrench to put the stand on and remove for cleaning and a toothbrush. You should also have a water trap on your compressor. Set your gun pressure with the trigger pulled and air flowing on a cleaned gun.





I spray and when done, immediately rinse cup with a little acetone and spray clean. I disassemble what I can, soak the nozzle, etc in acetone and blow clean with compressed air while wearing goggles. Also, acetone is acetylene (get at WalMart) and highly flammable so I keep outside as much as possible. I don't work directly under my overhead lights while cleaning and pouring the stuff. Keep rags outside. Wear thin rubber gloves.

You have to thin Rustoleum more than you think. A splattering finish usually means too thick of paint. I spray Rustoleum primer on hot days and wait maybe a half hour or longer. Then I light spray the color coat, wait a few minutes and slightly heavier coat once or twice. If using good OEM paints, you will be thrilled at the results, especially when compared to farm store paints. Please, forget those and the few percent savings. When you first open the can, punch some small nail holes around the rim of the can so paint can flow back. If you have a partial can, put the lid on and store the can upside down so it doesn't skin over. Just do it; you'll see. Filter stored paint.

Here is a lo-buck Harbor Freight paint gun job with OEM acrylic enamel paint.


How's that for "pop"? Here's the thread.
1950's Dearborn cultivator find and rebuild
There are a number of threads I have done like this. Search for more if you care.


Anyway, have fun and post pictures. I've done this for decades and the HF HVLP paint gun is among the best there is, especially for the price. It's a fine reward to restore something to a respectable facsimile of it's original state.


EDIT--When painting, I wear those typical "Tee shirt" type bags on my feet that are available everywhere. Just find some beefy ones, put your foot in and tie the tops together. It looks dumb but keeps my boots the rustic brown leather color I prefer rather than Kubota Orange or JD Classic Green.

Last edited: Mar 25, 2018
**

May I be the person my dogs think I am,

 

[sixdogs]

Here's one worth reading on how to restore something so that no one knows it's restored. It's more than about paint. Painting something is all in the preparation. Clean metal, crisp corners detail, detail and more detail. Sharp tape edges, 0.00% overspray and that sort of thing.

I thin with acetone, test spray and two light coats. Gun was cleaned immediately after last use. I prime the good stuff with Rusteolum primer and paint with OEM paint. I use Rustoleum paint for implements and would use for an old farm truck. I don't sand the primer. I don't put an auto quality finish on trucks or farm stuff because it doesn't look right and it stands out as not original.

On a farm truck repaint, I would only use sandpaper to the extent of feathering a problem. Most sandpaper efforts make it look worse and mine look better with just primer and paint.

You don[t want stuff to be perfect because the item never was perfect and to deny that is suspicious. The thread below gives lots of theory that might be beneficial.mI've posted lots more so just search "paint" or whatever under my name. Some of it doesn't come up and a Google search works better.

How to restore a neglected M6800 Kubota back to "WOW".

This is post one of three. Here's how I restore a neglected tractor, or piece of equipment back to impressive condition and with a minimum of effort and while maintaining it's originality and manufacturer integrity. It's easy-peasy. First, you change as little as possible and only clean...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[MossRoad]

Thanks!!!

 

[sixdogs]

Let me add more on not making something perfect. When I did the M6800 in the prior post, I left a dent in the hood. I carefully hammered it out some and let it go because it was honest. Had I used bondo and sanded it, the character of the finish would have been changed and 100% of the serious people looking at it would spot it as fraud and wonder what else I did.

Were I painting a farm truck, the same would apply. A minor dent carefully and diligently hammered out with a Harbor Freight dolly set and then painted would look better that a 99% auto quality paint job.

In my M6800 above, not one person who looked noticed the dent in the hood even after I mentioned it.


Wanting to sand the entire truck and do a modern auto quality paint job will assure it never gets done. It will sit it your garage, dissembled and unfinished until one day I buy it for 30 cents on the dollar, undo what's been done and restore it to the good old days where it came from.

 

[EddieWalker]

Decades ago, when I thought it was fun to work on vehicles, a friend that worked for a body shop told me that the very best primer was the original pain. If you don't have to sand it down to bare metal, don't. Just sand it enough to remove the sheen.

 

[BackRoad]

Mr. Sixdogs, this is valuable guidance.

Thank you for your thoughtfulness and time in pulling it together.

(And do you still have the M6800???)

...//TJ

 

[KennyG]

Decades ago, when I thought it was fun to work on vehicles, a friend that worked for a body shop told me that the very best primer was the original pain. If you don't have to sand it down to bare metal, don't. Just sand it enough to remove the sheen.

This is true if you know what types of paint you are dealing with. Primer sealers are meant to prevent the old paint from reacting badly with the new paint, so it's safer to prime it first. The body shop guys know all about different paints so they don't necessarily need to prime.

 

[sixdogs]

Mr. Sixdogs, this is valuable guidance.

Thank you for your thoughtfulness and time in pulling it together.

(And do you still have the M6800???)

...//TJ

No, M6800 is gone.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I bought this 1949 Farmall Cub last year from an 84yo guy who ran a body shop. He disassembled, had engine rebuilt, clutch, brakes, etc. Degreased it then sent it off to be sandblasted. Straightened dents then primed, painted automotive enamel IH red.
I have my Grandfather's Economy Power King and Yazoo mower I need to paint but I don't think I'll go that far with them, but sandblasting is in my opinion the best and saves a fortune of time.

 

[ponytug]

@sixdogs, THANK YOU!! I realize that I've read a few of your posts in the past, but assembling them here is wonderful. I really appreciate it.

All the best,

Peter