Tractor paint?

[Kenfyoozed]

I am looking to make my old MF135 look better. I have read many post about paints, some good some bad. I have painted a work truck years ago, and It looked good for what I used. i was young and used no type of respirator! After reading some of these post I am glad I didnt severly hurt my self. What I am looking for is a paint thats easy to apply, looks good, wears well, and wont fade to quickly, and wont kill me as I apply it. I will be improvising a leanto on my barn as a paint booth.

So what types of paint should I consider? Or am I asking for to much? I would like it to have some shine to it .

 

[/pine]

What I am looking for is a paint thats easy to apply, looks good, wears well, and wont fade to quickly

as important as a quality paint is...the preparation is more important... a poor quality paint will hold up better on a properly prepared surface than a high quality paint on a poorly prepared surface...

unfortunately preparing the surface is usually a nasty, boring and tedious job (to do properly)...

after all the dirt,grease, rust/scale etc. etc.. is removed and the surface is cleaned with a solvent compatible with the intended paint... ALWAYS use a "tack rag" just prior to applying the paint to get the best possible application...

 

[ray66v]

What I am looking for is a paint thats easy to apply, looks good, wears well, and wont fade to quickly, and wont kill me as I apply it./QUOTE]

After 30 spending years in auto refinishing, I am also looking for this. Let me know if you find it.

There really is no holy grail here.

There are no totally safe paint products for spraying. Wear the prescribed safety products, and I can assure you that one job won't kill you.

Start with how much you want to spend on materials, and work from there.

 

[Kenfyoozed]

Why is it I am always searching for something that doesnt exist?

I would like to spend as little as possible, since this is a tractor, but still want it look good for a while. I read that the paints from TSC fade quickley, but the price seems great. I figure I wouldnt mide spending 200$ if I did it myself. What type of paint systems should I be looking into? Laquers, Enamels, Acrylics, or what?

I will use the proper equipment , and the tedious boring prep, well I like the tedious work. Keeps the mind sharp and the devil at bay, and I need all the help there I can get. Plus I am planning ahead for next winter.

 

[mrutkaus]

imron...well, i've had one whiff and i

 

[Farmwithjunk]

The paints CAN be harmfull. The hardeners will flat put the hurt on you. I've been exposed to icocyanite hardeners ONE TIME and have perminent effects. (symptoms of asthma) The hardener I used was the very same stuff TSC sells. PAY HEED TO WARNINGS ON LABELS.... You can absorb it through your skin as well as breathing it. Wear protective clothing and use a fresh air breathing system. You may NOT be proned to problems, but is it worth the risk to cook your lungs over one paint job?

I'm not at all familiar with them, but I've been hearing about auto paint systems that are WATER BORNE paints. I'd find a good auto finish supplier and start asking questions.

Another option.....Tractor chassis can EASILY be painted with rattle cans and still get a very good job. Then take sheet metal to an auto body shop and have them shoot the "slick stuff".

 

[ray66v]

The paints CAN be harmfull. The hardeners will flat put the hurt on you. I've been exposed to icocyanite hardeners ONE TIME and have perminent effects. (symptoms of asthma)

This is possible, but it is extremely rare. In 30 years I have only seen 1 guy who had an allergic reaction to iso, and that took multiple exposures with no respirator to bring on. I have seen lots of guys spray it for decades some with no protection what so ever. Everyone reacts differently.

I'm not at all familiar with them, but I've been hearing about auto paint systems that are WATER BORNE paints. I'd find a good auto finish supplier and start asking questions.

I am familiar with them, and have used them, they are only currently available, to my knowledge, as basecoats for clearcoat systems. The clear is still solvent based. and that is where all the bad stuff is. They also require special equipment that is very expensive.

Then take sheet metal to an auto body shop and have them shoot the "slick stuff".

If he is capable enough, to prep it well enough, they can pretty much shoot it, this can be a fair priced option, depending on if the shop is slow enough to want the job.

A vocational school doing the job, is also a possible option if there is one nearby.

 

[ray66v]

Why is it I am always searching for something that doesnt exist?

I would like to spend as little as possible, since this is a tractor, but still want it look good for a while. I read that the paints from TSC fade quickley, but the price seems great. I figure I wouldnt mide spending 200$ if I did it myself. What type of paint systems should I be looking into? Laquers, Enamels, Acrylics, or what?

I will use the proper equipment , and the tedious boring prep, well I like the tedious work. Keeps the mind sharp and the devil at bay, and I need all the help there I can get. Plus I am planning ahead for next winter.

Go to the nearest auto paint supplier and inquire if they have a "low end" automotive product. and go with that. Some only sell the low end stuff anymore because the top end stuff is ridiculously expensive.

It is all pretty much urethane enamels now. With a low end product, you could get by with $200 depending on the color.

 

[Kenfyoozed]

I saw that Duplicolor has a paint called Paint shop. It comes premixed and is a laquer system. Seems pretty easy, but its 25$ a quart. The colors are not a correct match for MF, but close enough I think. Although 25$ a Qt seems expensive for a Laquer system.

How much unthinned paint would I need? 2 quarts of red(rouge red), 1 Gallon of dark metallic grey(flint grey), and 2 quarts of metallic silver( corporate wheel grey). Does this seem right? More or Less?

I want to shoot ALL the paint. I just need to becareful.

What is the "pecking order" of paint? Low quality to best quality? Easy to shoot to harder?

 

[Scooby074]

The MF paints are VERY good and not a huge price. Ive actually painted several cars with it!!!! Next to no orange peel or runs. It holds its gloss quite well too.

Granted it wasnt my first paint job, but its really quite forgiving. Mix with proper reducer and add some "wet look" hardner, and youll have a really good job.

Pay attention to the proper safety stuff. Wear a respirator with NEW cartridges , and gloves.

Id avoid the Imron and the other full Urethanes unless you have the experience. Imron can be really nasty stuff.

If your buying a gun. get a HVLP gun. The finishline series from Develbis is a good gun (what im using). Also ensure that your air is ABSOLUTELY dry.

Id say your probably pretty close on what your going to need for supplies.

 

[ray66v]

I saw that Duplicolor has a paint called Paint shop. It comes premixed and is a laquer system. Seems pretty easy, but its 25$ a quart. The colors are not a correct match for MF, but close enough I think. Although 25$ a Qt seems expensive for a Laquer system.

I do not recommend that you consider using lacquer for this application. The lowest end of the spectrum you want to use in automotive paint, is acrylic enamel, and it is only a few bucks more to go with the low end single stage urethane, so I would why bother with acrylic enamel.

$25 a quart is less than half of what i used to pay for lacquer, 12 years ago, when I could still get it here. At this price, you will likely be getting a very low solids product, mostly thinner.

I can usually paint an average size car with 2- 3 quarts of quality automotive urethane paint, over matching tinted primer, or sealer, depending on the color. Some colors cover much better than others.

If your considering using red automotive paint, it will generally be very expensive. $100++ a quart, is not unusual.

A more expensive product can usually be made to dry faster, that usually makes it easier to use, always results in a cleaner job.

If you have never sprayed anything, or have limited ability in this area, there is a a good sized learning curve here. Most products can perform better than they do when using the mfr's recommendations, if you know how to use them.

You can save yourself a lot of time, and money, if you can get someone who has some experience to help you get started.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

As mentioned, the paint you can buy off the shelf at the Massey Ferguson dealers is a good quality paint at a reasonable price. The MF150 in my avatar photo was painted with that same paint. Typically you'll need just a tick over 1 quart of the red. Buy 2 and you'll have a little extra. The flint grey metallic takes about a quart+ also. I always get 2 of them also. The "corporate wheel grey" isn't the correct color for that tractor's wheels, grill ect. It will be called SILVER MIST by Massey Ferguson. It's a bit more "silver" than the wheel grey. A quart will last you a lifetime......Takes about 4 to 5 oz. to paint wheels, grill, ect.

At "MF prices", you can buy 2 quarts of red, 2 quarts of flint grey metallic, and a quart of silver mist for around $130 at last check.

MF doesn't list a hardener OR reducer (thinner) for their paints. You can use the Valspar hardener (available @ TSC) as well as their NAPTHA thinner. I don't care much for naptha though. I'd suggest finding a good auto finish supplier and getting an enamel ruducer that's spec-ed for the temperature and conditions when you plan on painting. That makes a significant difference by my experience.


I still stand by my findings that ICOCYANITE hardeners are harmfull. The manufacturer suggests it's harmful...... I know of 3 others besides myself that have suffered lung damage because of exposure. Be careful with it.

 

[ray66v]

I still stand by my findings that ICOCYANITE hardeners are harmfull. The manufacturer suggests it's harmful......

Sorry, I did not mean to give you the impression that I felt iso's are not potentially harmful.

From the US Department of Labor web site:

1.1.2. Toxic effects
Isocyanates are strong irritants and can produce an acute allergic response among some individuals.

I ALWAYS use, and recommend that everyone use, the proper safety equipment when sanding, mixing, and applying any paint. There are also lots of other toxic chemicals, many that are considered carcinogens, in these products.

My point was that most people don't suffer any obvious effects from using iso's, or these paints, even when they use them improperly. While obviously there are some who become sensitized, and react to any level of exposure, these experiences are very uncommon.

 

[Kenfyoozed]

I assume the MF paint is as good of better than what came on the tractor to begin with? Can thhis be orderedd off line or must I visit the dealer. Its a 40 mile drive one way . Normally I get them to ship me my parts.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I assume the MF paint is as good of better than what came on the tractor to begin with? Can thhis be orderedd off line or must I visit the dealer. Its a 40 mile drive one way . Normally I get them to ship me my parts.

What you can buy now is probably as good as what came on the tractor originally, short of the fact that the original was probably applied in conditions more favorable to a good paint job than the average Joe can deliver. The paint that comes on NEW tractors today is probably of a somewhat higher quality that the canned paint they sell over the counter though.

The paint MF sells is a "better" quality of alkyd enamel (old technology) . I'd suspect most new tractors are painted with an acrylic enamel or a uerethane (sp?) base paint.

Not sure on the "ship-ability" of paint. I'd give my dealer a call on that one if I was you.

 

[Scooby074]

I assume the MF paint is as good of better than what came on the tractor to begin with? Can thhis be orderedd off line or must I visit the dealer. Its a 40 mile drive one way . Normally I get them to ship me my parts.

The MF paint is good. Made by Valspar. Most dealers have a good stock of the popular colours in store.

 

[ray66v]

The paint MF sells is a "better" quality of alkyd enamel (old technology) . I'd suspect most new tractors are painted with an acrylic enamel or a uerethane (sp?) base paint.

Agreed, MF paint is alkyd industrial enamel, same product as Valspar and Rustoleum. These products are fine for the applications they are suggested for, i.e. good, cheap protection.

The products used by the factories for high quality finishes, are usually entirely different than what the public uses. They generally need a paint they can spray, and then bake, (not just force dry), at a very high temperature. This causes a chemical reaction that sets the paint, and advances the curing process, so it dries very quickly. These are thermosetting products. They are completely different than what is used in repair shops.

 

[Kenfyoozed]

Thanks for the tips. I really appreciate the help and warnings. I want to be safe. Its amazing how something that seems as simple as painting a tractor could be dangerous. I'll call the closet dealer and talk to them. Also, as you can tell I have limited experience with painting, what type of "breathing system " should I look into. I guess I will be using the alkyd enamels. The acrylic enamels require a fresh air system correct? Im sure thats out of my range.