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what paint for plane restoration?

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7K views 18 replies 12 participants last post by  corelz125 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
What do y'all recommend for painting old Stanlys?

Do folks generallhy use a primer first?
Looking for that original black japanning look in a spray paint if possible. I think it's flat or lower sheen on the originals; not high gloss.

Does it matter much or just about any flat black OK?

-Bill
 
#2 ·
Much has been written and discussed on this topic across this site, and for years. In my personal experience, the japanning is not a flat finish and should not be. Primer? No. Authentic japanning is out there, but requires the finish be baked on, not for the feint of heart. Ford Dupli-Color (I think?) Black is what Don W. uses, and he's done literally thousands of planes that are wonderful refurbs to look and and use.

Hit up Don's site, timetestedtools.net, to see his 'how to restore a plane. Can't go wrong, having that info at hand as you work your way through a rehab.

Good luck!
 
#3 ·
I think the thing is if you don't want to smell up your oven for a few days doing real japanning, thn you are going to have to use a paint. And every painted one I have seen looks "restored." Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially once its covered in shavings and sawdust. That said, if its a user, just go to the local autoparts store or wallyworld and get whatever semi gloss enamel spray paint they have.
 
#5 ·
I think I misspoke when I used the term "japanning" since that opens up an entirely different realm of skills. I just want to know what kind of paint looks reasonably close to the original.

I gather most any semi-gloss black would do the trick. I'll look for Ford Dupli-Colour as suggested.
 
#6 · (Edited by Moderator)
Although I try very hard to not destroy original finishes when restoring tools, some are too far gone and the tool is worth refinishing. I've been successful using Dupli-color DE1634 and DE1635. It has more build thickness than other spray paints and if done carefully, is hard to tell that it isn't the original japanned finish.
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Regards, The Kentucky Toolsmith!
 

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#7 ·
+1 Dupli-color Engine enamel
Gloss Black is available at most auto parts stores, and occasionally Wally world.

Also should note that Dupli-color changed the look of the packaging recently:

Part number stayed the same. Only bought one can, and used once; but it acts same as old stuff.
YMMV
 
#8 ·
Anyone ever use the rustoleum enamel in cans (not spray). I used it on a steel bicycle frame and it is tenacious.

- Eric
That's what I have been using a few times, and it worked out quite well. It's a good paint in my opinion, although I am not a paint guru of any sort. You can go the extra mile and use a primer first, although I don't think it's absolutely necessary. Important is however, to get any rust off the metal first. I usually use electrolysis when I restore old tools, which is pretty straight forward once you have it set up. A car battery charger, a bucket of water with some baking soda and a sacrificial metal piece is pretty much all you need for that.
 
#11 ·
Anyone ever use the rustoleum enamel in cans (not spray). I used it on a steel bicycle frame and it is tenacious.
- Eric
Tenacious? Yes.
Also takes over a week to fully cure too… :-(

Since you open up this can of …..

Down the rabbit hole we go:

I use enamel for re-painting/restoring equipment. Can take some time to learn how it likes to be handled.

Like NEVER spray above 90°, unless you like orange peel. The Arizona average LOW temp in July is ~85° which makes for a very short window of spray time. :-(

IMHO - If SPRAYING ANY brand of oil based alkyd enamel (Rustoleum, Majik, Valspar, Ace, etc), be sure to add some enamel hardener. There are several brands available: Valspar, Majic, Krylon, Finish Pro - Wet Look Acrylic Enamel Hardener. Most are same thing = non-isocyanate catalyst.

Krylon sells it under a couple labels; one is Farm/Industrial Enamel Catalyst, and the other is Industrial Alkyd Hardener. Can find Krylon at Grainger or Fastenal distribution centers, and some farm/fleet stores. TSC carries the Majic brand. Valspar can be tricky? There is a version sold at farm supply centers, and there is an isocyanate based hardener sold at Valspar Automotive Refinish brand. Stay away from the Valspar automotive version.

Do not confuse the Enamel hardeners with Urethane hardeners for automotive market. The Urethane hardener has Isocyanate, and you need a full hazardous materials coverall suit and respirator to use it safely. Nasty stuff. Most city/county hazardous materials recycling centers won't accept ANY Auto Urethane paint components.

The enamel hardeners cut the dry time for enamel from several days to one day, and tack free time from several hours to well less than hour (depending on temp/humidity). I use 16:4:1 ratio of enamel/Acetone/Hardener for spraying, or about a pint of hardener to gallon of enamel.
Mix and give it 15 minutes to react before spraying. Only mix what you need to use in a couple hours. If added to an entire quart of enamel, whole can will be unusable in 4-16 hours depending on temp. DAMHIK

The only disadvantage to using the hardener, is it ADDS Gloss. Catalyst will turn semi-gloss into gloss, and gives flat camo enamel colors an annoying semi-gloss shine.

YMMV
 
#13 ·
+1 for everything KyToolSmith said. I use DE1635 Semi-Gloss on pre-war Stanley's and DE1634 Gloss on post-war models. I find the true gloss black is a bit too much on the older planes sometimes. Just kind of depends on how well the rest of the metal parts polish up really.

I just picked up some VHT to give it a try as well. Will be fun baking a plane in the oven.
 
#14 ·
Anyone ever use the rustoleum enamel in cans (not spray). I used it on a steel bicycle frame and it is tenacious.
- Eric

Tenacious? Yes.
Also takes over a week to fully cure too… :-(

Since you open up this can of …..

Down the rabbit hole we go:
Or thin it 50% and brush it after spraying on some white primer. Then bake it in yer oven. Much simpler….
 
#15 · (Edited by Moderator)
Several years ago, I did a blog series on japanning with asphaltum. In Part 6 I did a comparison of that fresh japanning vs. the Duplicolor Ford Engine enamel mentioned several times earlier. You can read the post if you wish, the comparison is at the bottom. Short version is that it is almost impossible to tell the difference when seeing one plane by itself. There is a very slight and subtle difference if doing a side by side of new finish. Add a bit of time and wear and that difference virtually disappears.
 
#16 ·
Here is the VHT gloss black fresh out of the oven…well not fresh/fresh since i let it cool in the oven but you get what i mean.

This is on a Type 9 body and frog. It got a little thick on me but I'm not used to it and wanted to see if it would be a suitable replacement since the closest auto parts store switched to it. Not sure i like it as well.
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Here is what she looked like before. It has some giant owner marks on the cheeks so i figured it was a good candidate for an experiment.
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#18 ·
Yea that s the thing with the vht you have to do light passes it gets thick quick. I have had a few that got a little heavy but the baking part is simple and it seems to be pretty durable when cured.

- corelz125
I should have been more patient with it. At first i was probably going to light because it was giving it like a powder coat texture. So the last coat i said screw it and went heavy and then it was too thick. Should have just taken my time and built it up.
 
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