Rustoleum Paint

[mattd860 162]

When painting various WH parts I often use Rustoleum Regal Red spray paint but it doesn't hold up too well. So, if I bought a quart of it, mixed it with hardener, thinned it out a bit, and sprayed it with my HVLP gun will it make the Rustoleum paint hold up a lot better? Will the hardener have any affect? If this works, I may just spray my whole C-161 this way.

[1maidenfan 202]

My question is, where did you find regal red in the quart? Thats (rattle can) the color and brand I am using on my 18 auto restore.

Thanks.

[mattd860 162]

www.amazon.com

[Trouty56 567]

Thought I saw Regal Red in Lowes before by the qt.

[wheelhorse656 20]

you can buy a quart at your local hardware store, walmart also has it.... I used regal and sunrise mixed 50 50 thinned and hardend ant it worked great dont use minaral spirits to thin the paint use acatone..... When hardend it can take a betting. I used this on the 656 restroation. It turned out great!

[Kelly 1,029]

If your going to the trouble to thin it, add hardener and spray it, why not use Valspar resto series paint from TSC, IH red is pretty close match, and holds a shine very good and is pretty durable, last gal. I picked up was about $45 plus hardener, and the reducer, a gal. will do 2 tractors, just add the hardener to what you are using, and the mixing ratio is very forgiving.

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,330]

The hardener will help bring out some shine and make it a bit more durable and imo more importantly help it flash off quicker. I am a fan of Valspar IH Red (non restoration series). In the end it is all the same unless you spend all the money and buy automotive grade paint.

[Kelly 1,029]

Auto paint is the way to go, but not cheap, and mixing it correctly is more important, and all is wasted if you didn't prep the surface right with good primer, and sanding it with a fine grade of paper, the tractor in my avatar is candy red auto paint, with epoxy primer, I have close to $500 in paint materials, but it was for my daughter so it didn't matter, but one nice upside is it is ready to wet sand a polish in a day, you can handle it with care in a few hours.

[wheelhorse656 20]

I think Stevebo is right unless you buy automotive quality paint and go threw the proper steps to make it come out right it will all come out the same or fairly close. I favor the IH red from valspar over rustoluem but when I did the 656 i had know cluse the stuff exsisted. But either way the end result will come out about the same. It will take 2qt to do a tractor. I like valspar better because i think the color is closer but 1qt of regal and 1qt of sunrise red will get pretty much the same color.

[Ken B 3,164]

I haven't been able to locate Valspar resto red in quarts and or gallons in 3 different Tractor Supply stores for almost a yr. now. When I used resto red with the hardener in it I was able to wet sand and buff it out in 24 hrs. For what it is and the cost, its pretty decent paint.

If you don't mind taking a chance on Rustoleums longevity with some hardener mixed in, give it a shot. I may do a refurb on my 416-8. I think I'm going too splurge for the regular Valspar IH red at 12.99 a quart thinned with haredener in it.

[kpinnc 12,092]

I agree with using Valspar. If nothing else, you can't go wrong for the price. To those of us who aren't the best painters, a newbie paint job that has to be done twice only costs about $20, rather than wasting a couple hundred on automotive paint. My 867 and 518-H were both painted with automotive paint that cost $70 a quart, and they both have to be repainted. Mixing that paint is critical, as mine turned out so hard that it chips when scratched, and I mean BIG chips. It's too hard, and I can only assume I did something wrong. Valspar is a bit soft, but a scratch only yields a scratch. Much better IMHO. When it cures, you can take it to a detail shop and have the sheet metal buffed to a very nice shine. Not PPG by any means, but a very inexpensive and forgiving product to learn with.

Plus, you can buy a rattle can of Valspar to use as touch-up later. How cool is that?

[mattd860 162]

Ok thanks for all the info. I ordered 3 quarts of the Rustoleum Regal Red from Amazon. Does anyone know the correct mixture for the hardener? I don't want it too hard like kpinnc said but I obviously need some of it since the paint is very soft, almost spongy without it. Also, I plan on doing a few coats of paint - probably 3 coats. So do I spray all the coats with the hardener mixed in or should I only mix in the hardener with the final coat?

My father also mentioned the possibility of mixing clear coat with the final coat. Anybody heard of this? If yes, what would the correct mixture be?

[wheelhorse656 20]

It will tell you on the bottle of hardener how much to add to the paint. I am not for sure but i think Its 2 oz per pint. But not sure..... Like i said it will tell you on the bottle of hardener.

[Ken B 3,164]

All coats will be sprayed with the hardener in it. I wouldn't do the clear coat added in the final coat deal. That can cause some bad things to happen and ruin an other wise nice paint job. You shouldn't have to use clear coat at all. If the final coat isn't as smooth as you'd like it to be you can wet sand the rough spots with some 800-1000 grit wet sand paper and then buff it out with some medium cut compound using a buffer. Let it cure for a week or so, even with hardener Rustoleum will still take awhile to cure. Be careful not to burn thru the paint while buffing. Before you have at it on the tractor you may want to practice on something else first.

[AMC RULES 37,130]

Ever seen this?

Quit laughing, give it a chance.

People are amazing. :popcorn:

[kpinnc 12,092]

That's fairly freaking amazing. A car part painted with Rustoleum, and it actually looks nice.

Just wonder how long it stands up to the elements though, and it took 4 days to do it...

[Ken B 3,164]

I totally agree with you, That shine won't last long in the elements and I could have painted an entire car start to finish in the time it took him to do that one fender. With no hardener in the paint if someone leans against that fender even a month down the road it'll leave an impression.

[mattd860 162]

I totally agree with you, That shine won't last long in the elements and I could have painted an entire car start to finish in the time it took him to do that one fender. With no hardener in the paint if someone leans against that fender even a month down the road it'll leave an impression.

Couldn't you just add a hardener to the mix to make the paint and shine last longer?

[Ken B 3,164]

The guy in the video could have used hardener, but it seems that he went thru all of that trouble and didn't. I'm not taking anything away from him, he busted his butt and it does look good. Cost could have been a factor?

In all honesty I have only sprayed Rustoleum brand from a quart sized can once in my life. A few months ago I had a slow day at work. I grabbed a quart sized can of Sunrise red out of the paint cabinet, thinned it a little and thru it in a spray gun. I had a nice big cabinet I wanted to paint so I deglossed it and blasted the Sunrise red on it. It looks awesome but it literally took days for it to dry. (no hardener in it) I have however used Rustoleum 100's of times at a previous job of employment, but there I always used a good roller and a good Purdy brush to tip it off. I painted four huge Trojan loaders with a roller and a brush using Rustoleum and they looked fabulous, no roller or brush marks whatsoever, and no runs! I never used hardener but I would use Japan drier mixed in if I needed something to dry a little quicker.

You shouldn't have any real big worries on an ever lasting shine Matt. I'm sure you won't be leaving your tractor out in the elements 24/7. After the paint is fully cured and finished to your liking keep a good wax on it.

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,330]

Matt,

Why not just use Valspar IH red from tractor supply? It is a tested method and the cost is about the same...

[AMC RULES 37,130]

I'm not a big Rustoleum fan either. :coffee:

[mattd860 162]

Matt,

Why not just use Valspar IH red from tractor supply? It is a tested method and the cost is about the same...

Because I don't have time to drive 45 minutes to the nearest tractor supply and I have much easier access to the Rustoleum paint. If I can get this to work, it will be just as viable as the Valspar paint IMO. I personally believe that the Rustoleum paint with hardener and lots of curing time will be just as good as any other of the cheaper alternatives. Who knows - maybe I will prove myself wrong there's only one way to find out. I have my HVLP spray gun all setup and ready to go. Just need to install the regulator on my air compressor and finish sand blasting the parts.

[kpinnc 12,092]

You should be fine using Rustoleum, Matt. If applied with a spray gun and hardener, it should perform every bit as well as Valspar. I use Rustoleum primer on everything I paint, so I know it is at least a quality product, and it performs as advertised. I have used Rustoleum black and white on other items, and they have held up very well. To be completely honest, the only reason I use Valspar is because it actually comes in IH red, and is very inexpensive and easy to get. If Rustoleum came in IH red, I would use it too.

I was only making fun of the car fender. The guy did a bang-up job, but I doubt that paint will last in THAT application as long as an automotive finish will. On my tractors, which all are stored indoors, Valspar and Rustoleum will last for many years. Just not parked outside in direct sunlight, rain, ice, and all the crud from the highway that every car finish sees.

[massey 118]

Just curious, what hardener are you guys using with the Rust-oleum?

[Ken B 3,164]

I haven't used hardener in Rustoleum myself. If I was going to I'd give the stuff from Tractor Supply a whirl.