Hardener in rustoleum

[Mattbg79 1]

Ive been using regal red rattlecans on my 520 project, and id like to just buy a qt and spray my body panels with my gun (cheaper, and better fanwidth) id also like to mix in hardener so it colorsands and buffs nicely. Ive used hardeners in acrylic enamel before, but would i use the same kind in the rustoleum? if it isnt possible ill get some acrylic enamel mixed up, but im trying to keep it cheap.

[lakeratokc 0]

hardner is usually just used for curing, it adds a little bit of durability. Doesn't add any buffing properties. Just speeds things up.

[Mattbg79 1]

It seems to sand better with the hardener from what ive noticed. Not so "gummy" and ive also been told with acrylic enamel you have to use hardener if your going to use a urethane clear which i may or may not do.

[lakeratokc 0]

ummm if its gummy, then somethings not right, I can't think of any final coat that does not use a hardner

[HorseFixer 2,012]

I'm going to voice an opinion here! Because I went through a hell of an ordeal a couple months ago that I would not wish on my worst enemy!! <_< This costed me Over $350.00 in paint and materials and about an extra 50hrs of time.

Stay with the same brand name auto finish products from start to finish! That means same brand primers, color coat, top coat, clears, hardeners, reducers,

etc, etc, etc. Read the instructions and follow them! The people that make these products are smarter than you and I, and knows what works. No need to

Re-Invent the wheel!

I Personally I use 100% PPG Shopeline Products And Use The Urethane JAU Color with Clear Added and Then Clear Over that for a duarble finish:thumbs2:

No matter what kind or brand you decide to use Dupont PPG or whatever stick with the same thing throughout the job!

Besides if something goes wrong when following their directions you have a better chance of getting a warranty on a BUCKED up paint job! :thumbs2:

[WHC-125 4]

Stay with the same brand name auto finish products from start to finish! That means same brand primers, color coat, top coat, clears, hardeners, reducers, etc, etc, etc. Read the instructions and follow them! The people that make these products are smarter than you and I, and knows what works. No need to Re-Invent the wheel!

Besides if something goes wrong when following their directions you have a better chance of getting a warranty on a BUCKED up paint job!

I agree 110% :ychain:

[lakeratokc 0]

You are absolute correct. I personally am a BASF RM Diamont fan, I have been painting for a living for about 12 years, and painting cars for 25+. however the same company will have different lines of paint that will interact well. However, reducers, hardners, activaters, flex agents, etc. will not. For example, you can base coat something with Limco, and clear it with Diamont Dc5100 or 92, no problem. You can not however use limco hardner with DC clear, etc. There is no question however to use a line of products you like, or can afford, and get great results.

[rallysman 0]

I don't know if anyone here has used Nitram (Martin Senour) but I would love to repaint my horse with it. It's a single stage paint with more than half of the mix being clear. The pigment is extremely thick. I painted a custom van in high school (dubbed by my peers as the porta party) and it had some nasty orange peel because it was humid and I don't know what I'm doing. Even with the nasty orange peel I was able to sand and buff it to make it look like a semi-professional paint job. I also think it would be perfect for a work tractor because of the ability it gives you to buff out scratches. Since it doesn't have an extra clear coat you can buff out almost any scratch as long as it doesn't go down to the metal. I know this first hand because my van got keyed once. I was actually laughing as I buffed the scratches out because whoever keyed my van would have seen it and wondered if I repainted the whole thing. I think Imron is similar if you're a DuPont person.

[Horse Fanatic 49]

Rustoleum does not need a hardener added to it. You can sand and buff spray can paint or Rustoleum sprayed with a gun with good results, I've done it a number of times.

[linen beige 14]

Rustoleum does not need a hardener added to it. You can sand and buff spray can paint or Rustoleum sprayed with a gun with good results, I've done it a number of times.

Enamel can be gummy if it is sprayed too thick. The outer surface dries but the underlying paint ca't off gas through the dried skin. The secret to getting GOOD results from rattle cans is not trying to cover the whole thing in one thick coat. As it says on the can, several thin coats, allowing each to dry before re-coating.

But on another note that may cause some controversy, there should be no need to sand and buff properly sprayed enamel. If layed down right it will level out on it's own.

[HorseFixer 2,012]

there should be no need to sand and buff properly sprayed enamel. If layed down right it will level out on it's own.

Yer right Jim! Guess its not being applied properly :thumbs:

[lakeratokc 0]

buffing is needed if lots of bugs or dirt, not just for orange peel. Most of the clears made today, are made to leave a factory orange peel. Unless you want to get a House Of Kolor

[Mattbg79 1]

And then again maybe it is being applied properly , no one can tell me that rattlecan paint sands as nicely as a basecoat, or a laquer primer, or acrylic with a hardener. And when i say gummy, i mean it gums up the sandpaper alot more than other paint seems to, not that i can press feingerprints into it or anything like that. I can get a nice flat finish with a gun or a can with a decent nozzle, my reason for wanting the ability to wetsand and buff is because unlike several i actually use my horses, and they get treelimb scratches etc, and also unlike several clean them up and polish them after every use. the other reason is in the event of dust while its drying. This isnt my first painting project, ive painted cars, tractors, custom auto interiors i built from fiberglass, houses etc.. I was just asking if i could add a hardener to rustoleum (which isnt the most durable paint) to save some a few dollars. if i need to ill go buy ppg base and clear and i kno i can wetsand and buff that nicely if need be.

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Matt my intentions werent to Dog you out here I'm just laying my past experience out on the table and that I F*&*ed up an entire paint job by not staying with matched products. PPG is prolly not the best paint and it sure isn't the most exspensive either. But I think its a damn good paint for the money. it applies nice and gives a great finish. They have the code for IH red also. good luck

[lakeratokc 0]

your paint is to gummy, are you meaning rattle or spray? If you put to much hardner in, it can do the opposite effect. It will always be gummy.

[refracman 167]

Dont remember where I read it, rustolum has a type of oil in it that never hardens completely, to give it the antirust propertys, that is the reason for your delemia. Their regular primer has the same product in it.

I do think, not for sure, but you can get hardener for rustolum from someplace like granger's for gun spraying.

We use antirust paint on all our equipment, and if we need to weld on it we use wirewheels to remove it because of this issue.

[Mattbg79 1]

Im sorry Duke, i got a bit aggrivated. I probably should have asked a different question entirely such as: What should an anal wheelhorse user paint his machine with that will be as durable as the factory finishes were?

I really do clean and polish these things top to bottom everytime they leave their building. I know what it takes to bring them back to life after someone neglects them, thats why i do what i do to maintain them. Also the reason i was asking about rustoleum wa the price, and because ive never used it other than for small stuff from a spray can.

I have just had all of my body panels sandblasted, and all are primed with Hi Prime Grey primer reduced with laquer reducer. all have been sanded to 400. To my knowledge and what i was told by the auto finish store owner I can put just about any kind of paint over that. rustoleum/ ppg/ omni/ basf/ valspar etc.

Thank you to everyone

[Raider12 13]

In the past when refinishing a older horse, I have used a paint system made by Dupont called Imron. It spays just like an enamel and will lay nice in flat (applied correctly) and it is as hard as nails after dried. It is a bit pricy though. But it will last for years. This is the paint system they use on semi-trucks etc.

On the question of adding a hardner to a cheaper line of enamel from the local hardware is very risky business. Unless the manufacture of your color offers a hardner option, I wouldn't dare add anything to it. I too have been painting cars as my living for over 24 years and I can tell you from experence it will jump up and bit you in the butt big time.

Denver