Paint that didn't turn out as planned (pic)

Chase_99

Member
I noticed the other day a checker plate deck I painted 18 months ago is starting to rust on the bottom. It's disapointing as I had it sandblasteted, 3:1 expoxy primer then a 1:1 polyurethane top coat. I'm thinking the reason is I didn't put enough on in this area due too conditons in the shop, lighting, prep and .... simple lack of experience using product! I painted a few things since with this paint(seed drill fert. box, truck mirror brackets and tool box) and got much better results. Unfortunately the 1st items were some of the biggest. Also I notice this stuff though a durable hard finish does chip. The other part of the truck deck that needs doing I probably will just use an enamel paint top coat. I'm not sure if $$ ureathane paints are the way to go on equipment parts that get nicked and banged up all the time and need "fix ups". A tractor hood and fenders and things like that yes I can see it being an excellent use for it but areas that are prone to damage, scratches, and what not seems like it may not be the way to go.


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Maybe so, maybe no. Automotive paint is not designed to take abuse. Any paint will chip if hit with something. All I use is urethane. I do occasionally get a chip for no reason, most recently on the grill of my Super H. I imagine that the old alkyd enamel does the same thing, people just tend to notice damage to high dollar paint but don't think much about damage to the cheap stuff.
 
Well the top side was chipped. All you can do is touch up spots like that. I normally just use a little artist brush on places like that. The underside looks like all the rust was not removed and the primer couldn't make a good bond. If you could take the deck plate off I would sandblast it again before it rusts any further and do it over and paint it in the same manor.

Urethane is a good finish for a tractor because it will resist all the oil and chemicals a tractor gets on the paint.
 
that bottom side looks like it was pitted by rust pretty well to begin with.

Even when sandblasting, it can be easy to miss some of the rust on a rough surface like that. Especially when you're doing large areas or lots of parts.
 

That is why most shops use an acid wash (phosphoric acid) after sand blasting to neutralize those little bits of rust that get left in the pits. The acid converts the rust to inert iron phosphate.
 
Yes it was rusted pretty bad that’s for sure. I took it down to a place that had a huge sand blaster and it sure looked like they did a real good job on it. But come to think of it now there could have been some tiny specks (pits) still in a few places on the bottom. The sandblaster guy said to get primer on it ASAP before rust comes back and didn't mention any acid wash. Also they recommended I use this type of paint as that’s what they use. Under there its in a corrosive environment constantly during the winter months. I just figured I didn't get enough on there to start with as this stuff is supposed to be some of the best you can use up here on semi truck and trailer frames on our salty winter roads. Even on top I noticed you can see in the picture there the epoxy showing through in spots. I did a couple things after this and I laid it on much thicker and that stuff seems to be fine.

I guess I can chalk it up as a "learning experience"! :x Just wish it would have been on a smaller scale! As sandblasting and that paint weren't cheap. :shock: Plus that paint is rather nasty stuff I learned ... after. Though this type of paint is a superior finish compared to the old alkyd enamels I can see the prep for it is even more critical to make it work properly.

When I painted this deck the first time when I built it (back in 1999) I just used cheap alkyd rust enamel and it lasted for years. I laid it on really thick especially on the bottom there. I had the deck flipped upside down back then and just painted on rustoleum really heavy. Of course over time it broke down and got rusty in spots. Back then it was new metal but not sandblasted. The sandblaster said for the best bond new metal like I used needs to be sandblasted to remove the mill glaze. I’m sure no farm implements get sandblasted at the factory before painting but they may have other processes they use.
 

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