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John Deere A

B

banjoman09

Well-known Member
First time here guys; bought an old "A" to restore; 1950 model; has paint on it but kinda dark green; do I just sand it lightly with a grit paper and spray it? I dont
need to be perfect- just gonna be a farm tractor..... Thanks!
 
I think I would rather restore it right than just a smooth over. If you decided later to do it right it would be twice as much work than it is now. If you take it down to bare metal, use an epoxy primer and automotive paint it should look good for 20 years or more. What ever you do make sure you get it really clean. The least trace of oil will make any paint fail.
 
okay, thank you...I will do my best. I did buy a quart of paint from John Deere....and a new spray gun. Any input on how to mix hardener with paint.....im new at this.
 
John Deere isn't very forthcoming on information on their paint. From what I can see the paint is manufactured by Valspar which is a poor quality paint. In any case it's an alkyd enamel which is more similar to enamel house paint. I couldn't find anything on the hardener. You should be able to get an instruction sheet from the place you bought the paint that will give you the mixing instructions. Be very careful spraying a paint with a hardener in it. The hardener can go through a paint spray respirator. The hardener for enamel is a bit milder than what is used on urethane. If you use good ventilation while you use it and try to stay upwind from the paint you should be alright. If you would use an acrylic enamel it would be a lot safer and would last longer.

The quart of paint you bought is just going to give you something to play with. More than likely it will take you closer to two gallons of paint to paint the tractor.
 
I run 8:1 with Deere paint and then up to 1 part reducer, just depends on what part I'm painting, weather and mood. I have always used Napa hardener, but switched to nason due to EPA in my area. My first tractor with Deere paint and hardener all look good 10 years later.

In regards to strip and repaint or spray over, your call. I hate doing things twice, so you can guess how I do it. However none aren't workers. If I did worker, if old paint is solid and not fresh, I would be tempted to try and go over existing.
 
Follow the safety instructions when using a hardener, and use the proper breathing equipment. Some can be very bad to inhale.
 
8 parts paint to 1 part hardener. The reducer to a certain extent is a personal choice. I reduce up to 1 part or so by adding little bits and then letting it drip off my mixing stick. If it is thick is does a big longish drip and plops into the cup. I like mine where it drips off the stick almost like water, but when it lands in the cup it makes ripples, but doesn't bounce back up like water would. I would high recommend practicing on a piece of sheetmetal scrap or in a pinch you could use cardboard or even some aluminum foil laid out (and weighted down). You want a nice even spray pattern to get good coverage.
 

Sounds like you need to make up your mind whether you are going to restore it or just work it. You said both. Don't do a lot of work and then spray cheap paint on it. You will have a tough time to get it off if it wrinkles all up. Don't just sand it a little and put expensive paint on it. It will be a waste of money.
 
it has a decent paint job- green ofcourse...but darker green and faded; hood is kinda straight but alot of small dents in one side; what type of sanding or paper or
sander? Thanks for your help.
 
Hardener in any breeze will swirl around the person, so that person will inhale it. Try oven cleaner or anything that can be smelled outside with no mask and you will smell it, wind or not. You are correct that a mask does not keep hardener out. In other words you are never safe inside or out unless you have a hood and air sent to it.
 
I painted my 51 G with John Deere paint with hardener. It held up good for ten years and then I sold it. But I always stored it inside, and was careful not to spill gas on it. In had a good shine about like automotive paint.
 
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