Best paint and technique for Farmall H

JohnV2000

Member
After a couple months of waiting, I am finally going to be getting my Farmall H hauled home this coming weekend (hopefully).

I want to repaint the entire tractor, but I really have no experience with painting things, especially tractors. My grandfather has painted lots of things, and he said he will help me, but I want to get some tractor specific advice.

Basically, what kind of paint and technique do you guys recommend for repainting a Farmall H? I will be repanting the sheet metal, the frame, engine, and all the small parts. I was thinking that an air compressor and a paint sprayer would be the method to use, but I really have no idea.

As for the paint brand, I have seen some paint advertised as Farmall Red, but I am not sure if that will give me the best looking tractor. I want something nice and shiny that looks original and will make the tractor look pretty. Basically, what brand and type of paint would you recommend, and what is the best way to apply the paint?

Thank you very much, this forum has been absolutely indispensable for me.

John
 
Paint would be the last thing to do. You need to attend to any fixing of things first. Don't want to scrape up that new paint fixing little things.
 
(quoted from post at 09:12:50 02/11/19) Paint would be the last thing to do. You need to attend to any fixing of things first. Don't want to scrape up that new paint fixing little things.

Good point. I am going to wait until the summer to paint, and hopefully by late summer I will have the other things fixed. I am just tying to get ahead of the game with the paint question, I will fix the other things first.
 
The only way you're going to get an acceptably smooth finish on the sheet metal is by spraying. The only way you're going to get paint into a lot of the nooks and crannies on that tractor without going insane is by spraying.

You learn how to run the gun on the cast parts, then transition over to the sheet metal.

Lots of paint choices, but the "2150" paint from the CaseIH dealer is about the best mix of color match, durability, easy application. Stay away from the "Majic" garbage at Tractor Supply.

Also stay away from hardener, at least until you educate yourself on the dangers of breathing isocyanates. Some will tell you they drink hardener straight from the can with their orange juice at breakfast, and/or that they wear a respirator and/or paint outside and they're just fine. However, some people are sensitive/allergic to it, and you won't know until you get the slightest whiff of the stuff and it puts you in the hospital with lung damage. Respirators do not stop the fumes from hardener. You need a special breathing apparatus to safely apply paint with the hardener mixed.
 
Give you my experience. I took my H apart as far as I could, took all the parts off, sand-blasted / scraped / wire-brushed / flat-scraper scraped / sandpapered etc everything down to bare metal, then spray primered everything with whatever rattle-can I could find, red, brown, etc. Then I painted with spray cans of Van Sickle IHC red, and watched as it all developed a white film. Color was sorta close, but not really. Didn't like the Van S at all. Just sitting in the barn, it developed a white film. Not outside. Went to the IHC dealer, got the authentic IHC-74556-N rattle cans, or some such number. Was advised that color, was advised that number, and was advised to buy a 6-pack so the lot numbers would match. Painted, and I love it. Color matches the new Farmalls on the dealers lot. If I scrape it, I can touch it up anytime. Wins awards in every Christmas parade for last 11 years.
 

IH 2150. For best results the sheet metal should be done with a spray application, but believe it or not, the rattle cans will do an excellent job. ALL of the cast iron can be painted with a brush. A GOOD brush, and do not thin the paint.
 
My Super M has IH dealer 2150, was about 50 bucks a gallon. The Super C has urethane $$$$$ close to thirty years ago.
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(quoted from post at 07:35:06 02/11/19) After a couple months of waiting, I am finally going to be getting my Farmall H hauled home this coming weekend (hopefully).

I want to repaint the entire tractor, but I really have no experience with painting things, especially tractors. My grandfather has painted lots of things, and he said he will help me, but I want to get some tractor specific advice.

Basically, what kind of paint and technique do you guys recommend for repainting a Farmall H? I will be repanting the sheet metal, the frame, engine, and all the small parts. I was thinking that an air compressor and a paint sprayer would be the method to use, but I really have no idea.

As for the paint brand, I have seen some paint advertised as Farmall Red, but I am not sure if that will give me the best looking tractor. I want something nice and shiny that looks original and will make the tractor look pretty. Basically, what brand and type of paint would you recommend, and what is the best way to apply the paint?

Thank you very much, this forum has been absolutely indispensable for me.

John

A spray gun is absolutely the only way to go.

Not to ruffle feathers, but everyone is welcome to their own opinion and mine is that you should ignore anyone promoting you finish your tractor either with rattle cans or with unhardened paint. If you cannot spray the hardened paint safely, you should find someone with the equipment that can or pony up the $400 for a fresh air respirator and sell it when you are done. You could likely find someone with a booth to rent as well.

The IH paint is not bad paint WITH hardener added. It is realistically a step up from the worst paints you could choose for a restoration (i.e. Rustoleum, Majic, the "super premium" Van Sickle paint). It is in my opinion a 10-12 year paint job and this is based off of real experience, using hardener and good primers and prep. You might get it to last longer if it never goes outside and stays waxed every 3 months...

Van Sickle also makes an acrylic enamel which I tried on the last job and it seems like a good product so far. Much nicer to spray than the IH 2150 and excellent coverage but I have no LONG term experience as of yet and you should double-check the color with any product to make sure it is acceptable to you.

There are loads of posts on here for Crossfire/PPG/Nason paint codes for IH50 and 2150 and what years these codes correspond to. Find your local jobbers and see what lines they have and what they can mix for you. Find some mail order places and see if they will send you spray out chips or if they have a match.
 
As already stated, strip the tractor down. Have the sheet metal sandblasted buy someone that knows how to do sheet metal. Scrape, wire brush and de-grease the whole thing. Replace all of the grease seals on the entire tractor. Nothing is worse than spending a ton of time and money to paint a tractor just to have oil running out of it. Gun spray the sheet metal. If you have limited access to spraying equipment you can brush all the cast iron if you are careful. I have brush painted a bunch of tractors in the past. You should only paint a small area at a time. Watch for runs and again watch for runs. With a quality paint brush you can get a pretty good result. I think I have painted four tractors this way and they all look like trailer queens. Red paint is the worst paint there is. It is the most expensive due to the pigments that are in it and it fades the worst. I would look at acrylic enamel paints. Either an industrial or automotive paint. They are more expensive but are well worth it in the long run.

Good Luck and have fun,

OTJ
 
You have gotten some very good advice on this forum. For me, painting is an art and takes patience and practice. I have painted some things, but tractors with long term sentimental value, I take them to a professional painter. I have had good luck the DuPont Imron. It has been around for quite awhile, and I suppose some will say there are better but there is Imron Elite. It does require high end respirators, etc., and I do not recommend it for the beginner. Some auto paint guys say it is hard to apply but I don't know. Give it a little time and you will forget about the cost. And as durable as it is, you will have a lot of time. With a cheap paint, you will end up doing it again in a few years and regretting you ever did used a cheap paint in the first place. Good luck!!
 
My last and final restoration was done 6 years ago. Used IH 2150 with hardener. It looks as good today as the day I painted it. It is kept inside when not being played with.
r/
Pete in NC

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I did not know that hardener was that dangerous.

There really is no way to use hardener except to buy an expensive respirator?
 
Unless there is a rust problem, most tractors look good with older paint, in their "working clothes" so to speak. Most people do all their repairs including fix all the leaks before re-painting anything on a tractor, then prep and paint the whole tractor as the last step in a restoration. IMHO, a few freshly painted parts on an other wise nice looking tractor, suddenly make the rest of the tractor look shabby.

Prepping and painting your trailer or a wagon might be a great first time paint project, great practice and feedback before painting a tractor.

Good luck and have fun with your projects.
 
(quoted from post at 19:08:33 02/11/19) Unless there is a rust problem, most tractors look good with older paint, in their "working clothes" so to speak. Most people do all their repairs including fix all the leaks before re-painting anything on a tractor, then prep and paint the whole tractor as the last step in a restoration. IMHO, a few freshly painted parts on an other wise nice looking tractor, suddenly make the rest of the tractor look shabby.

Prepping and painting your trailer or a wagon might be a great first time paint project, great practice and feedback before painting a tractor.

Good luck and have fun with your projects.

Thanks for the advice! The tractor I am getting was repainted several years ago, but it was done very poorly, with paint that was off colored and is already peeling. If it was original paint I might be more inclined to leave it be, but I think once I get it working mechanically, a fresh repaint will be in order.
 
(quoted from post at 15:35:54 02/11/19) I did not know that hardener was that dangerous.

There really is no way to use hardener except to buy an expensive respirator?

It CAN be dangerous. Some people have no problems, but you can also have no problems the first time, and have it take you out the next time you're exposed to it.

The subject is controversial, with many people poo-pooing the notion saying it's all OSHA bunk, that they've used hardener many times and never had problems. I know at least two people who have permanent lung damage due to hardener exposure, and they will tell you it's no laughing matter.

There are some people who just rail against ANYTHING that OSHA puts out.

and YES, the only real safe way is with a positive pressure respirator. Your normal run of the mill charcoal filters will not stop hardener fumes.
 
(quoted from post at 09:03:27 02/12/19)
(quoted from post at 15:35:54 02/11/19) I did not know that hardener was that dangerous.

There really is no way to use hardener except to buy an expensive respirator?

It CAN be dangerous. Some people have no problems, but you can also have no problems the first time, and have it take you out the next time you're exposed to it.

The subject is controversial, with many people poo-pooing the notion saying it's all OSHA bunk, that they've used hardener many times and never had problems. I know at least two people who have permanent lung damage due to hardener exposure, and they will tell you it's no laughing matter.

There are some people who just rail against ANYTHING that OSHA puts out.

and YES, the only real safe way is with a positive pressure respirator. Your normal run of the mill charcoal filters will not stop hardener fumes.

Right, you have to have the correct specific cartridges and you must have a super good seal on the mask. The cartridges need replaced basically every time you spray with a fresh set from a sealed package and that price adds up FAST.

I'm confident that I can no longer wear contact lenses because, while I may have been getting along with the proper lung protection, my eyes were not covered properly. You need full face protection, and you need to keep air circulating through your work space. Buy a Hobby Air setup for fresh air pressure, and sell it if you don't want to continue the hobby. You will get most of your money back.

The only downside to the fresh air system is now having 2 hoses to drag around. I taped my hoses together so that I only have 1 to worry about. The fresh air system is the single best investment I have ever spent money on.
 
(quoted from post at 06:48:38 02/13/19) Wow, hardener seems a little bit scary. Will the tractors paint look bad without hardener?

Not right away. Hardener brings in a lot of durability/ up.

Read up on isocyanate and make your own opinion on safety.
 

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