Paint question

[Skaterpunk]

I'm currently in the process of painting a case but then i notice that anything that touches the case scratches the paint off. Would put a clear coat over it protect it from scratching off? What would keep paint from scratching off?

 

[waltherone]

Well first off, did you sand and spray primer before painting? Doing so is pretty much necessity to having a good paint job on a metal surface.

To answer your question though, layers of clear coat typically do help prevent paint scratches, but as said above, if the paint isn't sticking that well to begin with, you're putting a bandaid on a gunshot wound

 

[johnny_revolution]

i kinda had the same problem. i sanded the interior of the case, put a coat of primer the nadded a few coats of orange. after i put on a few coats of clear gloss. as soon as i put the HD cage back into its little slot a big chip of paint came off with ease. i ws kind bummed. if that could happen there (and it was only a light amount of contact between parts) then practically all the paint could be stripepd off easily.

im still bummed. it was my first paintjob and i now cant use the case out of fear that ill just caise more damage. and i did a damn fine job (i think) too.

so what happend? how, i nthe future, do i avoid cracking and "potato chipping" (basiclaly the paint comes off and is about as hard as a potato chip)

 

[Skaterpunk]

it is primed and everything sanded all that ill try to get a clear coat on it soon and see what happens....

 

[johnny_revolution]

good luck, tell me how it goes...if you find a way to protect against scratches give me a buzz.

oh...and (bump)

 

[Skaterpunk]

ill post how it goes hopefully ill get my motherboard back to put in it lol fed ex lost it =(

 

[wiretap]

I think you might not have roughed up the surface enough and used the right type primer. You want to really get the surface roughed up good with some lower numbered grit sandpaper. Don't be afraid about getting small scratches that will show through once you primer. Just do a few coats of primer, then wet sand it down so its nice and smooth. For primer, make sure it is made for "indoor metal". That stuff works the best. Here's a link to some so you get an idea what to look for. Its specially formulated to tightly bond to smooth metals. http://www.rust-oleum.com/Product.asp?frm_product_id=26&SBL=1&dds=15

Once you get all your primer done and smoothed out, you can apply a few coats of paint. Usually 3 to 4 even coats is plenty. Wait for everything to dry for at least 20-30 mins in a well ventilated non-humid area inbetween coats. Make sure you have plenty of light on your item you are painting. Then, its a really good idea to clear coat everything. Do 1 to 2 coats of clear coat.. that should be plenty. Then let the clear coat dry for 2 to 3 DAYS. You can then go back and use rubbing compound, then wax, then polish, to make everything look super shiny. If you had the "orange peel" looking effect on the surface before using rubbing compound, you would want to wetsand with 2000 grit sandpaper very lightly. Then go about with the compound and wax.

 

[RazorWind]

The case I've been using for like 5 years is an Antec SX1030. From the factory, it comes with a really thick powder coat.

I sanded that shit off with 40 grit (took me literally days), and then sanded the whole thing smoot up to like 400 grit and applied several coats of primer, sanding between each coat. Finally, I painted it with color and clear, and other than the door, the paint has stood up remarkably well.

The trick is 1. sanding down to the bare metal, and 2. sanding after you apply paint. When you sand the painted parts, you obviously don't use really coarse sandpaper.