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what paint to use?

E

Elleric

Weaksauce
Joined
Jun 28, 2006
Messages
107
I was wondering what people thought was the best paint for use on aluminum and steel. I am looking for very high gloss black paint.
i have an oven and a high powered heat gun so i can bake the paint on if that is needed to produce high shine.

to do this i need primer, paint and clear coat correct?

how many layers of each should get a good shine? the metal will be next to opaque black acrylic which is very very glossy so id like it to match as well as is possible.

I have never painted anything like this before so any advice/tips would be great

thanks!
-El
 
High gloss black paint is going to be the most labor intensive job of any paintjob. I would use 3 coats of self etching primer, 3 basecoats of black, then 3+ coats of clear. And keep in mind, these are LIGHT coats. Do more of each if necessary. Wetsand in between each coat with 1500 grit sandpaper.
 
I'm ok with taking my time and doing several coats and a lot of wet sanding.

do you have a paint brand recomendation? If i can get all 3 components under the same brand name id like to do that,

thanks
-El
 
A quick guide to painting that works great for me...

1) Clean surfaces you want to paint free of any dust, oil, grease, or rust.

2) Rough up surfaces with scuff pads or sandpaper.

3) Wipe off dust from scuffing with a wet clean rag.

4) Buy special indoor metal primer that says its specifically made to bond to smooth metal surfaces. Apply 3 pretty good coats of it and wetsand any imperfections out with 800-1000 grit sandpaper.

5) Get your favorite automotive color paint in multiple 12.5oz spray cans from www.paintscratch.com. You'll probably need 2 or 3 cans to do a computer case. I ordered from here before to paint small car parts with the spray cans, and it actually turned out as good as a OEM showroom paintjob.

6) Spray on 3-5 even coats of your paint (sorta thinner coats), waiting about 20 mins inbetween each coat.

7) If any imperfections arise in your paint like dust or a bug, wait until last to try to fix it. Remove the imperfection by lightly wetsanding, then apply another coat.

8) Buy the 12.5oz spray can of automotive clear coat from www.paintscratch.com. Apply 2-4 even coats of this. Then wait 2 DAYS before you even think about touching it. After 2 days, wetsand with 1500 and 2000 grit sandpaper to remove the orangepeel look if you have it.

9) Use 3m rubbing compound to rub out any imperfections caused by wetsanding.

10) Apply your favorite automotive wax/polish to get that looking really shiny like a mirror finish. I recommend Meguiars NXT Tech Wax. Its pretty awesome stuff.
 
IMO getting the paint from PaintScratch is sort of a waste of time and money. If you were working with a car, then I'd recommend PaintScratch. But Duplicolor will give you the same results.
 
hartman said:
IMO getting the paint from PaintScratch is sort of a waste of time and money. If you were working with a car, then I'd recommend PaintScratch. But Duplicolor will give you the same results.
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I've tried duplicolor before when painting a friends case, and it turned out much duller than paintscratch's automotive paint, even with clearcoat. I'm just saying its worth a little extra money and time if you want a paintjob to look good. I think if someone wants to take their time and do a good job to make something look nice, they should consider something other than $4.99 rattlecans from autozone or meijer. =/ Paintscratch literally has every color and inbetween for your exact preference for what color to paint something, they'll send you a kit with instructions, 4 extra nozzles incase they get clogged with paint so it doesn't spatter, etc. Its most definetly worth it.
 
Well that might be your experience, but plenty of people on this forum have used Duplicolor with no issues.
 
I guess it all depends how you want it to look. But.. reguardless, the method still works well that I posted above. :)
 
Well, this is not for painting an entire case, actually what i will be painting will hardly ever be seen, sealed in drive racks and an aluminum back panel. In the work logs forum there is a thread under my name with the project im doing, you can see there it will be used to just spray those drive cases and the back panel of the motherboard tray. I think for this purpose paintscratch might be over kill? If i were planning to do any kind of paint that would be seen all the time i think i would go with this, but as is, i might lean towards something a little more down scale.

-El
 
Elleric said:
Well, this is not for painting an entire case, actually what i will be painting will hardly ever be seen, sealed in drive racks and an aluminum back panel. In the work logs forum there is a thread under my name with the project im doing, you can see there it will be used to just spray those drive cases and the back panel of the motherboard tray. I think for this purpose paintscratch might be over kill? If i were planning to do any kind of paint that would be seen all the time i think i would go with this, but as is, i might lean towards something a little more down scale.

-El
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pfft.. lol. In that case, use duplicolor. I was just talking for a superior quality outside show finish that would look awesome. It is not worth the money simply just to paint the inside with paintscratch auto paint. :p
 
I should be able to go into autozone and get some duplicolor primer/paint/clear coat correct? or is this stuff ill need to be ordering online?
 
Elleric said:
I should be able to go into autozone and get some duplicolor primer/paint/clear coat correct? or is this stuff ill need to be ordering online?
Click to expand...
just go to autozone or home depot or lowes. Make sure to get the special indoor metal bonding primer. I think rustoleum makes it. It specifically says on the can that it bonds tightly to smooth metal surfaces. Buy various grades of sandpaper.. 500, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000. Buy your duplicolor paint.. clearcoat is optional, but can help against scrapes. If you use clear coat, just make sure to let it harden for 36 to 48 hours after you apply it.
 
Make sure too, if you do use a clear coat that you apply it in thin layers, because if you do it too thick that stuff will never seem to dry right.
 
woo

paints.JPG


there we go, ill let ya know how it goes~

-El
 
woohoo.. new paint is good. :D If you've never painted before, just make sure to spray it on about 6 to 10 inches away so it doesn't build up and run. Do nice even coats that aren't too thick. Multiple coats are good, waiting 20 mins for each coat to dry. Do it in a well ventilated area with a de-humidifier and turn a fan on after you paint. Good lighting is a must too. When you apply the paint, make sure to overlap when you are spraying. =)
 
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