Orig parts finish quality

[DjD]

Staying as orig as possible on a restoration some parts (axle tubes, a-arms, even frame rails) get that nice cottage cheese finish after cleaning away the rust. Is that hammered look acceptable or is it time to find new parts? Is there a process that can be done that fills this in? Can the surface be taken down to bring back a smooth finish?

Is this cottage cheese caused more from media blasting with too course of material?

Thanks,
Dennis

[x44d80]

I had a similar problem on axle tubes and used a filling type primer to fill in the bumps then sanding smooth before painting.

[DjD]

Thanks for the input x44d80 http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/smile.gif

Any others got an opinion?

...Dennis

[Mr70]

I like that cottage cheese affect.It shows character and originality to me.I see and feel a 32 year old part.
I was tempted to get Brand new reproduction or NOS clean swaybars for my Chevelle.But I decided to keep the originals and had them blasted.Once done they showed that cottage cheese look.I painted them black and sealed them with a durable coating.
Now I am not a show car judge,but I have been to many carshows with mine,and not ever heard anyone dislike their appearance.
I have seen people bend down and look at my undercarriage and reply"Yep,those are the originals".Just my .02

[SuperNovaSS]

I agree. As long as the original parts are in good working order I would not over restore them. At least at this point a person can be fairly certain they are not reproductions. When too much filler primer is used it also takes away from alot of the cast/stamping lines of the parts and makes them look "too perfect".



Jason

[Edited by SuperNovaSS (04-27-2002 at 08:56 PM).]

[JoeC]

Some parts were dipped not spray painted. I read an article were a guy was experimenting with dipping parts but didn't want to use a 5 gal bucket of paint so he used a 5 gal bucket of water with a top layer of paint. He said the paint floats on the water and you just dip the parts to coat them. I haven't tried it yet. I have seen some original NOS parts with heavy paint runs that do look like they were dipped not sprayed.

[T Billigen]

I believe this is the way that the factory dipped parts also,with a vat of water with paint floating on top. I think quite a few parts were dipped including A-arms?

[SS427]

With regards to the cottage cheese effect, research shows that this is a process created by the heat treating. If you look at an untouched original sway bar you can actually see various shades of black mixed within the cast color. This is not paint but rather caused by the heat treat process. After many hours of trial and error, I was able to closely replicate that process but this can cost several hundred dollars on a fairly inexpensive part. Only for the hard core resto freaks in some of us.

With regards to dipping, many parts were done this way as you've both stated. They include A.I.R. brackets, alternator brackets, misc clips, I believe steering columns, power steering brackets, A/C brackets, and many other parts.

On a survivor LS-6 I am restoring, the hood appears so have been hung sideways during spraying and there are large drips running from the center towards the sides. During the restoration, I left those drips intact. The list goes on and on.

[DjD]

Thanks for the info! Was there a process used to minimize the drips and runs when dipping parts?

...Dennis

[T Billigen]

They did not worry about drips and runs back then, just doing it the cheapest way!

[x44d80]

the dipping of parts in paint really does work. it takes a bit of experimenting to get the paint the right thickness so it doesnt run off or glob up if its too thick. if you come across parts that still have the factory black paint look close, you'll see small runs, drips, bubbles etc..another mistake i made was restoring my brake booster..i blasted it with glass bead then had it plated locally. the plate doesnt cover the rough texture of blasting. it looks ok, almost if it is a few years old, but probably would look better if i had sent it to one of the guys that specilizes in restoring boosters.

[SS427]

x44, in addition to sending it to someone who specializes in plating such as www.brakeboosters.com (http://www.brakeboosters.com) , make sure the piece gets buffed before sending it in. They will only buff it if you request it and will charge you for it. You want the piece to be as smooth as you can without actually 'polishing' it.

[CopoCrunkus]

If you don't want the drips, Bubbles etc on the parts that you dip, Try using a Gear Motor to pull the parts out of the paint slowly...this should take care of most of them. I find the easiest way is an old Fishing reel (Conventional Style) and a few pulleys will do the job also.


-Frank

[Terry Nelson]

x44,after sandblasting my booster , I rubbed it out with a real fine steel wool before plating. Turned out great! Even the owners of the shop that rebuilt the internals were impressed. Terry

[FESTIVAL78]

Tom here...I could talk component finishes until I'm blue in the face but I'll try to keep it short. Cottage Cheese is rot and we just don't want to use the word when talking about our own pieces...I'm from Massachusetts and know my rot. The heat treating avenue I'll agree with but that's more light pitting than cheese. Axle tubes as an example have cheese. I sandblast the whole housing and soak the tubes with Dupont URO prime (two part epoxy primer, hi-build, liquid bondo really ,in black). After it dries I block sand it almost completely off. Where I saw original stryations (machining lines) I go back and duplicate them by using a piece of brand new 80 grit paper pulled ONE time in a perfectly straight line. I then finish it with Dupont Corlar 25P epoxy mastic # LF-64025P (and VF525 activator) This is in the Dupont Industrial Coating # system. It truely looks good. The only thing I find hard to fix is a corroded center section as it is rough cast and tough to duplicate if soaked in primer (soaked meaning many spayed on coats) Anyone with ideas on center section duplication?
Metal finishing like boosters and corroded brackets and a-arms...3M roloc discs are the bomb! get 3" # 051131-07485 and put them on an Ingersol-Rand 301 hand held air grinder with the 3M roloc disc attachment. Grind away all the rough stuff until it shines and any rot pockets are gone, then sand the whole thing again with either 320 0r 400 grit sandpaper on an orbital DA...When recolored it will look new.
I've seen many parts that were dipped on my car and have noted which way they were hung to dry. I have found pocket puddles of black that had many small air bubbles in them as well. I am curious as to what type of paint is used to float on the water (oil base?)and am mystified as to why the part does not repell the paint as it would be soaked with water...Anyone?

[CamarosRus]

Fifteen year old thread..........(LOL is this a record)

I'm wanting to learn/read specifics on how to dip/coat parts into black paint.

If with the floating on water method, what paint brand, type, formula ..all the details.
Do you use a catalized 2K single stage product today and how long do you have to
complete the dipping before "pot life" is expired ???

What about temperature of metal, temp of water, temp of the room ???

Thanks

[CamarosRus]

Bumping for education on HOW TO DIP PARTS in semi gloss Black Paint........?????????

[RPOLS3]

Years ago we simply used a small tank with a hinged top on it (probably +/- 15 gallon size) and filled it up with GM chassis reconditioning paint #1050104. Hung the parts on coat hangers and dunked them individually and then let them air dry in the shop on the hanger - drips and all. Not to elaborate.

[Kurt S]

You fill it up with water, then float the paint on top. Then dip.

[CamarosRus]

How long is the pot life of "floating paint"

Then at some point you have to reclaim paint and dispose of ??

[SS427]

Dipping does not work nearly as well as it did before the lacquer paint went thru many changes. I was one of those who used to put 4 gallons of water followed by 1 gallon of lacquer and dipped my parts. Worked great. Though this process looks great and matches an original it does lack longevity so it is really only good for a trailer queen. To be quite honest I have been afraid to try the water method with the current lacquers as this could be an almost $300 mistake if it does not work so I now just dip them in straight lacquer. May latest pail of paint is over 3 years old with no issues. I do not believe the water method will work with any other type of paint other than lacquer but perhaps others have tried with success.

[CamarosRus]

Rick, (If still replying) ,

Brand of Lacquer ???

How many gallons in how big of pale ???

No reducing with ANYTHING ???

Glassbead/Garnet Prep ????

Thank You !!!!

[SS427]

Still replying?

National Coating Supplies-not sure the brand but it's the only one they have.
1 gallon pail was $279 3 years ago.
No reducing
No glass bead blasting if I intend to dip. I chemical strip those parts to avoid any texture.