Please don't ask why I am drawn to rustoleum like a moth to flame,, IDK Talking old trucks and beater rods, stuff I drive on weekends and spit Tabaco out the window, nothing entering a show. So I mixed some Rustoleum "Gloss Smoke Gray" and "Aluminum" Alkyd enamel,, And sprayed some test panels,, I really like the result. (Majic brand enamel hardener). Has anyone clear coated Alkyd enamel with a 2K clear?? or any clear? Results? methods?? Slack
Sounds like time for a test panel. I'd say most of the Rustoleum Alkalide brigade doesn't even consider clear coat though as that jacks the cost up. My boat tail roadster project will get a farm equipment paint paint job simply because it is a seriously low buck project. The tires will probably be the most expensive part of the car when it is done.
I was gonna change my ways and start using "real auto" paint,, went to the local supplier and by the time I was gonna leave with 1 gal of "fleet" BC/CC they was boning me for over $400.00 I buy the rustoleum for $28 a gallon add a little hardener and mineral sprits and dump it in the $15 spray gun. I was wondering if I could prolong the rustoleum paint job life longer than an 80's dodge factory blue paint job, with the addition of a clear coat.
Rust-Oleum makes clear lacquer I’d call them and see what they have to offer for UV protection on the enamel.
Try a test panel as already said. If it doesn't wrinkle up on you it should work. I know for sure it will not work without the hardener, but it may work with it. I would let it cure a week or two and then scuff and clear it. Let us know the outcome.
I paint a lot of old tractors, use Rustoleum primer and Van Sickle brand tractor paint with their hardener. I’m no painter, but my tractors look damn nice and they are all kept inside in a dark shed and not out in the sun except for shows and work. Van Sickle offers a clear but I haven’t yet used it. On a side note, Slack, try using Naptha instead of mineral spirts, it flashes off faster and is less likely to run. I’ll probably get flamed for this, but I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to use Van Sickle on a car or truck. Especially considering the cost of “auto paint” today. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I seem to remember somewhere back in the good ole days that you could spray lacquer over aged enamel but not the other way around. Enamel thinner would lift the lacquer. Try a test panel. Your results may vary.
I was always taught the opposite. You could shoot enamel over lacquer with no problems. Lacquer over enamel ONLY if the enamel was baked on. Oops, Mr. Stevens beat me to the punch!
I will try the Naptha, thanks. I have heard 3 opposite ways to lay down Alkyd Enamel: Wait 24 hours between coats (as per can), I assume so it can complete off gassing. Very, very thin coats, as soon as they tack up, 1 light tack coat, 1 med color coat, 1 heavy wet coat. Not sure how adding "hardener" (Valspar, Majic) changes all this,, or what the recoat times would be. I see TSC has the "Majic" brand clear for enamel at $39.00 not the Urethene clear performance,, but should add a "layer" of protection?? But yes, need to drag an old fender out and run some test. Thinking: Alkyd enamel color: tack coat, medium coat, 3 rd coat (all with valspar hardener) , waiting just long enough to tack up between coats. wait 6 hours then clear (as the hardener says it has a 8 hour pot life) I'll let you know
I'm going to brush/roller Rustoleum my single seater. The stuff I read said if you let it sit long enuff you can color sand and buff it.
www.paintforcars.com I’ve used their clear enamel over rattle can metallic silver before, ended up looking like powder coating. I used their wet look hardner in it. Their auto paint is reasonably priced, too. I’ve painted a couple with enamel and clear over that, worked great and still looked good several years later. Probably not as good as ppg or other main brands, but not as expensive, either. Only thing is they only have a selection of certain colors, kind of take it or leave it.
I went to my local menards, they are the only place in my town than can mix rust oleum. They have a very limited custom color chart and I don't know if I would trust an 18 year old kid in the paint department to mix the color I want.
I painted this car with tractor paint from fleet farm in 2009 , it looked like an authentic good 50s paint job I had it till 2012 I think it went out east and I lost track of it so not sure how well the paint has held up but I used Valspar alkyd enamel, acrylic enamel reducer and hardener , it was hard to get the paint to lay down and I got 3 runs in it trying ,they were a bit hard to sand out as it took a long time for paint to cure , I was happy with the results but in all honesty at 40.00 a gallon for cheap tractor paint, the cheaper acrylic enamel automotive paints aren’t much more money , and you get a better selection of colors than farmall red, johndeere green , and black Not sure what you want to accomplish with clear but I would rather just go a single stage acrylic enamel if you look into eBay , summit or even paint guru on here you might find something closer to the price point you want My luck with cheap clears has been dismal especially after moving to San Diego
As previously stated above, Lacquer over Enamel will cause the paint to lift as if using paint remover or brake fluid!
I’ve used Rustolium on my daily driver, semi-flat black. The paint looks fine, about 4 years old. Since I’ve mixed Rustolium with generic enamel hardener, that works better. On my Nova hood, I sprayed 2 coats of Burgundy Rustolium and hardener, then followed that up with a 50/50 mixture of Rustolium and cheap urethane clear coat. It looks just fine, and color sands and polished like any other auto paint. The hardener makes the paint dry to the touch in about 30 minutes, important to me because I paint outside in my driveway. This is all quart cans, NO spray can stuff.
I have heard that you can use hardware store Urethane for clear coat with Rustoleum. Mix the last coat 50 - 50 paint and Urethane then one or 2 coats of straight Urethane. DO NOT take this as a recommendation, it is strictly something I heard about and DO NOT guarantee it. Would be interesting if someone would try it and see how it works.
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