i would like to paint my aluminum checkerplate tool box. it looks like crap in my semi gloss 38 ford pu. any body tried this or has knowledge of how to do this?
Good prep and suitable etch primer. Not all etch primers work on aluminium. Ask the paint guy for the right stuff.
i think a zinc chromate primer is the primer you use..check on it though.. seems like thats the stuff i used to prime an aluminum boat with.
yea definetly good prep the more you sand the better the primer will etch into it. Make sure you wipe it down several times before you prime it. The cleaner it is the better the output will be. Painting aluminum like that is much more tedious and time consuming than steel.
Yes zinc chromate is for aluminum. Masking the checkerboard can be a pain in the a@@, but it looks cool when done. Spray the lighter color first and then mask all your squares and shoot the darker color over top.
it was 10yrs or better when i did that boat.. it seems like i remember that the zinc-chromate primer was some pretty nasty stuff.. seems like i had to wear a mask and gloves even when i mixed it..
I paint a lot of aluminum and I usually sand it with 80gr. then wash it a few times to get it good and clean, then coat it with a good quality epoxy primer. The epoxy helps fill alot of the sanding marks.
Brucer you are absolutely correct. The only thing that I have ever used that would make paint stick to aluminum.
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