Dr.Al
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- Gloucestershire, UK
I'm in the process of renovating my ageing bandsaw. Since I've got the whole thing in pieces and it's looking very tired, I thought it would be a good idea to paint it. Trouble is, I've never really done much in the way of metal painting (apart from a few instances where I just wanted to protect something and daubing Hammerite all over it seemed a perfectly good solution).
Here are the to-be-painted bits of my bandsaw:
Any advice on how I should go about it? Obviously I need to remove the remaining fittings like the spring-adjustment handle.
Should I strip the existing paint off or just scrub it as clean as I can? Should I use a primer (if I leave the paint on: I'd guess this is a no-brainer if I take the paint off)? If I remove the paint, what's the best/easiest way?
Is spraying (which would have to be outdoors) a good method for getting good coverage and a smooth finish? If so, are spray cans okay? My local hardware store has what seems to be to be a relatively good range of metal spray paint, so this would be very easy, but my air compressor came with a kit that included a spray gun (which I've never used).
Is normal masking tape a reasonable way of covering up the bits I don't want to get painted? Are then any particular techniques for getting a good edge when you remove the masking tape? I was thinking I'd get some old screws and shove them in the threaded holes, but I can always run a tap in afterwards if they get a bit of paint inside.
Sorry: that's a lot of questions, but any advice would be welcome.
Here are the to-be-painted bits of my bandsaw:
Any advice on how I should go about it? Obviously I need to remove the remaining fittings like the spring-adjustment handle.
Should I strip the existing paint off or just scrub it as clean as I can? Should I use a primer (if I leave the paint on: I'd guess this is a no-brainer if I take the paint off)? If I remove the paint, what's the best/easiest way?
Is spraying (which would have to be outdoors) a good method for getting good coverage and a smooth finish? If so, are spray cans okay? My local hardware store has what seems to be to be a relatively good range of metal spray paint, so this would be very easy, but my air compressor came with a kit that included a spray gun (which I've never used).
Is normal masking tape a reasonable way of covering up the bits I don't want to get painted? Are then any particular techniques for getting a good edge when you remove the masking tape? I was thinking I'd get some old screws and shove them in the threaded holes, but I can always run a tap in afterwards if they get a bit of paint inside.
Sorry: that's a lot of questions, but any advice would be welcome.