I don't repaint all of them, depends how bad they are. When I do though, I strip them completely, thoroughly clean it all with degreaser and give them a high pressure wash, and where necessary I use a flap disc, (wire wheels are a waste of time, and they flick off wires), on an angle grinder. I then use either Wattyl or Galmet "Epoxy Enamel". Fuel and oil don't destroy a good Epoxy Enamel finish at all, not once it's cured. Depending on the colour, usually two aerosols are plenty. I can easily do two mowers a day like this. Once the Epoxy has cured for about 24 hours, it's almost bullet proof.
Naturally, I mechanically test each mower before I go this far, and providing the engine tests ok, the paint, degreaser, blades, etc, total about $50. Add to that about 2 hours labour, and I still come out about $50-$80 in front. Obviously some mowers may not provide that return, but then there's also mowers that provide more return, so it balances out. A good example of this is the Rover with a Quantum 35 I'm doing at present. All it needs is blades, spark plug, oil, filter is like new, and another handle and engine cowl which I already have. It was given to me, so it'll cost me about $30. I'll be putting $160 on it.
Cheers.
Last edited by Greg Holmes; 24/02/12 08:46 AM.
