OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Paint and Decals Advice on Paint Hardness and Curing

Hi Guys,

I'm restoring a Victa Mulch or Catch, and I had a couple of questions on painting.

I stripped the axel's and treated minor rust.
I sprayed one coat of Dulux Metalshield etch primer.
I sprayed two coats of Dulux Metal Shield Epoxy Enamel.

I found that it didn't really harden to the level that I was expecting. I left it for over three months, but it didn't make a difference.

I sanded it back to remove the shine, and this time tried White Knight rust guard. I warmed up the parts and paint prior to painting and sprayed three coats three days apart on approx 22deg days in the sun.

It has been over a month, the finish seems better than the Dulux, but still not what I would consider hard. I can mark it with my finger nail.

Am I expecting too much from off the shelf spray paints? White Knight is not cheap.
Could the Dulux primer be causing issues?
Can you recommend any other brands? I don't have a compressor or spray gun, so it'll have to be rattle can.

How hard is the finish on the White Knight hammertone paint?

I've already put a lot of time and money into painting the axel's, I just want to make sure it is going to last and not get damaged easily.

Your help and advice is appreciated.

Yes I think you are expecting to much from a spray can.In a spray can there is only about 30% paint and the rest is thinners,so there's not really a lot of paint.To get the hardness your after you would really need a compressor and use a 2pak paint.The easiest of which is a COB paint(Clear Over Base).When the clear is put on a harden is added it will dry rock hard,but in saying that it still can chip.Sounds to me like your looking to powder-coat them.It's a powder that is sprinkled on then cooked and basically it becomes a plastic coating over the metal very hard and very hard to chip.

Thanks Blumbly,
In hindsight, I realise that powder coating is the way to go. Such a shame because I've spent more on paints than it would have cost to powder coat.

What about VHT paints? Would their chassis or engine paint be any different?

I use Wattyl's Killrust Epoxy Gloss Enamel both in rattle cans and through my spray gun and am pretty happy with the results. No need to prime if the metal is clean or only slightly rusted and dries hard pretty quickly.