painting

No question is silly and painting is a topic that will no doubt have everyone giving his or her opinion on as there are so many paint etc out there.

With an engine, you need a paint that is tough, resistant to oil and fuel and gives a nice brush finish. In my opinion a sprayed finish is too much. Far better to invest is some good brush paint and some decent brushes.

Make sure that the whole engine is cleaned back to bear metal first. If it was rusty before hand, treat with some form of chemical rust preventative. Then using a good red oxide primer (ideally with a zinc additive) such as Finnigans, Tekaloid etc, give the engine 2 brushed coats.

Next, get hold of a tin of undercoat and apply a coat of that. Using wet and dry paper of a low grade, soaked with water and a bit of fairy, rub that coat back until the red oxide comes through. Clean off with white spirit and do the same with a second coat. This will build paint up in the low spots to give a nice finish. The choice of undercoat is up to you, just make sure that it is compatible with the top coating you are going to use. We have had successes with B&Qs own, but far better results by using paint made by the suppliers of the top coating. Avoid quick drying paints at all costs as you will not get a good finish.

Now to the topcoat, the best paint to use here is a good strong enamel paint. As always you get what you pay for, but look for a paint that is NOT quick drying. The two best paints we have used are Joseph Masons (which I am using on the Burrell) and Tekaloid. Both are tough enamels designed for brush finishing. They are not cheap however at around £16 per tin, but you really do get what you pay for. 3 coats of that with a rub down between each one should make a nice job.

For brushes, buy a Harris Perfection brush as these are second to none. Available in B&Q etc. Look after them and they will last for a long time. When brushing, always make the brush strokes vertical, this allows the paint to spread out to give a good finish.

As with anything, time taken is well spent and if possible, allow as much time as possible when switching between primer and undercoat and undercoat and topcoat. This allows the paint to harden off before the next coat seals it in.

Use Hammerite high-heat or similar on the exhaust as this gives a nice matt black.

Obviously, if you are restoring a engine on a budget, you may not want to spend out that much. Cheaper alternatives are available and you can get a good enamel paint at 11 quid per litre. I guess it depends on what you are restoring and what you are looking for.

Brasso will do the brass with a bit of hard work!

Hope this helps a little, usual disclaimers!

Regards

Chris Bedo Kent UK

Thanks Chris, but I would add my 2P's worth. As you say, it depends upon what you are restoring. My engines are small and the metalwork is frequently only pressed steel. Here I find an automotive solution works best. I frequently use an aerosol can as it's convenient and gives a good finish. If I followed Chris' method, My tinwork would be twice as thick due to the paint. Of course my stuff is quite modern and much smaller than a Burrell (and I'm jealous). Brass can be bought to a nice shine with a variety of abrasives. Brasso is good for polishing but if the metal needs more than that go for something more vicious. Wet and dry is a good step preceded by emery if needed. I have had some success with fine wire brushes both hand and powered. Washing up pads can also be quite good although some are better than others. If the shape is complicated, the old white powder sink cleaner works well. This brings aluminium up as well but it can be quite fierce.

John

Totally agreed no doubt the later engines would all have been sprayed anyway. Hand painting through air-cooled fins does not seam like a good option!

I would say that anything that is a greater in age or size is better hand painted though. For me, sprayed paint on vintage engines looks to showroom. I have tried it myself on an engine and it produced a beautiful finish, but the engine to me looked wrong.

Spraying does have the advantage that lesser quality paints can be used though? I also know of people who spray several coats and then brush coat varnish to give a brushed finish with the ease of spraying.

Regards

Chris

Being an idle bugger my approach to copper and brass is different. I use fine wire wool 00-0000 and oil to get a clean but dull finish. After that a wipe with oil and an annual repeat keeps it to my taste as I have better things to do than polish non-ferrous. I also doubt that apart from the very few show engines the manufacturers used much Brasso. (Shine up your buttons with Brasso, only three-ha'pence a tin, buy it or nick from Woolworths provided they've got any in - old and anon). ttfn

In my exprience you can't beat Bar Keeper Friend for the cleaning of brass prior to polishing. How the stuff works I don't know but I would asume that the powder is a fine abrasive. The best way to use it is to apply the powder with a mostened cloth in a small circual motion. If you have a very heavy soiling you can mix it into a paste and let it sit for a short while but do not let it dry out. Just my preference though ;)

Stuart

Good old fashioned "Zebrite" grate cleaner looks really good on exhausts. It is a graphite compound and can be buffed to a satin finish if you wish, but I like it a nice, dull graphite colour.

Looks great against the contrast of heat discoloured copper!

Regards,

Kim Siddorn