Home brew 30 Ton Press Brake

Congrats on the press brake. Any chance of getting picture posted to the dropbox? About the paint - try Hammerite, I tried it and never looked back to Rustoleum. I also think you'll find it more durable and forgiving than automotive paint for a shop atmosphere. My local Ace Hardware store carry it, have also seen it in Fred Meyers. But I don't think Lowes or Home Depot does though.

Lane

Lane

My uncle fabricates utility trailers in his back yard, 5 a day, with his crew. I visited him a few years ago, and he had a home-made press brake made out of the mast of a forklift. He split it apart and moved the two side rails the proper distance apart, structuring them back together with channel and such. The mast already contains the hydraulics needed. This made a nice roller guided assembly. He made his dies the same way as Roy. I was pretty impressed, and mentally noted one on the back burner. I can get all the free forktruck masts for my own use that I can use from a friend who's an auction junkie. I bet he's got 20 or so junked forklifts. No forks left, before anyone asks..

RJ

Auto enamel is better, but RustOleum is cheap and can turn out quite well, excluding spraycan RustOleum.

The recipe that works for me is to first use a RustOleum primer. RustOleum doesn't work for crap over other primers: as you say, it never dries.

Second, use RustOleum thinner. I don't know what it is, but it really does work and it doesn't take much.

I've painted several projects using a jamb gun (and an airbrush for small jobs) that have turned out very nicely. RustOleum is not nearly as robust a finish as good auto paint like Imron, but it is a whole lot cheaper and quite sufficient for many projects.

For shop projects I go for function over beauty and paint them with zinc-rich "instant cold galvanize" paint from Grainger. It comes out matte gray, is not compatible with any topcoat one might want for "pretty" and and won't win any beauty contests as it is, but I have weldments I built 25 years ago (rawstock rack, stand for small table saw, two rawstock carts) that are still rust-free and still in service. The 12-ton press I built 15 years ago and painted with that stuff still looks like I built it yesterday.

I have to agree with you on the cold galvanize paint. I have a 'millwright's cart' that I painted with the stuff 25 years ago, and it still is hanging in there. It looks like grey primer, but it does it's job. Lately it's been sitting on the rear of the property with a truck tool box on it, and still no rust. I also use it to touch up chain link fences at work.

RJ

Yesterday I went to the local autobody and paint supply house I used to frequent only to find it was closed. The owner a man in his late

80's died about 2 years ago. Shows you how long its been since I needed any autobody or paint suppl;ies. Anyway a fellow that used to work for him for over 30 years had opened up a store in an other location, While all I have ever used is Ditzer and Dupont brands in spray paints this fellow sells Valspar autobody and industrial coatings Dupont would not allow him to sell their products as he was too small of a new dealer.. So I picked up a quart of gray enamel and thinner and also a gal of primer. Since I was not able to get 100% of all the rustoleum off its now necessary to reprimer and seal the entire bandsaw again so the new coat of Valspar paint does not lift in those areas the still relatively fresh Rustoleum paint is remaining.

Automotive paint is not all that expensive espececially if you stick with the more mundane colors and the basic plain enamels. Most you can still add a hardener to, and dry times and time to touch is usually pretty darn short.

I got a email back from Rustoleum yesterday and it simply stated. Dry time and ability of paint to stay where placed is dependant on temp, humidity, thickness applied, type of thinner used, amount of thinner used, color of ther paint, and thickness paint was applied and the primer it was applied over. They went on to say if I used Rustoleum primer, in the correct application and thickness and applied the finish paint in the proper temp and humidity and used proper spray equipment, applied it in the correct mils thickness, and used the proper thinner , then they would be more than happy to send me a refund of the price I paid for the paint. While I followed standard protocol for the application and thinning, I did not use Rustoleum primer, after all this is a home type project. I think it would be pretty well impossible for most typical folks to get a refund under their stipulations. Visit my website:

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--Re: RustOleum: be aware that the rattlecans come in two flavors: one is what you see in the hardware stores and the other you see in industrial supply shops. The latter says, on the can, "Hard Hat". This has a different chemical make-up and it dries to the touch very quickly. Still, like any other paint,if you've got the time, let the thing dry overnight to have a really tough abrasion-resistant finish.

does work and it doesn't take much.

I had a set of metal doors in a factory painted about 18 years ago by a couple of maintenance guys, who were using mineral spirits for reducer, and the doors took FOREVER to dry. I called Sherwin Williams store about it, and was told to get the guys to use VM&P Naptha (varnish maker's and painter's naptha) instead. I did this, and I've never looked back.

RJ

their

I used Rustoleum back when it came in two cans that you had to mix together, that stuff worked fine. Apparently the formulation has changed over the years and the latest stuff is the pits. My normal practice is to use VM&P naptha to wipe down after sanding between coats, most normal paints won't lift with this treatment. Rustoleum dissolves in it, took one swipe and it came right off the surface, this was after drying in summer weather for a couple of days. So that brand's off my buy list. After the reformulation that California's CARB board caused with all spray paints, the spray can stuff runs badly, too. The two-part urethane auto paints are pretty tough, I've found a supplier that I merely wince at the price, not run screaming out of the place. The Dupont stuff behaves pretty well, you have to work at it to get runs.

Stan

snip

Well I used Valspar automotive refinish systems paint. I primed it with non sanding primer, and 30 inutes later it was getting its finlal finish coat of gray enamel. 2 hours l;ater I was putting all the parts back on that I took off to make painting easier. Next morning it was in use. All it cost me was about $12.00 more than what I spent total for the rustoleum junk.

I priced Dupont enamel (DuLux) and another brand made by Dupont called NABSCO, and both were over $25.00 a quart. The Valspar auto paint sprayed very well and it has high tack properties and like Dupont you have to work at it to get it to run. If it was just not so much mess and cleaning up I would not mind using automotive primer all the time. I sure hate rattle cans though.

Anyway the bandsaw is now finally completed and in use and working just fine.

Visit my website:

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