Painting cast aluminum parts

DA · 2011-01-16T00:14:02+00:00

So today I left the 15th annual Cabin Fever Expo in York, PA lightheadedbecause of the engine exhaust fumes but not empty-handed. I've used theoccasion as an excuse to buy myself a mechanical toy in the past but thistime I felt emboldened (or it might just be all the fumes again) andbought a machined Steam Engine Kit #5 by P.M. Research that requiresassembly. Now my challenge is to deburr, de-flash and paint the cast parts before Ican begin the assembly. I know that for most of you hardcore machinists inthe group would not consider it a challenge but I haven't done anythinglike that before so that'll keep me busy for awhile.The question naturally arose: "what paint to use?" The young fellowselling the kit to me was honest and said he's just running the boothuntil his dad comes back from lunch. And I badly needed some fresh air andcould not hang around for much longer. The assembly manual says: "Useproper metal primer" and mentions no actual paint.So, what would this respectable group recommend for the primer and thepaint? And where do you get it, is this something a mere mortal gets atMichaels or A.C. Moore - type craft store or is this a special orderpaint? There won't be any actual steam there (compressed air) so there isn't anyhigh-temperature requirement but I really want to use the right stuffbecause I sincerely hope this won't be my last project of this kind. I mayeven get around to buying a lathe and a mill at some point in the futureand do a project that requires machining (long shot at this point tho).That's what visiting a show like this does to people :)Also, I've heard/read/seen on TV that (some) metal paint requires baking.As much fun as it would be to mess with it in a home environment, I don'tthink I'm properly equipped for that, so a self-drying paint would be mypreference.Thanks for any information, tips or comments!

Jan 16, 2011 22 Replies

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clare 15 years ago

The emphasis is on MILD. Most organic degreasers are alkaline.

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Rich Grise 15 years ago

Well, I _am_ teachable, and it's dead easy to see what some baking soda does to a piece of aluminum. When I get a round tuit, I'll report back with my results.

I _have_ heard that something like lye, which is an amazingly effective cleaner (like oven cleaner; you can use it on ring-around-the-collar in the laundry), does damage aluminum, but that wasn't what was being discussed; I should engage my brain before throwing my keyboard into gear.

Thanks! Rich

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Bob Engelhardt 15 years ago

Rich Grise wrote: ...

Just don't use it on cotton shirts. Or linen. Or silk.

Bob

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