Hardners in paint...

I remember your earlier post when asking about paint in general. I replied that I had recently painted my 2N with TSC Massey-Ferguson Gray.

I'm certainly no paint expert, still an eager learner...I've researched it and found that a person can get as deep as they may wish to with regard to paint...and pay as much as they want to. I get the feeling you are where I was a couple months ago. I have painted three complete tractors each time using rattle cans. It looks good...it's not shiny, but my aggravation was that it was SO SOFT...of course, I don't have months for my paint to cure, so I get to using my tractor and the next thing I know the paint has rubbed off where weeds and small trees rubbed...then I accidently ding the hood and the cotton-pickin' paint peels off.

So, I got my 2N...my dream tractor so to speak, and this time I wanted to do it better. So, I bought a decent, not fancy, paint sprayer..read the instructions...and played with it. I made sure my compressor could handle it, too. While I was at TSC, I bought a filtered respirator mask as well. Also, when I mixed the hardener in..I would mix it then go away, come back and mix and go away. I kept the hardener can closed when I wasn't pouring it out, too.

Now, it seems I have learned that each paint has it's own preferred hardener...so I followed BPS paints instructions and used their hardener and their thinner (Naptha). I would mix the paint well, pour out a quart...put in 2 ounces of the hardener, then mix initially and mix every 5-10 minutes for 30 minutes...then I would put not quite 2 ounces of Naptha for thinning.

Two things I dreaded was having to mix up a batch, then go through clean up. I, like you, had many small parts like air cleaner parts and clamps and such, so I took my time and got as much ready at one time as possible and painted everything together. I hung things from my barn roof and it looked like a gray laundry line hanging in the barn. Very small things I held on a stick, with my fingers, vice-grips, etc. One thing I discovered...I hung parts using "baling" wire from a rope I stretched across the barn. The first time I hung things from only one wire...so I spray paint on it and it spins. After that, I hung things with two wires. Also, a more experienced painter told me it is better to use a spray gun that draws from a can below...the one I bought was gravity feed. Being informed ahead of time, I had no real difficulties, however the gravity feeds are great for vertical surfaces...though a tractor has many different angles to paint, so unless your gravity feed cup is covered..you pour paint out when your trying to paint underneath or if your low on paint, you'll lose flow.

In short, I will not go back to rattle cans for full paint jobs. The difference is like dial-up and high-speed internet and certainly raised my joy factor. The paint came out smooth, shiny, dried fast...and I think will be tougher and more resistant to rubs, pokes, and spills. Mixing was not that big of a deal..take your time, work well ventilated and wear the respirator when spraying, and clean-up was not near the hassle I thought it would be. Keep plenty of Naptha and thinner on hand for cleaning and blowing through the gun.

I keep my tractor inside...so I'm not too worried about fading from ultraviolet light (sun) and exposure...it will happen some, but I'm sure that paint job will last a good, long time.

Oh, yes. I also used BPS primer. It's that prep work that wears me out and I think may account for the most part how a paint job turns out.

What's more is that it is fun to know that I have a lot more to learn even though I feel like, with painting, I've gone from elementary to junior high.

Randy2N

Synthetic or alkyd paints(like TSC in the bucket)is about the same paint technology as they had when these tractors were painted in the factory. It took then(& still does)about a month for full cure of the finish. By the time most folks got their new tractor it had time to cure. Looks really good, but will fade quite a bit faster than todays urethane paint.

Later, some smart person figured out you could add a catalyst(hardener)to alkyd paint & make it tougher & shinier. Also, it actually changes the paint film on a molecular level. Lacquer thinner on cured alkyd paint will lift it, on catalyzed alkyd paint it won't penetrate.

The next step up is the acrylic paints(like Tisco). They resist fading much better than the alkyds & make a really nice glossy finish, too. It can be mixed w/ hardener for even more shine & toughness.

Todays paint technology is urethane. Has to be catalyzed, but is harder & more fade-resistant & more expensive.

By the way, if you decide to use hardener, once mixed it has a shelf life of maybe 8 hrs, so mix only what you'll use up that day. And then there's those pesky health hazards, it has cyanide compounds in it, very bad.

Sorry for the long winded reply, I picked all this up over on the painting forum & had to let it out somewhere.

Jeff

By the way, colorwise, I compared the TSC's "Ford Red" w/ Tisco's 8N"Ford Red" & they virtually match.

I used acrylic(Tisco "Ford Medium Gray")w/ hardener on all the gray sheet metal & wheels it is the "tannish" looking gray(I could not find a match in the TSC paint).

If your N will be stored inside, like mine, the TSC paint will look great for a long time in my opinion. Mine will be used on the farm, but not every day. Never intended mine to be a trailer queen, but I wanted to protect her from the elements & look really good from across the drive. If yours is a working tractor & stored outside most of the time, I'd go w/ the acrylic like Tisco, just a little extra protection.

It is pretty confusing, but the kicker for me was this: TSC(alkyd)paint is pretty close to what was available & used @ the factory, I'd say it has a pretty good track record, especially for the money.

Jeff

I'm not sure if a spray can has hardners in it.. or if it simply relies on the very high VOC content and fast evaporating propellant for fast drying.

And yes.. it's a pain to load up a gun for 5 minutes of shooting. One thing though.. There's no job like a spray gun finish.. rattle can just can't touch it for large parts. Small parts are closer / harder to tell.

Look onthe spray can and look for ingredients/warnings about isocyanates ( spelling? ).. that should be the tell-tale clue..

Soundguy