TOPIC: RUSTOLUEM BOAT PAINT JOB

COULD ANYONE TELL ME HOW I SHOULD MIX THE RUSTOLUEM TOPSIDE MARINE PAINT FOR SPRAY I WILL BE USEING A HVLP PAINT GUN WITH A 1.5 TIP
SOME PEOPLE SAID 1/2 CUP ACETONE AND 1/4 CUP HARDNER THEN SOME PEOPLE SAID 1 1/2 CUP ACETONE AND 1/2 CUP HARDNER AND HAS ANYONE SPRAYED A CLEAR OVER IT AND HOW GOOD IT WILL HOLD UP BY BOAT WILL BE IN THE WATER NO MORE THEN 8 TO 10 HOURS A DAY PLEASE HELP

I mixed my hardener in and brushed mine.

just follow the directions for thinning and adding the hardener for different volumes (20 oz 16 oz etc) for spray applications , you can get a pretty good result rolling and tipping also .

I used Rustoluem Marine Topside right out of the can with a brush, for the interior, with outstanding results!

Dan,
I used 1 1/2 cups Acetone and 1/4 cup hardener.

Bob

I used the clear over the main coats - It is very thin and goes on easy - watch how much you put on because it will run. Had two Qt. clear and then got a Qt. with Metallac in it . We decided "what the heck " It was a gamble but really liked it - Put two more Qts. of clear over all of it Love it especially in the bright sun !

Don't know how it holds up yet - never been wet been side tracked and still have to finish the seats and put it back together .

Boy, how I wished I had used Rustoleum to begin with. I used Interlux Brightsides on the deck and cannot overtop if with ANYTHING! Only thing I can do is sand right down to the surface and start over again. You can't polish Brightsides, it dulls it right away. All you can do is wash it.

Frank

Did you use a hvlp paint gun and did you any clear over it.

How many coats of clear did you put on

I put 2 coats of clear and Melanie thought it needed another so I ordered one and did not notice that it was "Metallic Clear" so we decided to spray it on anyway thinking it might look different. We were right it did give it a great look but then it needed two more Qts. of clear to go over that . So to answer your question we did 5 Qts. many coats because it's so thin you have to be very careful and not go too heavy during any coat because it will run. It dries so fast you just have to wait a few minutes and go over it again. We consider 1 coat - 1 Qt. If you go to the other thread on Rustolium paint right below this one all the formula's are in there. Melanie is "Oceans 2" she is the sprayer and I'm the grunt and prep guy ! I got the clear off of E-bay just search "Rustolium paint " it comes from a speed shop supply company Summit Racing .You could speed up the search by going Rustolium Clear coat . She uses a "Low Volume gun

www.fiberglassics.com/fiberglassics-forums/home/main-forum/rustoleum-paint-question

where can i get the Valspar enamel hardner at, tractor supply don't carry it anymore, but i know amazon has it, but tsc has majic catalyst hardener but not sure if it will work right,

Amazon is the place and it's the lowest price I've found - there are a couple companies on Amazon that carry it so scroll down till you see the lowest price . It will prompt you to one that is more expensive first - be careful don't buy the first one that comes up on the search

Tractor Supply Co. also carries it, if there's one near you. The Valspar hardener anyway.

Bob

Waterwings wrote:

Tractor Supply Co. also carries it, if there's one near you. The Valspar hardener anyway.

Bob

TSC changed all the Valspar products out for their own private label Majic paint products. The hardener too.

Applies & performs the same.

I posted this on another forum of which I'm a member and it's become a very popular post. Thought you guys might like it too. If you want to Paint your Boat economically using a ready available Acrylic Enamel paint and give it some added durability here's a great way to do it. Your Paint costs will be under $100 for most boats under 18 feet. If you have to buy a Compressor, Paint Guns, Paint strainers, Respirators, tyvek Suits, Clean up rags etc... well then your costs will be a whole lot more.

Ok Here's my recommended methods and formulas for the Majic Oil Based Acrylic Enamel Paint sold @ Tractor Supply, Inc. (NOTE: Any Oil Based Acrylic Enamel Alkyd based paint will work. i.e Rustoleum)

This is for Both Roll n' Roll and for HVLP Spraying.

This Should yield one coat on a 14-16 foot boat hull.

These are the Products you'll need...


For aluminum boats, Lightly acid wash the boat (lots of guys just use 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water) then use a Self Etching Primer (I like the SEM Primer shown above) on ALL bare aluminum spots, and then sand with 180 grit and coat the entire boat with the Majic Oil Base Metal Primer Shown above. All bare aluminum needs to have a light coat of the SE Primer.

For Fiberglass Boats I recommend using the same Majic Tractor and Implement Primer - Gray

Even though it says metal primer, in speaking with their rep's it will work fine on Fiberglass and Gelcoat.

If you have Deep sides you may need to adjust the amount of Paint you buy. I recommend Majic's Oil Base Metal Primer. IF your boat is NOT left in the water for MORE than 3-4 days at a time, this will work fine. This is NOT for boats left in the marina for the season.


This is for Roll n' Roll Application

Final sand with 180 grit and wipe down with acetone.
(Do not thin the Primer. Do not add Hardener to the Primer.)
Apply 2 coats of primer. Use 3M Scotch Brite pads to knock of the nubs between Primer coats then wipe down with 50/50 mix of Acetone and Mineral Spirits. Just a Damp cloth. Not to much.
Use the Ultra Smooth Whizz Brand High Density 4" or 6" Foam Rollers

Mixing Formula for Final Color Coats

2 cups Paint
1/4 cup of Majic Reducer (This will make the paint flow better, dry faster and bubble less)

1 oz of Hardener (1/8 cup/2Tablespoons)(Sold @ Tractor Supply Stores)



***Mix Paint, Reducer and Hardener and let "Cook" For 30 mins. Re-Stir every 10 mins.


Roll n' Roll Technique
Wet roller with paint and roll out about 4-6 sqare feet. Thin coats work best and help prevent runs. If you can HEAR the paint (Sticky Sound) STOP! You are rolling too long. Put the first roller in a Plastic bag and use another roller. Wet it out but wring out almost all of the paint and then Re-roll the area you just painted. Use a VERY LIGHT STROKE and the paint should lay down with NO Bubbles!. Put this roller in the bag and use the other roller, Load it with paint and Roll again. Repeat this process until the boat is painted. Always do the re-roll with a damp roller with very little paint in it and LISTEN. You will hear the sound that lets you know when it's time to stop. It's kind of a sticky sound.
Here's a link to 2 videos showing the technique.




For Spraying.

Final sand 220 grit and wipe down with 50/50 mix of acetone and MS.
Two coats of Primer. Use HVLP spray gun with a 1.4mm - 1.8 mm Tip.

Final Color Coats of Paint
Use a HVLP gun with 1.2 - 1.4 mm tip.


(NOTE: Only add Hardener to the amount of Paint that you will use in an 8hr period.) DO NOT use after this 8hr period.

I mixed up 2 cups (1/2 qt) of Paint at a time using 1oz of hardener, 1/2 cup of reducer.

This was enough to do one coat of Paint on my 15 ft V-Hull Lonestar that has fairly high hull sides and a 20" transom. If your boat is bigger you'll need to adjust the amount of paint you mix and the hardener and reducer you use. I used 2 Quarts for 4 Coats of Paint. 2 coats per day.

Shoot first coat in the morning.
Wait 4-6 hours.
Wet sand with ScotchBrite Pad or 320 grit sandpaper LIGHTLY to knock down any nubs or bugs.
Dry.
Tack cloth off with 50/50 mix of Mineral Spirits and Acetone.
Dry.
Shoot second Coat.
Let dry over night
Repeat wet sand and Tack cloth
Shoot 3rd and 4th coat if needed.

HINT: If you want a COLOR that you cannot find, then you can use another color of the Majic Paint to mix with your base color. This link... www.enchantedlearning.com/art/Colormixing.shtml will tell you how to mix colors to get the color you're wanting. It's not to hard to do. Start with small amounts, keep track of the ratio and then multiply it to get the amounts you need. You can get ANY Color in the Rainbow and it works GREAT!! Note: Colors change when the paint drys so use a hairdryer to dry your samples quickly.

Ambient Temperature, Relative humidity and Spray gun settings all play a big role in how the paint will lay down on the surface to be painted. Also, Remember, your paint job will only be as good as your surface prep. The primer will tell the story. If you can SEE it when it's in primer you'll see it in the finish coat. Sand and fair if you want it smooth on the final coat. 3M Premium Marine Filler is good stuff. I like to mix my own filler using the following formula...1/2 cup Poly resin, 1.0% MEKP, 1 Heaping teaspoon Cabosil and mix enough Glass bubbles till the mixture is like mayonaise. I do not recommend using Bondo. Some people use it but it uses Talc as a filler and it will absorb water if the outer coating chips on it. For small blemishes and surface scratches and above the water line It might be ok. A high build primer can also be used to take care of those small scratches and blemishes. TCP Global sells a good High Build Primer for Fiberglass, as well as Acrylic Enamel Paints and supplies (nice HVLP Spray Guns too) at reasonable prices.

This is a good article on how to setup most HVLP Spray Guns...
purplesagetradingpost.com/sum...Pspraygun.html

Excellent inputs as usual thank you sir!

Bob

could anyone tell me how long you have to wait for the paint to cure before i buff and wax it, and what kind of wax or polish should i use