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Unimat SL refinish/refurb

 

I'm making some questionable decisions but I wanted to refinish one of them and make it look as pristine as I could.?

I was going to use a rattle can hammered finish, found a color I liked.? It didn't take me long to decide I wasn't happy with its durability though so I switched to powder coating.? I'm pretty satisfied with this so far.? I know there are a few reasons one wouldn't want to do that on a precision machine but I'm ok with the risks.? The headstock didn't come out as good as the rest, I forgot to pre bake it to offgas.? Whoops.? Not sure I care enough to redo it though.? Stripping powder coating is a bear.?

Once I finish coating parts, most of the bare steel parts I'm going to give a thin nickel plate and polish up. ? Then just regrease things and get it all assembled and ready to roll. ?

20240414_183144 - Copy.jpg

 

Whoops, attached the wrong pic.? This one is with the headstock

20240414_193544.jpg

 

It looks good. Bearing in mind the reported range of colours during the production life of the units is it absolutely necessary to replicate the colour?

The paint is to protect the surface from corrosion and cr@p surely?

Disclaimer: I am a user not a collector.

James


On Mon, 15 Apr 2024, 01:42 rick via , <rick=[email protected]> wrote:
Whoops, attached the wrong pic.? This one is with the headstock


--
James Batchelor?
Dunfermline, Fife, UK.?
07805 207238
 

I have two of the cast iron DB200 models and they appear to be of the same vintage.?

Dick
--
http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/?OFF-SET-tailstock-center-65965#post105972
?SMALL TURRET TOOL POST PLANS?
?LARGE TURRET TOOL POST PLANS
?MINI-LATHE CARRIAGE LOCK PLANS
?SMALL QC TOOL POST PLANS?
?QUICK CHANGE LATHE TURRET
?MINI LATHE COMPOUND PIVOT MODIFICATION
 

Both headstocks look pristine and have the Red
Label.?
--
http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/?OFF-SET-tailstock-center-65965#post105972
?SMALL TURRET TOOL POST PLANS?
?LARGE TURRET TOOL POST PLANS
?MINI-LATHE CARRIAGE LOCK PLANS
?SMALL QC TOOL POST PLANS?
?QUICK CHANGE LATHE TURRET
?MINI LATHE COMPOUND PIVOT MODIFICATION
 

That was my thinking @ color, and also not a collector.? I just want it to look good, be protected and durable and ready to get to work.? Plus I've never used a hammertone powder before so it gave me an excuse lol.?
 

glad to see that you got good results from the powder coating process, hats off to your vendor, or did you do yourself? I ask because I have found the process to be rather problematic, often from the heat involved. were your parts media blasted? all said, I've yet to find a good sprayed hammertone product ?
cheers
 

I did it myself.? I've always found powder coating to be a bit of a cheat code on good finishes, I find it hard to screw up.? I don't have the same luck with paint typically.? I just use a toaster oven for the curing.?

No bead blasting, mostly out of laziness but I was also concerned about the precision/machined surfaces.? I stripped it of paint using paint stripper and/or some time in an ultrasonic cleaner then scuffed it a bit with sandpaper, taped up any surface I felt was "precision", plugged holes and hit with powder.?

I was very happy with rustoleum's hammered dark bronze as far as looks go.? Enough that I hated removing it.? But after leaving them untouched for a few days then just kinda poking at it a bit I had no faith that it'd be a durable coating.? I didn't want to get it slapped together and end up redoing it a few months down the road.? I'm not sure what I did wrong.? I tried some straight to metal, some with two different self etching primers, none of them came out durable enough to inspire any confidence.
 

I just realized my pictures make that powder a lot more blue than it is in person.? It's a pretty standard green/dark green in person.? Or maybe its just my screen lol
 

No, it's not just YOUR screen - it's everybody's screens.? Colors on a screen will never match the real-life Mark I eyeball interpretation of the actual color.
 

"I was very happy with rustoleum's hammered dark bronze as far as looks go.? Enough that I hated removing it.? But after leaving them untouched for a few days then just kinda poking at it a bit I had no faith that it'd be a durable coating."
- From my experience Rustoleum Hammered paint dries for a very long time, sometimes a week. but it will harden eventually.
 

After letting it sit for a while, I would bake it in the oven at low temperature for 2 - 3 hours.? This is typically what we do with solvent-based model railroad paints.? And, no, it doesn't catch on fire or blow up.? Just stinks.? So open windows a little if possible.
And you might want to consider a satin finish top coat.? After this is really cured, Rustoleum should be durable.??
I prefer their hammered gray or silver.? These are similar to some earlier Unimats.??
 

This is what I do. If the part doesn't have a surface I can rest it on that is unpainted, I will make hooks from stiff wire and hang it from the oven rack instead. Not only does this help the paint cure faster, but I also find it generally improves the durability quite a bit. I usually bake it around 250F for as long as I feel like it. Let the part cool in the oven before removing to avoid damage to the paint finish, as it will still be very soft while it's hot. I painted my lawn hydrant last year with blue gloss Rustoleum and the paint is holding up incredibly well, even on the hook I hang my bucket on while filling it. BTW, gloss is going to be a more durable and easier to clean finish than satin. Satin is better at hiding blemishes though.

Paul

On Mon, Apr 15, 2024 at 3:28?PM John Hutnick via <johnhutnick=[email protected]> wrote:
After letting it sit for a while, I would bake it in the oven at low temperature for 2 - 3 hours.? This is typically what we do with solvent-based model railroad paints.? And, no, it doesn't catch on fire or blow up.? Just stinks.? So open windows a little if possible.
And you might want to consider a satin finish top coat.? After this is really cured, Rustoleum should be durable.??
I prefer their hammered gray or silver.? These are similar to some earlier Unimats.??

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi Gang:

I like to use an electric fry pan for drying paint.

Also good for bending Plexiglas.

Carl.

On 4/15/2024 5:34 PM, Paul Allen wrote:

This is what I do. If the part doesn't have a surface I can rest it on that is unpainted, I will make hooks from stiff wire and hang it from the oven rack instead. Not only does this help the paint cure faster, but I also find it generally improves the durability quite a bit. I usually bake it around 250F for as long as I feel like it. Let the part cool in the oven before removing to avoid damage to the paint finish, as it will still be very soft while it's hot. I painted my lawn hydrant last year with blue gloss Rustoleum and the paint is holding up incredibly well, even on the hook I hang my bucket on while filling it. BTW, gloss is going to be a more durable and easier to clean finish than satin. Satin is better at hiding blemishes though.

Paul

On Mon, Apr 15, 2024 at 3:28?PM John Hutnick via <johnhutnick=[email protected]> wrote:
After letting it sit for a while, I would bake it in the oven at low temperature for 2 - 3 hours.? This is typically what we do with solvent-based model railroad paints.? And, no, it doesn't catch on fire or blow up.? Just stinks.? So open windows a little if possible.
And you might want to consider a satin finish top coat.? After this is really cured, Rustoleum should be durable.??
I prefer their hammered gray or silver.? These are similar to some earlier Unimats.??

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