How much paint do i need

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MikesDexta
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How much paint do i need

Post by MikesDexta »

I'm starting to organise painting my Dexta and have bought a litre of Empire Blue from The Land of Nearly Right but it occurred to me that if it's not enough to spray on 2 coats then I need to buy enough and mix it all together to avoid shade differences.

Can anyone give me some steer as to how much Empire Blue I need please? Also what % of thinners did you use to get the best result, realising that it is now Autumn here and the temperature is averaging 13 degrees C now.

thanks in advance

Mike
1959 Dexta
I'm not retired just re-deployed

charlie63
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Location: Edinburgh

Re: How much paint do i need

Post by charlie63 »

Mike not sure if this is going to help you but when I was painting my Dexta most of the people I spoke to said that a rule of thumb is about 5 litres to do a whole tractor. I actually used about 7 litres of paint and 5 litres of red oxide but everything on mine was stripped back to bare metal.Everything got 2 coats of red oxide and 3 coats of paint.I had to send off a sample of my original 5 litres of paint so as I could get another 5 litres mixed up to get an exact match. I bought my paint from Smith and Allan and Danny in their stores was a fantastic help. I cant remember how much thinners I went through but it depends on how thick you want to put the paint on and also what type of gun and nozzle you use.

Charlie.

MikesDexta
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Re: How much paint do i need

Post by MikesDexta »

Thanks Charlie
I'm planning to paint the tinwork now (and the engine, gearbox and hydraulics in the Spring) in readiness for upcoming road runs as I need to fit the headlights which are already nicely painted. The nose cone has been repaired in the usual place and the front top and sides sprayed with primer to give some short term protection, but the rest of the nose cone is in 'off-farm condition' i.e. no grills or badges or lights, with surface rust and a hint of original paint, so it all looks a bit weird.

I have decided to use 2-3 coats of Buzzweld's Rust Encapsulator primer, aka Corroless, as I've used it before and it's excellent stuff, then 2 coats of Empire Blue, all with a 1.4mm nozzle.

I bought a new pair of grills from LoNR which surprisingly came in orange and not grey primer; but they will need repainting properly in the Spring as when I dry fitted one the orange paint on the inside of the bottom bracket peeled to bare metal). However, like most before me I am wrestling with the front badges; my old badges are shot so after reading various posts I bought a thin pressed steel wheatsheaf from Dunlop. Unfortunately the depth of the embossed wheatsheaf isn't deep enough to take primer and top coat so I may use the Dunlop one unpainted until the Spring then buy a ready painted one (I'm no artist so the job was always a daunting one).

I've used rattle cans but never a spray gun so this is virgin territory for me :help:

Mike
1959 Dexta
I'm not retired just re-deployed

charlie63
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Location: Edinburgh

Re: How much paint do i need

Post by charlie63 »

Mike,
A 1.4 nozzle should be fine. You might find that it will put the paint on quite thick so you will need to watch for runs and sagging in the paint. If you are going to paint the tinwork first do a few trial runs on the inside of the panels to see how it goes on. When I mix my paint with the thinners I know how thick it is by stirring with a screwdriver and seeing how it runs off. Painting is quite easy and great fun. Its all to do with the wrist movement and keeping a sweeping motion giving coverage. Make sure you are painting in a well ventilated area and use a mask for the fumes and dust. I bought a bare badge and masked it off and painted it by hand using artists brushes. I was happy enough with the outcome. Good luck and post up some pictures of your progress.

Charlie.

MikesDexta
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Re: How much paint do i need

Post by MikesDexta »

Well I've taken the plunge today and removed the nose cone. You can see the repair that fixed a big rust hole, I had it done by a local body shop as I have no experience of bodywork repair. I was a bit disappointed with the overall result as they haven't feathered the filler properly in places so I will need to sand it down.

Image

I started to remove the old paint and surface rust with a 90 degree die grinder and poly disc but my 14cfm 90L compressor couldn't keep up so I swapped to an angle grinder with a poly disc and it stripped it in no time without damaging the metal. However it revealed a myriad of small dents - it looks as if it someone's beaten the hell out of it with a hammer, especially all along the bottom :cry: So now I will need to learn how to use body filler after all. Does anyone know if dents like these can be knocked out to avoid using filler?

Image

The badge area is also pretty battered

Image
1959 Dexta
I'm not retired just re-deployed

charlie63
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Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 4:44 pm
Location: Edinburgh

Re: How much paint do i need

Post by charlie63 »

Mike,
Your radiator cowl looks in pretty good nick if it is still the original. Its all down to personal preference in how good a finish you want. I bought a panel beating kit from fleebay which gave me a selection of panel beating hammers and dollies. As for filling, the filler comes with hardener which you have to mix and you only have a certain time to apply it before it starts to harden. Apply it in a thin coat, leave to harden and rub down. Apply more filler if required. There are plenty of tutorials on You Tube. When rubbing down start off with a medium wet and dry and you finish off with as smooth as possible to remove all the imperfections. Usually when you think its ready apply a coat of primer and this will show any imperfections. Its a time consuming job but worth it in the end.

Charlie.

MikesDexta
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Re: How much paint do i need

Post by MikesDexta »

Thanks Charlie
I'll try the panel beating kit first and fill any remaining imperfections. Were you happy with the kit you bought from eBay - which one was it?

I've also started cleaning off the old seat which has deep pitted rust and, like most, it will need some welding done, fortunately a friend has offered to do this for me.

Image

Image

Mike
1959 Dexta
I'm not retired just re-deployed

charlie63
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Posts: 269
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Location: Edinburgh

Re: How much paint do i need

Post by charlie63 »

Mike,
Your seat doesnt look too bad either. Im sure your friend will make a good job weld repairing it. The panel beating kit I bought wasnt expensive and found it very useful. Im actually using it on my old Fordson Thames that im working on at the moment. The following link is to same kit that I bought.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7PC-CAR-AUTO ... SwiMxdd8R6

Charlie.

MikesDexta
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Re: How much paint do i need

Post by MikesDexta »

Thanks again Charlie

Good luck with your old truck! :thumbs:
1959 Dexta
I'm not retired just re-deployed

Mervyn Spencer
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Location: South Africa

Re: How much paint do i need

Post by Mervyn Spencer »

Hi Gents,

Thanks for the tip on laying body putty Charlie, I'm busy trying to patch up an area on my right mudguard. I layed rather a thick layer of filler and you right it starts drying in seconds maybe because its old putty. The amount of hardner I added is really small. In future I shall do what you have suggested Charlie and use thinned layers.

Progress looking good Mike.

Mervyn.

MikesDexta
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Re: How much paint do i need

Post by MikesDexta »

The seat needs a new clip and for the life of me I can't find one in the uk but found this in the States

http://www.fixthatford.com/index.php?ma ... cts_id=428

I'm concerned that it may be too wide? I'm off to California next week so could arrange for it to be delivered to a hotel we are staying at.
1959 Dexta
I'm not retired just re-deployed

charlie63
True Blue
Posts: 269
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 4:44 pm
Location: Edinburgh

Re: How much paint do i need

Post by charlie63 »

Mervyn,
You need very little hardner with the putty that is why you only get a small tube with a large tin. You usually need to mix a few amounts to get a rough idea on how long it will take to set hard. It's a bit of trial and error really to start with.

Mike,
I think that spring may be too wide. I actually found the seat spring to be of little use. I'm thinking of a few ideas to make a suitable seat spring and will keep you posted if I get my prototype into use.

Charlie.

Bluebilly
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Location: Waterfoot, Glasgow, Scotland

Re: How much paint do i need

Post by Bluebilly »

You have had some great advice so far, and I'd definitely have a go at beating out the dents so as to use less fillers. When I first started I found I was hitting too hard, so small taps is the way to go. Thin layers of filler work best, and are easier to rub down. When it comes to spraying I use 5:1 ratio and use fast flash thinners. They do what they say and flash off almost before the paint hits the panelling, but make sure you have good ventilation and a mask..
1948 E27N
1958 Dexta
Roadless 75
TEF 20
MF135 multipower
MF 165
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