Painting Cans

[cheeko8080]

So I've seen and read every thread I could find on the board about painting any part of these regs, from the non-mag threads to the 50 Fathom threads etc. There seems to be a number of pieces of information that are relative to the particular projects. I have experience painting many things, but almost all of these things have been plastics. I was hoping to get advice from anyone on the board with a lot of experience about the best ways to go about painting Mistral or DA cans. I have many project regs in the works and a couple of them are FX regs (or custom design jobs). I will start by having the chrome stripped off. Do I simply apply an epoxy primer to that and paint with enamel or epoxy or acrylic paint? Should I have the cans plated in a certain metal before painting to make the paint adhere better? What type of primer is best? What type of paint is best?

Thanks for any advice!
Clint

[antique diver]

Have you considered a good Powder Coat for a more durable finish? That stuff is tough.

[cheeko8080]

I have considered a powder coat. If I go with a matte finish on anything its powder coat all the way. Does powder coating come with a glossy finish option as well? How thick is powder coating? Is it a problem to close the cans when powder coated? I think I remember reading an old thread where you said you powder coated a non-mag...are you happy with the result?

Clint

[1969ivan1]

I had a FX non mag made http://www.thescubamuseum.com/regulator ... ctures.htm but you need to make sure they do not put it on too thick. The finish wears very well and really looks good IMO. This particular Faux NON MAG is one of the original PRAMs made by VDH and I treasure it. It is sn 007!

[antique diver]

I have considered a powder coat. If I go with a matte finish on anything its powder coat all the way. Does powder coating come with a glossy finish option as well? How thick is powder coating? Is it a problem to close the cans when powder coated? I think I remember reading an old thread where you said you powder coated a non-mag...are you happy with the result?

Clint

I had a matte finish to be more in line with the non-mag, but they can powder coat in glossy as well. I think it would look great on a set of cans. I am pleased with the looks and durability of mine.

The cans fit together just a little more snugly, but presented no problem for me. A good powder coater should be able to control the thickness somewhat to prevent a problem with fit. The one thing that didn't originally work out was that they covered the nozzle surface that seals to the valve oring. I had to cut the coat off that flat surface on my lathe down to bare brass, and that lost the gold plating there... grrrX**%&#! All else was ok and I would do it again if the powder coater could assure me that surface could be spared. Just be sure to pick someone to do the job that is interested, cooperative and can answer all your questions.

[Drado]

When I had my reg powder coated, I went with an industrial outfit. Just to be sure tolerances weren't messed up with, I masked off the critical areas before sending the parts in. And yes, they can do glossy finishes as well.

[usddude]

Remember paint will not adhere to chrome. Remove chrome by soaking in muriatic acid you can get it at most building supply stores.

Steve

PS: same stuff for cleaning concrete..also a diluted solution is used to adjust PH in swimming pools. Powerfull stuff so keep it off your skin. Dissolves the chrome down to bare brass. Use regular gray primer on the brass before you spray enamel....very thin coats. I remember Dave Ali posting several years ago about removing chrome with the muriatic

[Douchebag]

Remember paint will not adhere to chrome. Remove chrome by soaking in muriatic acid you can get it at most building supply stores.

Steve

PS: same stuff for cleaning concrete..also a diluted solution is used to adjust PH in swimming pools. Powerfull stuff so keep it off your skin. Dissolves the chrome down to bare brass. Use regular gray primer on the brass before you spray enamel....very thin coats. I remember Dave Ali posting several years ago about removing chrome with the muriatic

Holy crap!! Somebody actually paid attention...LOL

[cheeko8080]

I would give the muriatic acid a try but I'd rather not try to properly manage the chemicals and disposal and everything here in Manhattan (not much space to deal with it). Does anyone have personal experience with how well the paint will adhere to the brass with a primer coating. I'm definitely leaning toward a powder coating at this point but I'm definitely open to the possibility of paint. I remember reading the threads on the non-mags and the topic of the difficulty of paint adhering to brass came up a bunch of times. Is it because it needed the flat black and not a glossy paint...just a shoot in the dark....

Clint

[usddude]

The primer sticks to the brass like glue....the paint adheres to the primer. Around here i clean the sidewalk every now and then, also I like killing the weeds too.

usd

I listen and learn Dave.....

[jorgea]

I would use a powder coat--industrial grade for overall best results. Let us know how your project turns out here at http://www.vintagedoublehose.com