Repainting a handplane

[Prashun Patel]

I'm trying to rehab a Sargent plane and am considering repainting it.

Most of the jappaning (sp?) has worn off, and for kicks, I'd like to try my hand at stripping and repainting it.

I've got her almost all stripped ;), but the painting part's got me nervous:

I'm planning to use engine paint, and to just mask off the sides. Is there a better way to do this?

[jerry nazard]

Shawn,

You might also mask off screw holes and the frog mating areas. I have used engine enamel and set the plane to bake outside in the sun. No problems so far with paint chipping or peeling.

-Jerry

[scott spencer]

If the Jappaning is badly damaged, and the plane isn't a collectable, you've really got little to lose. I rehabbed a badly damage Bedrock last year, and used spray enamel, clear coated it, and let it sit in the oven at ~ 150°F for about an hour...sunshine would do the same thing.

[Sean Hughto]

When I was in college, I lived in a group house with about 10 other guys - almost like an informal frat. One of the guys had an old RX7 that was lemon yellow. He always complained about the color, so one year for his birthday, we all chipped in small amounts and surprised him by taking his car to Maaco for a red paint job. Well, one of the things that makes cheap paint jobs cheap is that they don't bother to spend the time carefully masking. they left things like the ends of the doors you see when you open them, yellow and there was overspray here and there. Arguably the car looked better than when it was yellow, but no one was going to think that was a factory paint job.

My point - take some time to very carefully mask everything that you don't want paint on to make for a neat job.

[Prashun Patel]

Thanks for the tips. Yeah, I will take time to mask.

I'm not making a collectible; just trying to make a great using AND looking plane for myself.

[Jim Koepke]

I have used Rustoleum enamel. One thing needed is patience. Depending on the number of coats you apply, you may want to let it set in a warm place for a week or more. Check for hardness of finish in a place that does not show or apply some to a similar surface for testing.

A fresh smooth finish on a hand plane can make them feel so much better when using them.

jim

[dan sherman]

Try Valspar "Anti-Rust Armor", It's a high end enamel That's used by a lot of machine tool people to re-paint mills, lathes, etc. It takes a few days to fully harden, but once it has, it's pretty much untouchable by anything your likely to have in a home shop.

[Casey Gooding]

I have had good luck with Rustoleum, as well. I have also used black Appliance Epoxy with good results.

[Richard Dooling]

+1 on the Rustoleum. I use semi-gloss or satin for the final coat to tone down the high gloss.
I would like to try something thicker that more closely emulates true Japanning though. All the enamels I've tried do not give that peculiar look that the old planes have. No real big deal to me as these are all users but then again -


.

[Phillip Pattee]

Johnny Kleso recommends Dupli-Color® Engine Enamel DUPDE1635 Ford Semi Gloss Black to try to match the look of japaning. Of course you can make it your own custom color. Don't forget the flames.:D

[Eric Uglem]

I refinished a #6 foreplane this summer using Dupli-Colour semigloss black engine enamel as recommended by Johnny Kleso. It was excellent. First I had it sandblasted, then I used Phosphoric Acid, then laquer thinner and even paint and varnish remover. Then gave it 5 or 6 coats of paint waiting 10 minutes between coats. Looks great. Yes, it's a good idea to mask off anything that you don't want painted. Thankyou Johnny Kleso for the excellent piece on handplane refinishing!

[Prashun Patel]

Tip to the unwise:

I had a devil of a time masking parts of the frog, so instead, I coated the undesired faces with wax. I used a stick of soft paraffin, but pastewax or even vaseline would probably work just as well. The enamel and wax buffs right off with a scotchbrite pad.


Nifty!

[Sean Hughto]

I dunno if it's worth $8.50 in this instance, but for future reference, liquid latex mold building rubber available at most craft stores is a great mask for irregular surfaces. You brush it on - one or two coats and let it dry; when you're done spraying the paint, it peals right off.

http://www.delviesplastics.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=DPI&Category_Code=Mold_Builder

[Sean Hughto]

Oh yeah, blue tack or poster putty stuff is a great masking device too.

http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/product/104067_front500.jpg

[Jerome Hanby]

+1 on the Rustoleum. I use semi-gloss or satin for the final coat to tone down the high gloss.
I would like to try something thicker that more closely emulates true Japanning though. All the enamels I've tried do not give that peculiar look that the old planes have. No real big deal to me as these are all users but then again -


.
I found some info on the www about japanning. Per the article, I ordered a plastic jar of asphaultium. If I recall correctly, you mix it with turpentine, brush it on, then bake the plane. I found a toaster oven on freecycle. I may even make time to try japanning an old plane one of these days:D.

[Bob Glenn]

I use model airplane paint. I also put the bolts and screws in my drill press and spin them while holding a piece of sandpaper against the head. This polishes the head and gives it a nice spun look. Be sure to tape the treads on the adjuster screws also. Give everything a nice coat of satin clear spray paint after everything else is done and it will stay nice and new looking if you just display it.

[Ray Sheley]

Jerome,
Where did you purchase the asphaultium?

[Jerome Hanby]

Rembrabdt graphic arts
po box 130
Rosemont, NJ 08556

Plastic jar label says powdered asphaltum .85 lb