Can I paint certain tools?

[Derek Wise]

Hey guys, I'm a woodworking novice and I'm trying to fill my home shop with good quality tools. But, I've made some concessions and gone cheap on some beginner tools like orbital sander, circular saw, shop light, etc... I went with Ryobi for a lot of these, the Ryobi and other low-price brands all seem to be made by someone like TTI and rebranded, and their components don't seem too terribly different. So far, these have worked fine, but I will probably take the path most people do and replace them once they've lived their life or I learn enough to really want the higher quality tool. To me, the biggest issue so far is that the color of these tools makes me want to vomit that same puke green color.

Can I spray-paint those parts? Will that type of rubber/butyl/elastomer hold a paint? Would it hold something like a plasti-dip?

Thanks for the help

[glenn bradley]

Just my humble opinion but, I would spend that time and effort doing something else. Those tools will pass into the past soon enough :-)

[Derek Wise]

Fair point, I appreciate the feedback

[Frederick Skelly]

Welcome Derek! Glad to have you join us!

I agree with Glenn - probably more trouble than it's worth.

But to answer your question, "normal" spray paints that I've used don't have much flex and seems like it will chip off. (On car bumpers, they add a flex agent.) But there may be an over the counter product that I havent tried. Seems to me there's a spray on rubber some folks spray on car rims. Perhaps that would work.

Let us know if you try it and how it comes out.

Fred

[Nick Decker]

Derek, while I agree with Glenn, I feel your pain. Seems like every tool company wants their tool to stand out because it's a certain color. The more garish, the better. Much smarter, IMO, to have a tool that stands out because of its quality. Not likely, especially at that price point.

[Derek Wise]

Thanks Fred, happy to be here, seems like a good community on this site. Easy for you to say, you don't have to look at that color every night :).

Yeah some preliminary looks on the ol' google machine tell me there's a product called Plasti-dip that people use for wheels and that might have the right properties to flex with the rubber compounds on the tools.

Will do, and thanks for the feedback

[Chris Hachet]

Actually i am going to repaint and restore my vintage lathe, but i actually like the patina of age and sue on tools, be they harbor freight or vintage Arn.

Please don't be ashamed of cheap tools, they often can be as useful as good ones.

[Steve Peterson]

I don't see anything wrong with taking a can of spray paint to your tools. It's not like you are trying to preserve the resale value. :)

I would probably want to spray paint my tools also if I got started in the puke green era. Mine started out mostly generic gray which is not to bad. I looked at them for a really long time before I realized that they should be upgraded.

The spray paint isle at Home Depot or Lowes has an enormous selection of paint types. Some are specifically for for plastic or metal surfaces. Make sure you dis-assemble them or mask them off to prevent paint from getting where it can cause issues.

Steve

[Tim M Tuttle]

Huh, the only thing I like about Ryobi is their branding.

You can paint your tools. Jay Bates painted all of his Ryobi stuff black.

[Derek Wise]

Hey Tim, to each his own, right? Ok thanks, I'll check that out.

[Derek Wise]

Hey Chris, that's a good point. I won't say that this is 100% aesthetic (there may be a little shame going on, too), but it is mostly an aesthetic thing - I just thought I'd like looking at 'em more if they were a nice matte black or something.

[Derek Wise]

No sir, not trying to preserve any resale value. Even as I replace them, I'll hang onto them as backups or loaners. I'm a man of simple tastes, generic gray would be just fine.

Yep, I was thinking to just mask them off, but you make a good point about disassembling them, some of the simpler ones probably just unscrew and pop apart exactly where I need them to, as those colored parts are usually connected to the others and not integrated.

Thanks Steve

[Chris Hachet]

<p>

Hey Chris, that&#39;s a good point. I won&#39;t say that this is 100% aesthetic (there may be a little shame going on, too), but it is mostly an aesthetic thing - I just thought I&#39;d like looking at &#39;em more if they were a nice matte black or something.I find that I use cheaper tools like that when I go over and help friends. Being brightly colored can help you find them after a long day. I can relate to the bright color thing though, I prefer the dark blue of Bosch tools myself.</p>

[glenn bradley]

Fair point, I appreciate the feedback

I mean all of this in a sense of positive camaraderie. I say this since the written word can sometimes hide the sparkle in our eyes and the smile on our face . . . I forgot to mention that Festool and Grex are both puke green and very high quality. Maybe its just a mind-set and you could get comfortable with them. I've got a couple of those orange Harbor Freight tools that scream like a banshee and feel like they are going to throw a bearing every time I use them but, they keep on working. I've finally adjusted to them and await their demise patiently.

[Ben Rivel]

I mean all of this in a sense of positive camaraderie. I say this since the written word can sometimes hide the sparkle in our eyes and the smile on our face . . . I forgot to mention that Festool and Grex are both puke green and very high quality. Maybe its just a mind-set and you could get comfortable with them. I've got a couple of those orange Harbor Freight tools that scream like a banshee and feel like they are going to throw a bearing every time I use them but, they keep on working. I've finally adjusted to them and await their demise patiently.
You puke in highlighter green?! You should probably get that checked man. You might be radioactive!

[Derek Wise]

Understood - as one of our sales reps at work says: Email is for facts and figures, talking is for everything else. Too easy to lose the little things.

It probably is a mindset thing - some combo of the look of them and the tools screaming 'I'm not sure what I'm doing'.

Thanks again. Also, solid Calvin picture.

[Chris Hachet]

<p>

You puke in highlighter green?! You should probably get that checked man. You might be radioactive!I suppose that&#39;s what he gets for having his woodworking shop at the Los Alamos test site.</p>

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Just be certain that you do not get paint where it should not be; for example, in through the air vents....

[Derek Wise]

Ok, thanks.

[Garth Almgren]

You can paint your tools. Jay Bates painted all of his Ryobi stuff black.
Jimmy Diresta used to paint all his stuff white (with a stenciled Diresta logo) because he didn't want to give away free advertising. :D

[johnny means]

Spray painting tools is also a common way to mark one's equipment for job sites. No one wants to be caught with your pink jigsaw.