Rustoleum is an acrylic enamel, the only major difference between it and Automotive acrylic enamel is the quality on the ingredients and the hardener used in the paint system. You do not need to use the crappy hardeners offered for use with Rustoleum. Any automotive grade acrylic enamel hardener will work with Rustoleum and will give dramatically better performance than the tractor paint hardeners mentioned in this vid. Regardless of the type acrylic enamel gains it's durability, gloss and UV protection from the hardener added to the paint, not from the paint itself. Automotive grade acrylic enamel hardeners start at about $25 for what is often called synthetic enamel hardener. For about $10 more you can get wet look enamel hardener and for $10 more super wet look. For each bump in price you get more gloss and more UV protection. Automotive grade acrylic enamel hardeners can be purchased from parts stores like NAPA and O'Reilly. From local Automotive paint stores and places like Ebay.
Synthetic, oil based and alkyd are all different names or terms used for the same type of 'budget' enamel. Synthetic enamel and acrylic enamel are different. If they weren't...there wouldn't be different hardeners. I'll use the old Dupont products as an example. 77S was the hardener available for 'Dulux' (the 'straight' enamel also known as synthetic or oil base) Also 3812S was (and is still available) the reducer. 793S was the number for 'Centari' (the acrylic enamel) hardener. Also there were 3 different reducers available for Centari depending on the ambient temperature. I used to spray a LOT of acrylic enamel, both Dupont and PPG back in the 80's and 90's when i was doing 'back yard' body work as a side gig. Then came along a paint line called 'Western' (I think it was a budget priced Sherwin-Williams brand) It was only available in 'factory pack' or pre-mixed gallons. There was also a 'paint chart' which gave you a visual representation of the different colors. All of the colors were available in 'synthetic' enamel but only about 90% were available in the 'acrylic'. So I had a slight learning curve to deal with but I did eventually get pretty good at laying down a good finish with the synthetic paint. They also offered a clear in both 'synthetic' and 'acrylic'. At one time, I could buy a gallon of paint, a gallon of clear, a gallon of reducer, and 2 pints of hardener (one for each gallon) for right around $200 for RED (normally the most expensive color).... let it dry, wet sand and buff... and it would rival a lot more expensive base coat/clear coat paint job. But with the ramping up of VOC regulations, a 'budget' paint job is getting more difficult to achieve. Heck, even lacquer primer (gallons and quarts) are now no longer available in my area.
@@russdavis1960 The only difference between enamel hardeners is the level of UV protection and gloss they provide. The hardener for synthetic is meant to be really cheap. After all no one would want to pay more for the hardener than they paid for paint. Which is why synthetic hardener pores like water and super wet look pores like pancake batter. 3m super wet look even claims it turns enamel paint into urethane because it has ton of urethane solids in it. Any road I mainly add wet look enamel hardener to Rustoleum type paints when painting things like trailers and equipment. It gives good UV protection and gloss while only increasing the cost by about 50% If I were going to paint a car with Rustoleum I'd probably use Japan drier as a catalyst. Give it a day to cure then sand and spay on a urethane clear coat. If you can live with the available colors of home center paints...A gallon of Rustoleum and a gallon urethane clear kit off eBay you could achieve a real basecoat clearcoat paint job for about $160 in 2024.
Had great results over the years using True Value enamel, have to use the hardner and put it on as wet as you can, without runs,and dont thin out more than necessary, works good looks good
Rust-Oleum is actually very nice paint, Ace hardware sells a paint very similar under the ace name and it is cheaper. Rust-Oleum looks nice if you brush it on or if you spray it through a spray gun. Rust-Oleum customer service told me to use acetone to thin their product. I spray Rust-Oleum with a Binks #7 spray gun and it comes out looking perfect, problem is it loses its glossy appearance & gets dull very fast, hardner would help this quite a bit. I avoid using hardners, because hardeners have isocyanate in them, very bad to spray without proper safety equipment.
If you are rolling and tipping, you can use Penetrol to level it rather than solvent. I did that with catalyst on the bottom of my boat and it looked sprayed on and glossier.
Great comments. I did a utility trailer with gloss black reduced 3:1 with a LVLP gun. It was the first time I sprayed, and with a trailer, I wouldn't have minded if it came out bad. I also used a clearcoat. Worth doing.
It's not so much the brand name you need to think about. It's the chemical makeup of the product. This is what they painted cars with decades ago and it held up very well if it was cared for. In many cases, much better than the basecoat/clearcoats companies use these days. I have a 50 year old truck with its original enamel paint job that still shines like a mirror and I have a 12 year old truck that I've babied the paint (coat of wax after every wash) and the clear coat is still starting to peel on the roof and hood. I've used this stuff before and I have no qualms over painting a road worthy car that actually gets used with it.
I used tractor paint with small amount of mineral spirits and hardener painted by hand with a camel hair brush. As it sat any brush lines disappeared and it was smooth as spray. I got rid of the vehicle after 3 1/2 years sitting outside under a tarp. Still looked fine.
my white rustolem from a quart can is perfect 9 yrs later, reduced with mineral spirits and rolled on, 5 coats no hardner, sanded then buffed to perfection, it outshines any white car, always use good wax. it will last
Unless you have a sprayer, or intend to do more than one car, just use rattle cans. I've done both ways, the rattle can car was cheaper. It was also easier, faster, and future touch-ups were simple! I chose ultra-flat camo green. DO NOT SAND after painting. I made that mistake, so ended up respraying a fender. Also do not use those comfy handle things, that is why I sanded...and repainted. Total 6 cans: $36 i also used 4 cans of primer, but that would also have been needed with either paint.
I have always struggled with the small spray pattern of rattle cans on large areas, plus I get tired of clogged nozzles and constantly shaking them. My .02: I will take a spray gun any day.
@@ozarkgarage the pattern doesn't matter, as long as there are sufficient coats. So if you overlap a bit, leave it! You can add more later. nozzles only clog after the can is used then stored without clearing it. After use, spray the can upside down until only propellant, then it will be ready next time. That's not as much of a concern because of the volume required.
I built a budget ( $5000 ) V8 MGB GT ( "The Widest V8 MGB GT In The World" on YT ) and mixed up a charcoal RO blend of aluminum and black with about 20% acetone ( $100 all in ) and it shot just fine and is durable to a point. Because I didn't use hardener ( thanks for the tip ) it "scuffs" if you are not careful but who cares. When it goes funky I'll repaint it more correctly next time after fixing the bodywork flaws you see AFTER painting.
Do you have any reference material for hardners and other paint products. I'm cheap and paint using nason or omni base. Could I use that tractor hardner with that paint or even nason clear? I just can't find anything on that. Thanks for the info
I have seen the Van Sickle Tractor paint at the farm store, but never actually tried any. Rustoleum has a line of tractor and implement these days also, not sure if it is actually different or they are just a color match to popular tractors.
They say you don't need to spray a clear coat on rustoleum oil base enamel because...well it's an enamel paint, but the question is when painting any vehicle is, do you want to clear coat it, and if you do, what clear coat should everyone use?
Acrylic Enamel hardeners are what you want, the majic tractor paint catalyst is just a rebranded acrylic enamel hardener. Do not use urethane hardeners because those hardeners are designed to work with polyurethane and acrylic urethane, if you mix urethane hardener with alkyd enamel, the paint with turn into a substance that looks like mucusy boogers.... ask me how I know 😊
I have used naphtha instead of acetone to thin it out when brushing it on. The naphtha takes longer to evaporate, so the paint levels out more, but you get more dust and bugs.
Thanks for this tip about the hardener. I didn't know about that. I used the Rustoleum rattle cans which do not have hardener. I painted a car with Rustoleum before with 2K clear over it. The job came out fantastic after alot of cutting and buffing. Problem is, enamel paint doesn't harden like urethane basecoat (which has a hardener). It stays soft. The 2K urethane clear will stick to it, but it will not "bond" to it since they are 2 dissimilar types of paint. The clear will easily peel and chip off. You can test it out by sticking masking tape to the clear from an edge, then peel it off. The clear will peel off with the tape. Even worse with stronger tape like duct tape or with stickers. Forget about wrapping the car. That will completely peel off all the clear when you remove the wrap 😂. From my experience, you are better off buying real automotive 2K urethane basecoat paint to use with 2K urethane clear. Even a cheap one is better than using enamel (Rustoleum) or acrylic lacquer (Duplicolor or Krylon).
Exactly "the 2K urethane clear will stick to it, but it will not "bond" to it since they are 2 dissimilar types of paint." I shake my head every time I see people recommend that, what this video is suggesting using hardener is the correct way of extending the life of oil based paint.
Yes that Penetrol will give you a very flat smooth finish roller and brush its high grade linseed oil with solvent.I use 4 parts Rusto Red Rusty one part Penetrol on inner panels seams and chassis underbody works as well or better than any direct over rust product.The alkyd and linseed are compatible but mix well.
Anyone complaining about DIY paint should think of it as having two options: 1. Do nothing and keep the old, scratched paint with possibly mismatched body panels. 2. DIY for $200 The third option of professional paint is not in the same price ballpark at all!
I am not a fan of the mis-matched body panel look, I know some people love it, not for me. I would rather have a "10-ft" paint job and actually learn something (by doing) any day.
this is how you keep money in the bank to eventually retire. these days only people like jay leno can afford to pay people to build their cars with premium materials and labor.
Hey no hate here. I painted two vehicles with Rustoleum, one 15 years ago so I know how it is after that length of time. The one thing you will see in the vids, and I saw on my own vehicles, is the protection. The rustoleum paint does not fail. It will fade if you dont protect it with UV protection, but it does not crack or peel. The metal is protected with no doubts. The fading can be buffed or painted again. its cheap and it looks good. The rock chips you commented on, well try that with normal automotive paint and I know you get the same thing if not worse. And not sure where you say you have to have hardener to resist gas spillage. My vehicle that has the 15 year paint job has had no hardeners added, paint was supplied in Rattle can. That paint had gasoline spilled on it numerous time and the paint held up, did not peel or bubble, nothing. during a trip a truck lost his tread from the tire, it hit my vehicle with a bang. Inspection later was a black mark but not even a scratch. The paint is durable. For the money, Rustoleum, and I go with Rattlers, is the best bang for the buck, it looks good and it holds up. There is no argument on any of this. Been there, done it.
Rustoleum is an acrylic enamel, the only major difference between it and Automotive acrylic enamel is the quality on the ingredients and the hardener used in the paint system. You do not need to use the crappy hardeners offered for use with Rustoleum. Any automotive grade acrylic enamel hardener will work with Rustoleum and will give dramatically better performance than the tractor paint hardeners mentioned in this vid. Regardless of the type acrylic enamel gains it's durability, gloss and UV protection from the hardener added to the paint, not from the paint itself. Automotive grade acrylic enamel hardeners start at about $25 for what is often called synthetic enamel hardener. For about $10 more you can get wet look enamel hardener and for $10 more super wet look. For each bump in price you get more gloss and more UV protection.
Automotive grade acrylic enamel hardeners can be purchased from parts stores like NAPA and O'Reilly. From local Automotive paint stores and places like Ebay.
Solid advice, thank you for the comment!
Synthetic, oil based and alkyd are all different names or terms used for the same type of 'budget' enamel.
Synthetic enamel and acrylic enamel are different. If they weren't...there wouldn't be different hardeners.
I'll use the old Dupont products as an example.
77S was the hardener available for 'Dulux' (the 'straight' enamel also known as synthetic or oil base)
Also 3812S was (and is still available) the reducer.
793S was the number for 'Centari' (the acrylic enamel) hardener.
Also there were 3 different reducers available for Centari depending on the ambient temperature.
I used to spray a LOT of acrylic enamel, both Dupont and PPG back in the 80's and 90's when i was doing 'back yard' body work as a side gig.
Then came along a paint line called 'Western' (I think it was a budget priced Sherwin-Williams brand)
It was only available in 'factory pack' or pre-mixed gallons. There was also a 'paint chart' which gave you a visual representation of the different colors.
All of the colors were available in 'synthetic' enamel but only about 90% were available in the 'acrylic'.
So I had a slight learning curve to deal with but I did eventually get pretty good at laying down a good finish with the synthetic paint.
They also offered a clear in both 'synthetic' and 'acrylic'.
At one time, I could buy a gallon of paint, a gallon of clear, a gallon of reducer, and 2 pints of hardener (one for each gallon) for right around $200 for RED (normally the most expensive color).... let it dry, wet sand and buff... and it would rival a lot more expensive base coat/clear coat paint job.
But with the ramping up of VOC regulations, a 'budget' paint job is getting more difficult to achieve. Heck, even lacquer primer (gallons and quarts) are now no longer available in my area.
@@russdavis1960 The only difference between enamel hardeners is the level of UV protection and gloss they provide. The hardener for synthetic is meant to be really cheap. After all no one would want to pay more for the hardener than they paid for paint.
Which is why synthetic hardener pores like water and super wet look pores like pancake batter. 3m super wet look even claims it turns enamel paint into urethane because it has ton of urethane solids in it.
Any road I mainly add wet look enamel hardener to Rustoleum type paints when painting things like trailers and equipment. It gives good UV protection and gloss while only increasing the cost by about 50%
If I were going to paint a car with Rustoleum I'd probably use Japan drier as a catalyst. Give it a day to cure then sand and spay on a urethane clear coat.
If you can live with the available colors of home center paints...A gallon of Rustoleum and a gallon urethane clear kit off eBay you could achieve a real basecoat clearcoat paint job for about $160 in 2024.
@@THX..1138 Do you happen to have a product/part number for the hardeners?
I'm only able to find 'wet look' by Mar-Hyde #2612 or Transtar TRE 8108.
What is better oil or water based?
I really appreciate how candid you are …… and how you stay budget minded with your projects
Super cool! Nobody else ever follows up on projects like this.
Thanks! Just trying to be helpful
Had great results over the years using True Value enamel, have to use the hardner and put it on as wet as you can, without runs,and dont thin out more than necessary, works good looks good
Rust-Oleum is actually very nice paint, Ace hardware sells a paint very similar under the ace name and it is cheaper. Rust-Oleum looks nice if you brush it on or if you spray it through a spray gun. Rust-Oleum customer service told me to use acetone to thin their product. I spray Rust-Oleum with a Binks #7 spray gun and it comes out looking perfect, problem is it loses its glossy appearance & gets dull very fast, hardner would help this quite a bit. I avoid using hardners, because hardeners have isocyanate in them, very bad to spray without proper safety equipment.
If you are rolling and tipping, you can use Penetrol to level it rather than solvent. I did that with catalyst on the bottom of my boat and it looked sprayed on and glossier.
I've never tried rolling and tipping. If I didn't have spray equipment already, I would be inclined to try it.
Great comments. I did a utility trailer with gloss black reduced 3:1 with a LVLP gun. It was the first time I sprayed, and with a trailer, I wouldn't have minded if it came out bad. I also used a clearcoat. Worth doing.
It's not so much the brand name you need to think about. It's the chemical makeup of the product. This is what they painted cars with decades ago and it held up very well if it was cared for. In many cases, much better than the basecoat/clearcoats companies use these days. I have a 50 year old truck with its original enamel paint job that still shines like a mirror and I have a 12 year old truck that I've babied the paint (coat of wax after every wash) and the clear coat is still starting to peel on the roof and hood. I've used this stuff before and I have no qualms over painting a road worthy car that actually gets used with it.
Glad to have seen this pop up in my feed, those Al Go-rythum guys must have me pegged as a minimalist do-it-yourselfer which is fine by me.
Nice! You caught my attention with the seven, but I learned something new about paint. Good work!
I used tractor paint with small amount of mineral spirits and hardener painted by hand with a camel hair brush. As it sat any brush lines disappeared and it was smooth as spray. I got rid of the vehicle after 3 1/2 years sitting outside under a tarp. Still looked fine.
my white rustolem from a quart can is perfect 9 yrs later, reduced with mineral spirits and rolled on, 5 coats no hardner, sanded then buffed to perfection, it outshines any white car, always use good wax. it will last
What ratio did you use between paint and mineral spirits
I painted my car with Rustoleum. I diluted it with Sikkens reducer. And for hardener I used Krylon catalysator. Paint is holding up pretty good.
Also, as a racer, you expect to do touch-ups on a regular basis, so this is a doable alternative.
Unless you have a sprayer, or intend to do more than one car, just use rattle cans. I've done both ways, the rattle can car was cheaper. It was also easier, faster, and future touch-ups were simple!
I chose ultra-flat camo green. DO NOT SAND after painting. I made that mistake, so ended up respraying a fender. Also do not use those comfy handle things, that is why I sanded...and repainted.
Total 6 cans: $36
i also used 4 cans of primer, but that would also have been needed with either paint.
*cars, I did many with rattle cans in high school. prep fri night, paint early sat morning, car ready for monday school.
I have always struggled with the small spray pattern of rattle cans on large areas, plus I get tired of clogged nozzles and constantly shaking them. My .02: I will take a spray gun any day.
@@ozarkgarage the pattern doesn't matter, as long as there are sufficient coats. So if you overlap a bit, leave it! You can add more later.
nozzles only clog after the can is used then stored without clearing it. After use, spray the can upside down until only propellant, then it will be ready next time. That's not as much of a concern because of the volume required.
I have mixed a quart 1-1 with mineral spirits A half a cap full of Neeson enamel hardener 483-11
Nicely done, thanks for sharing.
I built a budget ( $5000 ) V8 MGB GT ( "The Widest V8 MGB GT In The World" on YT ) and mixed up a charcoal RO blend of aluminum and black with about 20% acetone ( $100 all in ) and it shot just fine and is durable to a point. Because I didn't use hardener ( thanks for the tip ) it "scuffs" if you are not careful but who cares. When it goes funky I'll repaint it more correctly next time after fixing the bodywork flaws you see AFTER painting.
Do you have any reference material for hardners and other paint products. I'm cheap and paint using nason or omni base. Could I use that tractor hardner with that paint or even nason clear? I just can't find anything on that. Thanks for the info
No, sorry. In general it's best not to mix and match
I used to do this, but with brands like Upol and Speedokote, I moved to automotive urethane.
Van sickle brand tractor paint is a better option for DIY, you can buy hardener and clear coat all the same brand
I have seen the Van Sickle Tractor paint at the farm store, but never actually tried any. Rustoleum has a line of tractor and implement these days also, not sure if it is actually different or they are just a color match to popular tractors.
Can you spray the 2k clear over this paint, I’ve seen a bunch of channels talking about it?
Never tried it personally.
They say you don't need to spray a clear coat on rustoleum oil base enamel because...well it's an enamel paint, but the question is when painting any vehicle is, do you want to clear coat it, and if you do, what clear coat should everyone use?
if you sand it with 3000 then buff n polish it will shine
Acrylic Enamel hardeners are what you want, the majic tractor paint catalyst is just a rebranded acrylic enamel hardener. Do not use urethane hardeners because those hardeners are designed to work with polyurethane and acrylic urethane, if you mix urethane hardener with alkyd enamel, the paint with turn into a substance that looks like mucusy boogers.... ask me how I know 😊
A little bit of Penatrol made by Flood helps that rustoleum really look good ,its a self leveling agent.
I have used naphtha instead of acetone to thin it out when brushing it on. The naphtha takes longer to evaporate, so the paint levels out more, but you get more dust and bugs.
It's an oil based paint, much like what Henry Ford used without the lacquer.
Thanks for this tip about the hardener. I didn't know about that. I used the Rustoleum rattle cans which do not have hardener.
I painted a car with Rustoleum before with 2K clear over it. The job came out fantastic after alot of cutting and buffing. Problem is, enamel paint doesn't harden like urethane basecoat (which has a hardener). It stays soft. The 2K urethane clear will stick to it, but it will not "bond" to it since they are 2 dissimilar types of paint. The clear will easily peel and chip off.
You can test it out by sticking masking tape to the clear from an edge, then peel it off. The clear will peel off with the tape. Even worse with stronger tape like duct tape or with stickers. Forget about wrapping the car. That will completely peel off all the clear when you remove the wrap 😂.
From my experience, you are better off buying real automotive 2K urethane basecoat paint to use with 2K urethane clear. Even a cheap one is better than using enamel (Rustoleum) or acrylic lacquer (Duplicolor or Krylon).
Exactly "the 2K urethane clear will stick to it, but it will not "bond" to it since they are 2 dissimilar types of paint." I shake my head every time I see people recommend that, what this video is suggesting using hardener is the correct way of extending the life of oil based paint.
Yes that Penetrol will give you a very flat smooth finish roller and brush its high grade linseed oil with solvent.I use 4 parts Rusto Red Rusty one part Penetrol on inner panels seams and chassis underbody works as well or better than any direct over rust product.The alkyd and linseed are compatible but mix well.
Anyone complaining about DIY paint should think of it as having two options:
1. Do nothing and keep the old, scratched paint with possibly mismatched body panels.
2. DIY for $200
The third option of professional paint is not in the same price ballpark at all!
I am not a fan of the mis-matched body panel look, I know some people love it, not for me. I would rather have a "10-ft" paint job and actually learn something (by doing) any day.
Thanks
Van Sickle hardener from Tractor Supply FTW
When I need a hardener I reach for Cialis.... oh wait... wrong channel.
😂😂😂
I cleaned the object very well shook the can forever after 7 days feltsticky
this is how you keep money in the bank to eventually retire. these days only people like jay leno can afford to pay people to build their cars with premium materials and labor.
Hey no hate here.
I painted two vehicles with Rustoleum, one 15 years ago so I know how it is after that length of time.
The one thing you will see in the vids, and I saw on my own vehicles, is the protection.
The rustoleum paint does not fail. It will fade if you dont protect it with UV protection, but it does not crack or peel. The metal is protected with no doubts.
The fading can be buffed or painted again. its cheap and it looks good.
The rock chips you commented on, well try that with normal automotive paint and I know you get the same thing if not worse.
And not sure where you say you have to have hardener to resist gas spillage.
My vehicle that has the 15 year paint job has had no hardeners added, paint was supplied in Rattle can. That paint had gasoline spilled on it numerous time and the paint held up, did not peel or bubble, nothing.
during a trip a truck lost his tread from the tire, it hit my vehicle with a bang. Inspection later was a black mark but not even a scratch. The paint is durable.
For the money, Rustoleum, and I go with Rattlers, is the best bang for the buck, it looks good and it holds up.
There is no argument on any of this. Been there, done it.
Didn't hear much of what you said. I was too busy looking at that beautiful Seven. 🤩
Lotus?
Lotus Seven Replica: ruclips.net/video/qcXA0VJtAa4/видео.html
You can get this harder at tractor supply
You've just earned a like and subscribe from me
Thanks!
...Nice Car....
Thanks!
i bet you prepped the living daylights before shooting
pro quality? no. good coverage +durability? yep.