I have a customer with a 56" Saw Blade that he wants lettering on. It is used and the surface is finely scored in a circular fashion. Not deep but you can tell that it is there. We are doing the vinyl thing because he (The customer) wants black reflective. I was thinking on painting the surface of the blade but was wondering on some tips to make sure the paint sticks! Also some Ideas would be nice on how to mount it. It will be two sided.
Thanks ahead of time for your time!
This web page is INVALUABLE Posted by James Donahue (Member # 3624) on :
Painting is probably a good idea, as it would help seal the surface better. Vinyl alone sounds like it's just asking for the worst sort of rust: what I call "bubble rust". It's where a pice of steel (or iron) starts to rust at the edge of a coating/covering, then the rust creeps ever so slightly under the coating, lifting it. Then water gets in there, causes more rust, and freezes, both of which lift the coating further, which holds more water... And the reason I call it the worst form of rust is that everything else nearby might be high and dry, but the bubble rust is still holding water from the rain shower 4 days ago! Ferous oxide on overtime!!
I'd remove oil and dirt, maybe prep and paint as you would a car body. When I first read the title of this thread, I thought you might have an old blade with "pit rust", and I was going to advise glazing compound (it's like fine bondo) in the pits, after they had been thoroghly cleaned (sandblasting?)
But now I'm wondering if those radial lines in the metal wouldn't look "cool" showin through under the paint and/or vinyl.
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Any good steel primer should work, followed by enamel. For mounting, here a lot of people just weld some chain links to say the 10 o'clock & 2 o'clock positions, and go out at roughly the same angle, up to a horizontal crossbar. After that, you can place the rest of the frame however you wish! Sounds like a nice blade!
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
Shane,
I've got one out in the shop right now.
It's an old wood mill blade and and has a little pitting on it. The surface was prepped at a body shop nearby. They ground off the rust and some of the pitting that was on it, sanded it, and coated it with automotive primer and paint. Just like working on a truck....
There are several saws around here that have been made into signs, but many of them have rusted fairly quickly and look like crap as a result. Anything you can do to get rid of piting and scoring will help prevent that.
Hope this helps... Rapid
Posted by Joe Crumley (Member # 2307) on :
Shane,
There are so many way to go about lettering this project but here is how I would approach it.
Pittsburg makes a water based acid solution which is called surface prep. I dilute it two to one with water and use a scotchbrite pad to wash away rust. Microscopic rust is just as bad as the visible stuff. This will literally wash it all off. Majic stuff.
This will allow you to apply the vinyl directly to the metal, untreated surface. Once finished lettering, you can clear coat it, use antiqueing oils, depending on interior or exterior application.
There are so many good ways to do this.
J
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
uh!!........ I'll be so glad when I can post pics!!!!!
These folks are all correct . . . prime & finish this metal in as you would do an auto-finish and it will be there forever.
PS: One guy I did a 48" double-side blade for hung it beneath a 6x6 "bar" supported by 6x6 posts. He had the "bar" ends overhanging the up-rights and cut at a 45 degree angle. But it had a very rustic look which is usually quite suitable for saw blades.
[ April 07, 2004, 10:05 AM: Message edited by: Sheila Ferrell ]
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
I've got one that I did too. It was pitted badly so I sandblasted it to bare metal, primed it with (can't remember the name) it goes on clear, and converts any renmaining traces of rust to a black color and keeps it from oxidizing any more. Then topcoat with automotive paint. Mine stayed out in the weather for a long time and didn't rust. It's a shop display now. If I had time I'd post pics of the blade and mouning method.
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
UH!! Wayne!! ...You pic-teaser!
How can you get away with not showin' the pic? What do you think, it's yer birthday or sumthin'??
Posted by Shane Bennett (Member # 3968) on :
Keep it coming I like it! Thanks everyone. The blade is not pitted but has some surface rust on it. sure is great learning from people like you all than learning by accident! Thanks again!
quote: If you get it when you got it And you got it when you get it You get it you got it your good But if you don't get it when you got it And you don't got it when you get it Then nothing is understood Get IT?
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
. . . .uh, I DON'T got it, .......er' GET it . . . Shane, just GO for it, lol.
Posted by Randy Campbell (Member # 2675) on :
Shane ;get it powder coated.
Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
Randy, Powdercoating the saw would be too easy, his vinyl would stick and nothing to complain about. What are you trying to do, close this BB down?
Posted by Shane Bennett (Member # 3968) on :
O.K. Let me put me dunce hat on and ask the question... please expound on powder coating?
thanks... oppps I droped my sign
Posted by Brad Ferguson (Member # 33) on :
Shane:
Yet another suggestion: I use Matthews Acrylic Polyurethane on a daily basis. Their PT Filler, an acid wash primer, works very well on bare steel. I would prime with this, after removing the rust and DA sanding the entire surface to be painted. Then I would top coat with any of the MAP colors.
Brad
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Powder coating= sandblasting, priming, & spraying (electrostatically) with a coloured 'powder' which then gets baked on. Numerous firms offer this service. You can have some difficulties getting enamel to stick to it, and you need to sort-of 'degrease' it, or 'flame' it to make it more receptive. (IMHO)
[ April 16, 2004, 04:31 AM: Message edited by: Ian Stewart-Koster ]
Posted by Joe Crumley (Member # 2307) on :
I have to go with Ian on this one.
Going high tech, bullet proof, powder coating on a nostalgic, old world product doesn't work. I wouldn't want it to look like a new product, that's self defeating.
I would take the surface rust off, with a chemical remover, leav the pitting, application of copy, and re-rusting the blade.
One of the Mexican antique techniques is to mix auto red primer with clear lacquer and apot spray it on. Looks just like rust but protects the metal. I have also seen them apply a little diluted asphaltum, with a oiled rag to give the depth.
Good luck with the project, I wish I had it in my shop. This could be a kick ass project.
j
j
Posted by E. Balch (Member # 3545) on :
I would get a POR-15 starter kit. It will create nice smooth painted surface that won't rust again.
I use it on all my old cars.
ernie
Posted by Shane Bennett (Member # 3968) on :
"I would get a POR-15 starter kit. It will create nice smooth painted surface that won't rust again".
Ernie, I need web pages... I need phone numbers... I talked to the autobody guys around hear and I get .... All I do is sand blast or replace the whole part... we live in a throw away society don't we... hehe.
Thanks again for all your help.
Shane!
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Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
what is so hard about this Shane> http://www.por15.com Posted by Jeff Ogden (Member # 3184) on :
How about masking a circle, and leave it about 1" from the teeth. Then sand, wash with rust converter, then prime with red primer, then one shot enamel. Peel off the mask. which leaves the teeth and an inch of the blade bare metal, which you allow to rust or keep oiled, depending on the look you want.
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
Shane,
quote: All I do is sand blast or replace the whole part
Funny you should mention that just now...
Over the weekend I went by a body shop who's 2 year old sign had the worst failure I'd ever seen. The entire sign, both sides, looked as if the base paint color had been torn off like paper.
I've know this body man for a few years and pulled in Monday to see what had happened. He supplied the steel sheeting the sign was made out of and did not primer it before painting it. (he knew better, but was rushing it.) The resulting rust lifted the paint and vinyl lettering (including the Signgold he spent the bucks for) right off the steel. The wind blew chunks of the paint onto the ground below.
I was gonna go back and get a couple of pictures, but he took the sign down Monday afternoon... Rapid
Posted by Randy Campbell (Member # 2675) on :
My son powder coats all sorts of car parts such as fly wheels and valve covers and they look great.
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under the paint and/or vinyl.
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