My $100 Rust-Oleum Paint Job

  














My Rust-Oleum paint job -- Flat Black and Safety Red.
Because if you're going to paint your car with Rust-Oleum and a paint roller in your dirt driveway in the middle of South Carolina's pollen season, you might as well go two-toned.
This process involves several thin coats of Rust-Oleum diluted (50/50) with mineral spirits and applied with a high density foam roller. I primed after sanding with Rust-Oleum metal and plastic primer diluted the same way (this car is, I swear, 50% plastic). Light and wet sanding with steel wool, a scouring pad, and very fine sandpaper between coats took care of much of the debris and the poor little bugs that could not resist a taste of wet paint. Rust-Oleum requires some drying time, so I generally applied one coat a day over several days -- five coats of red, six of black. Touted as the $50 Rust-Oleum Paint Job on some sites, it probably cost more like $100.
I had damaged this car's paint job with a polish kit that reacted with the clear coat. It took two or three years for most of the shine to flake off, exposing the paint to oxidation. This vehicle looked pitiful, and I had little to lose by experimenting. 
After a little touching up with a foam brush, I'm pleased with the result.
Next Rust-Oleum project will involve the hood of my beautiful 1994 Ford Ranger. I promise a step by step of that one.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Drip Irrigation Experiment 2

Image
I placed another four inch block under the barrel (I think the higher it is, the better) and changed the middle four way connector to a tee, eliminating the middle emitter pipe. Then I graded the bed a little toward the barrel and water flow is much better. I think the 1/8” holes may be too large. I’ll be making another drip irrigator for a smaller bed, and I’ll drill 1 /16” holes instead. Also on this barrel, the mosquito screen top is in place, held on with a band of hanging wire. Since getting that screen to stay in place was a bit of a pain, I placed a 2” PVC fitting with cap near the top of the barrel as a filler. We’re excited and can’t wait to plant.
Read more

Drip Irrigation Experiment 3

Image
The second drip irrigation barrel was easier and less expensive to make. I drilled a 7/8” hole near the bottom and forced an old ¾” hose bib in. It took a lot of force to start turning that hose bib, but once it was in, no leaks, and no need for a washer or even a nut or fitting to hold it in place. The same went for the 2” PVC fitting used as a fill spout. Cutting the hole just slightly too small made for a tight fit and no fitting on the inside to hold it in place. This bed is not as wide as the other, so I used two emitter pipes rather than four. I drilled 1/16” holes approximately 12” apart. It takes about six hours to empty the 50 gallon barrel, which means, I hope, my irrigator will water our garden plants for six long hot hours each day this summer. I used a product called “Liquid Tape” to seal the 1/8 inch holes on my first effort, and re-drilled on the other side of the pipe with the 1/16” bit.
Read more

Improvised Shelves for our Frigidaire Refrigerator

Image
Well, this is not necessarily recommended. Ask me in six weeks, or six months, how it's going and maybe I'll recommend it then. These machines--these Frigidaire Energy Star refrigerators (like the one we purchased at Lowes only four short years ago) are frail. Seriously. All the cheesy, half-ass components that make this feeble milksop of an appliance come to life supposedly work together to make it more energy efficient. Cheap, frail plastic and glass shelves included. Of course, the energy efficient aspect of these newfangled appliances are supposed to save us money. That's the sales pitch, anyway. We replace our shabby old energy hungry appliances with new ones (appliance purchases usually indiiate an emergency, so we might well be using our credit card to make the purchase), and we're rewarded not only by a cleaner environment, but with a slightly fatter wallet. Only so far, this particular appliance is begging to be replaced after only four years. That's not le...
Read more