I am build a steel fence and have painted it with a semi gloss oil enamel from Rust-oleum.
Then I put on some gilders paste that needed a top coat.
There was no clear semi gloss rustoleum so I top coated it with Helmsman spar varnish urethane from Minwax.
I’m concerned that the Minwax is made for wood top coating. But I can’t think of a reason why not to use it.
Since metal moves a lot less than steel I think it should be fine.
I’m going to post this over in Knots as well. They really get into finishes.
tanks a lot!
Oops! I put this in the wrong place. Should I put another one in general?
“There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.“
Will Rogers
Will Rogers
Edited 7/25/2009 9:52 pm by popawheelie
Replies
Don't worry about being in the wrong folder; housekeeping ain't Taunton's strong suit. It says so right on the front of this box somewhere, LOL.
I dunno what to think about varnishing your metal fence; what is 'gilder's paste' anyway? Never heard of that. If you really needed a clear top-coat for metal, I'd recommend automotive clear coat and spray it on.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
Gilders paste is for rubbing into cracks to give something definition or to make it look old.
It helps make it less one color or dimentional.
I don't spray if i can because of the work involved and I want the brush strokes.
I try to stay out of automotive paint stores because of the cost.
They have great product but most of the time it doesn't suit my needs.
Here's a pic of one of the posts. I ground in vines? into the sides and the top already had a texture in it from the casting.
"There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Edited 7/26/2009 10:26 am by popawheelie
Well, I was working on the posts today and the Minwax Helmsman started peeling off.
Fortunately I have only two posts and one panel clear coated with it.
I've been searching the net for info on exterior clear coats and apparently it is difficult to get them to stick, not crack, not peel, not cloud up, etc.
It's time to bite the bullet and spend some coin on automotive paint. the only problem is i want to brush it on and I want it to be a one part paint.
On another note I talked to my neighbors and the need work on their rentals.
Woohoo! I got work.
Will Rogers
Try out Hydrocote's Polyshield. Highland Woodworking has it. Neat stuff for what ya need.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
"If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt
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Thanks! I'll check there.
I've been all over the net looking for a clear coat that is decent.
Everybody has their stuff but getting answers and sourcing it is nuts.
Somebody at Knots sugested Epifanes marine finishes but they didn't email me back.
I'm also researching heirloom roses for the fence. I found Dortmund roses.
Google images has some nice pics of them.
Nobody here has them so I have mail order them and hope for the best. Last time I did that I killed both of them.
Hopefully I've learned a thing or two since then about roses.
"There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Edited 7/28/2009 12:32 am by popawheelie
Edited 7/28/2009 12:33 am by popawheelie
Edited 7/28/2009 12:52 am by popawheelie
I used to teach seminars on the products from Hydrocote and a neat test form the Polyshield is take a coffee can lid and pour some in it. Let it cure for a week or so, then pop the disc of finish out. Put in the freezer overnite, then try to break it.
After that, nuke it in a micro wave for a few seconds, and try again to tear it.
WATER CLEAR! UV blocking, and safe for everything when cured.
Gawd, I'm sounding like Frenchy and his shellac, stop me before I build a telehandler outta free slab wood.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
"If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt
View Image
Nothing wrong with touting a good product. A lot of the time garbage products get the most attention.
I emailed them and will call them if they don't get back to me. It's worth pursuing.
Thanks for the heads up. "There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
What little I know about automotive paints is that they have to be activated by being mixed with a special catalyst just before application; I think this is what makes them so friggin tough--they don't just dry, they cure.
If you actually want brushmarks, I suppose you could brush the stuff on, but I don't see the benefit to having the brushstrokes in the clearcoat--wouldn't the texture/brushstrokes/etc. in the undercoat show through it and be enough for ya?
Just thinking out loud while the computer downloads yer pic....
Okay; just saw your photo--that's a very nice looking piece the way it is. I don't see the need for the clearcoat at all, myself, but that's just me.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
The people at gilders paste say it needs to be clear coated.
The brush strokes make it look authentic. Old. They collect dust and show texture. "There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Good luck with it. Let's see some pix when it's done.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
I'll do that. I'm happy so far except for clear coat.
I wasn't real happy with the "clear coat" anyway. It was pretty yellow/brown.
It's fine for wood but it was covering up my work some. And it would get worse with time.
So off it comes. Man I hate doing things twice. I've got a lot of time into this.
Hopefully as I do more it will get quicker. "There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Well, a google search for "clear coat metal" turned up this site: http://www.artmetal.com/blog/copperjoe/2008/08/i_am_looking_for_a_deep_clear_coat
and one of the recommendations was Rustoleum Furniture Lacquer. Since you are already using Rustoleum, maybe you could give that a try.