Respraying a pedal?

[-GFX-]

I want to respray my Joyo Ultimate Drive because I want to start a boutique pedal company the pedal's existing graphics are shocking.

Do I need to sand the enclosure back to bare aluminium? Or can I sand the existing paint and prime that?

[Ben N]

I'm no expert and this is not meant to be a definitive answer, but I have had bigger headaches priming bare aluminum than I have painting over paint. (And yeah, I know about etching primer - not always available to me.) But the way I see it, the worst that happens if you try paint over paint is that you have to do it over. You'll know if it's good after baking the first coat.

[-GFX-]

Hi Ben - thanks for this. I was planning to use enamel spray paint in case that has a bearing, but, yeah, your experience matches my understanding - the purpose of a primer appears to create a decent surface paint can adhere to, and I would have thought the existing paint, sanded and cleaned seems like a good solution.

[davent]

I'd scuff sand the enclosure but not to bare metal. I'd prime that with primer meant for the paint you're using as the finish.

[GibsonGM]

What Dave said.  No need at all to go back to bare metal!  As long as what's underneath is sound, and you are using compatible products, you should be good to go.

[bluelagoon]

Just checked that Joyo pedal, and all I can say is, don't blame you wanting to scrub it off.

[Rodgre]

If I am painting a bare aluminum box, I will scuff it up a bit and use specific Metal-Etching Primer so that the base coat sticks to the surface a bit better. I will sometimes heat up a box with a heat gun a bit before I spray it too, but I'm not certain that it affects anything.

I don't see a problem with spraying over an existing paint, so long as you scuff up the surface a bit so you're not painting over a smooth gloss finish. If this is for you, I think that's totally fine.

Roger

[-GFX-]

Thanks all.

I'd scuff sand the enclosure but not to bare metal. I'd prime that with primer meant for the paint you're using as the finish.

What Dave said.  No need at all to go back to bare metal!  As long as what's underneath is sound, and you are using compatible products, you should be good to go.

What should I look out for in terms of primers meant for/compatible with the existing paint? I was planning on going with etch primer...

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/paints-and-body-repair/primer/halfords-etch-primer-500ml-370400.html

and then enamel spray paint...

https://www.taindustrialpaints.co.uk/products/enamel-spray-paint

Any recommendations greatly appreciated!

Just checked that Joyo pedal, and all I can say is, don't blame you wanting to scrub it off.

Ugh. It's grim in so many ways. The colour scheme, the graphic, and the font choice are all so grating. SUffice to say, my 9-year-old son loves it.

[Steben]

How do you want it to look?
If you sand the paint, no etch primer is needed.
Acrylics are fast drying. I like that to apply thin coats. Finish with a varnish if wanted.

[GibsonGM]

^   I wouldn't bother to prime either as long as you've 'scuffed' it. And I mean, fine paper scuffed, nicely uniform, no foreign substances (like oils) on the surface.
A quick wipe with acetone doesn't hurt to remove any crud that may be present.   It is 'shiny-ness' that causes paints to come off easily rather than the need for priming, tho priming is needed on bare metals (unless you come across a DTM product).

I've always had best luck with auto paints, simply cuz they are readily available in many colors in the US.  An urethane enamel like you linked is a great bet too, and likely will wear even better!  I use them for trouble surfaces at work (I'm a painter...); they've replaced oil paint for the most part.   Thin layers, clear coat.   The advice you're getting is spot-on.

[-GFX-]

How do you want it to look?
If you sand the paint, no etch primer is needed.
Acrylics are fast drying. I like that to apply thin coats. Finish with a varnish if wanted.

Thanks a lot.

I just want a clean durable end result.

I was planning on a light finish I could then apply a waterside decal to. I figured I'd need some layers of white primer to account for the (predominantly) black current paint job...

Since you asked, though, here're my current ideas...

^   I wouldn't bother to prime either as long as you've 'scuffed' it. And I mean, fine paper scuffed, nicely uniform, no foreign substances (like oils) on the surface.
A quick wipe with acetone doesn't hurt to remove any crud that may be present.   It is 'shiny-ness' that causes paints to come off easily rather than the need for priming, tho priming is needed on bare metals (unless you come across a DTM product).

I've always had best luck with auto paints, simply cuz they are readily available in many colors in the US.  An urethane enamel like you linked is a great bet too, and likely will wear even better!  I use them for trouble surfaces at work (I'm a painter...); they've replaced oil paint for the most part.   Thin layers, clear coat.   The advice you're getting is spot-on.

That's great to hear. Really appreciate your input! Would you recommend baking the enamel? Not sure whether or not it's necessary.

[-GFX-]

.. Double post

[GibsonGM]

I've never baked anything - but others recommend it and it's 'pretty standard'.   I'm not sure if it makes a more durable finish, but it very likely makes the product come to full cure faster (typically, paints take weeks to really "dry" fully...cure time).  Patience has always worked for me; after final coat, I'll go a few days/week before clear-coating, then a few days after this before assembly...no rush here lol.   

Urethanes are different...I haven't heard of anyone baking them, but doesn't mean they don't do it.  I don't know how they perform under extremes of heat (cracking??? etc).   I'd just light-coat and let it dry in a non-humid environment overnight between coats if I didn't have any info on 'baking success'.

- You could do a coat or 2 on a test piece, bake it at 100F for a while, see what happens?

Anyone here bake urethane enamel?   

[antonis]

Anyone here bake urethane enamel?

Does it taste good..??

[GibsonGM]

I can't speak about how urethane tastes, but old lead-based paint is very sweet!  This is why kids 'lick the window sills' - for real. 

[Ben N]

^   I wouldn't bother to prime either as long as you've 'scuffed' it. And I mean, fine paper scuffed, nicely uniform, no foreign substances (like oils) on the surface.
A quick wipe with acetone doesn't hurt to remove any crud that may be present.   It is 'shiny-ness' that causes paints to come off easily rather than the need for priming, tho priming is needed on bare metals (unless you come across a DTM product).

I was gonna say. 2-3 thin coats of your final eggshell color should cover your black just fine without any special primer. To me, if you don't have surface issues, primer is usually a matter of personal fastidiousness, not a critical requirement.

[GGBB]

If you are going to the trouble anyway:

[amptramp]

You can use petroleum-based enamel on top of lacquer but not the other way around.  You have to know what the original finish is before you can use it as the base coat for whatever you are putting on top of it.  I like acrylics - they dry in minutes but if you breathe it in, you can have a sore throat for a month.

Some people have used lacquer over enamel but the enamel has to be at least six months old so the curing is complete.  Enamel works by chemical bonding.  Lacquer works by successive layers of paint where the solvent evaporates off to leave a dry surface.

The point of this is, you may not know what the results are going to be because the lacquer can craze the enamel underneath.

[nosamiam]

Just as an FYI, there's nothing to be shocked by with this pedal's graphics. It's an oni mask. It's what Japanese samurai wore when they went to battle.

[-GFX-]

If you are going to the trouble anyway:

Yes, I started off with pictures of the Ultimate Drive and the OCD, went off on a journey through different colour options and ended up with the exact colour of the OCD without realising.

 

Thanks for the heads up!

You can use petroleum-based enamel on top of lacquer but not the other way around.  You have to know what the original finish is before you can use it as the base coat for whatever you are putting on top of it.  I like acrylics - they dry in minutes but if you breathe it in, you can have a sore throat for a month.

Some people have used lacquer over enamel but the enamel has to be at least six months old so the curing is complete.  Enamel works by chemical bonding.  Lacquer works by successive layers of paint where the solvent evaporates off to leave a dry surface.

The point of this is, you may not know what the results are going to be because the lacquer can craze the enamel underneath.

Thanks for that. I imagine the existing paintwork is fully cured now. I'm planning on sanding it a bit, applying adhesion promoter, then enamel paint and then enamel lacquer. Hopefully that should be fine.

Just as an FYI, there's nothing to be shocked by with this pedal's graphics. It's an oni mask. It's what Japanese samurai wore when they went to battle.

Thanks. I recognise what it is, but (like the red and black colour scheme, and the army-style stencil font) it's all a bit "angry teenager"!