anybody us those cheap home depot encosures?

[TimWaldvogel]

i have been using the conduit boxes from home depot, and so far my paint has gotten as far as clearcoat.... i bake the coats in between, but the flat cover piece is not cooperative... i sand and clean the metal with mineral spirits and when i spray my clear, it winds up cracking. i tested krylon yellow, with krylon clear, and it did a very fast reacting muchroom crack effect... tried krylon yellow on a an older conduit box i ruined by punching out of of the holes,  then tried buying a nice rustoliom clear enamel to go over it.... and it slightly cracked. i thought it was just orange peel and first, but its not. and i bought a purple color from rustoliom and just sprayed the top cover part. i primed it was fine, sprayed purple, it was fine, when i got to the clear.... cracky again.... are these 57 cent top covers made of galvanized metal ot something?? cause its just not working like my other projects.

[punkin]

Have you tried a self etching primer?

[Brymus]

I cover mine with tolex.
Works good and hides all the holes and dimples.

[joegagan]

i would suggest replacing the mineral spirits as a cleaner with lacquer thinner. galv metal is tricky, try a rustoleum primer recommended for galv.

[ACS]

When I've painted galv in the past I've always burned the galv off with a small blowtorch first (in a well ventilated area!).  Works really well and leaves with a fresh surface to sand/prime/paint etc...

[joegagan]

When I've painted galv in the past I've always burned the galv off with a small blowtorch first (in a well ventilated area!).  Works really well and leaves with a fresh surface to sand/prime/paint etc...

DANGER  even in a well ventilated area, enough of the crap can get into your lungs. next thing you know, you are waking up in the back of an ambulance or hearse

[TimWaldvogel]

well the more i look at it, its not galv. metal. hmmm.... i guess maybe fate had me buy two colors that chemically speaking, hated clear coat. i think ill go back to buying duplicolor car paint colors, they are sparkly, come in the right sized can, and look bitchin when cleared lol.... oooo i guess ill save the yellow and purple paints for something else in the future lol

[anchovie]

DANGER  even in a well ventilated area, enough of the crap can get into your lungs. next thing you know, you are waking up in the back of an ambulance or hearse

CAUTION: you will not actually wake up in the back of a hearse, which is worse!

[frank_p]

What is going out of the metal exactly ?

[joegagan]

waking up in the back of the hearse can ruin your whole day.

[GP]

waking up in the back of the hearse can ruin your whole day.

hmm... i don't know. i think, given the alternative, i'd be pretty happy.

[DougH]

waking up in the back of the hearse can ruin your whole day.

hmm... i don't know. i think, given the alternative, i'd be pretty happy.

Not if the casket is closed and locked...

[Derringer]

regarding drilling those steel boxes, I know that it's harder on the bits to cut through that steel as opposed to drilling aluminum

but are we talking significant extra wear and tear on a step-bit or no?

[frank_p]

What is going out of the metal exactly ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_fume_fever

Ok, stupid question...

[petemoore]

but are we talking significant extra wear and tear on a step-bit or no?
  All things being equal except the drill time.
  Of course they're not equal, I'll have to test and see.
  I had some ceramic coating that would eat the edge.
  Heat, hardnesses [of bit and workpiece], thickness, wear time, oil, technique, pressure...maybe not always in that order, I consider how much I like the metal to work with anyway Vs. finished product, and try to avoid super hard/thick drilling, and take the time to find the oil and let the bit cool using water continuously [you can de-temper a bit by fast cooling a hot one].
  After you wear down many bits, you'll develop appreciation for the improved models, and get a feel for how big the bit size [and many other factors] relates to the pressure is being applied to particular points along the cutting edges and know what to expect from bit performance. I just keep the bit cool.
  Some would say that it's bad, and it is, oil will extend bit sharpness life.

[DougH]

regarding drilling those steel boxes, I know that it's harder on the bits to cut through that steel as opposed to drilling aluminum

but are we talking significant extra wear and tear on a step-bit or no?

A good carbide bit works fine with some 3-in-1 oil to lubricate it and a slow drill speed. My bits are still in good shape after using RACO boxes exclusively years ago.

After a while it just gets to be a major PITA though, and the box looks pretty ugly (IMO). Die cast aluminum boxes have become cheap and plentiful, so it's hardly worth the trouble with the steel boxes IMO. YMMV of course.