Spraying Aluminum Van Tubes Advice.

[pewter]

I would like to spray my pipe tubes to match my van colour.

The tubes are old and tatty looking and ruin the look of my brand new van.

each tube has an area of 1.65m2 (3m long and 0.55m around). so i have a total of 3.3m2 that needs spraying.


I see on Halfords website they can mix and supply the correct colour.


If i sanded (keyed) the existing grey paint, sprayed aluminium primer and then the halfords VW match colour over the top. would that work?

would i need a clear coat over the top?


Or is Halfords paint rubbish and me attempting to spray it going to look rubbish?



One tube is currently vinyl wrapped in black, i tried to do the other and it went wrong. I was going to just roller on a black paint, and now i am thinking i should try and match the van colour. I have already gone way over budget buying the van so i dont want to spend £100s paying a pro to spray it properly.


Any advice or tips would be great thanks.

 

[steptoe]

ok, if you cant spray, then using rattle cans will be a disaster, it will be completely crap,

the problem you have now is the tubes will be oxidised and will need to be etched to clean them properly,

the only cheap solution I see is to wrap it like the other.

 

[pewter]

ok, if you cant spray, then using rattle cans will be a disaster, it will be completely crap,

the problem you have now is the tubes will be oxidised and will need to be etched to clean them properly,

the only cheap solution I see is to wrap it like the other.

Forgive my ignorance with this painting,

They are the rhino ones, which come painted grey, will that mean it is oxidised still and needs to be etched?

I had a feeling rattle cans would look whack.

I wrapped one ok (if you look at one side) and ruined £20 of vinyl trying to wrap the other twice. I am bitter about spending more on vinyl to wrap it, although i have not ruled it out.

Maby a trip to the Dulux centre to get a black paint and put it on with a little foam roller might be the best option.

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Hammerite Black.. Silver.. Other..   

Paint with a brush ... 

but I think you need a coat of "Hammerite special metals primer" first if painting Aluminum.

will probably be the cheapest giving a decent bit of weather & knock protection...

But I may be wrong! ?

opcorn

 

[steptoe]

Hammerite Black.. Silver.. Other..   

Paint with a brush ... 

but I think you need a coat of "Hammerite special metals primer" first if painting Aluminum.

will probably be the cheapest giving a decent bit of weather & knock protection...

But I may be wrong! ?

opcorn

tbh, thats prob as good as you will get, for cheap,

@pewter,

are they painted or dipped?

I still think they will have oxidised if they are as tatty as you say.

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

I did wonder what....

"Sparying"

was though???

:slap

 

[Sidewinder]

To spray automotive top coat onto aluminium, you will need to clean it, remvoe excess oxide & etch prime it with a suitable primer.

After that you will need a "neutralising" primer, to cover it before you top coat it.

If it is a base coat & lacquer colour then you will need base coat & lacquer to make it match.

TBH, try wheel silver straight on, see what it's like, cheap, n, cheerful, and you will have an aluminium type colour for a low cost.

 

[Blue Duck]

Plastidip it

Will need some prep though

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

And dont forget to add the legend 'Torpedo launcher No2' on the side

 

[Sharpend]

Bin them and buy new!

 

[pewter]

tbh, thats prob as good as you will get, for cheap,

@pewter,

are they painted or dipped?

I still think they will have oxidised if they are as tatty as you say.

Im not sure how they are painted, rhino factory finnish light grey.

i should have described them as faded. no knocks or battle scars, they just look faded.

I did wonder what....

"Sparying"

was though???

:slap

what a wally i am.

can an OP sort that out?

To spray automotive top coat onto aluminium, you will need to clean it, remvoe excess oxide & etch prime it with a suitable primer.

After that you will need a "neutralising" primer, to cover it before you top coat it.

If it is a base coat & lacquer colour then you will need base coat & lacquer to make it match.

TBH, try wheel silver straight on, see what it's like, cheap, n, cheerful, and you will have an aluminium type colour for a low cost.

top advice, thank you.

I think attempting to match the van colour is going to be too costly & time consuming.

Bin them and buy new!

you could be right, I had a quick look on ebay and found them new delivered for £120 each.

My thoughts are now,

Hammerite  with a foam roller,

if it looks rubbish try vinyl once more,

if that goes wrong sulk and buy new.

 

[Blue Duck]

Just in case you didn't look it up http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rNY9Dx617N8

If you go hammerite route make sure you get some thinners.

 

[Evans Electric]

I think Hammerite is the way to go Pewter .  Are they bare aluminium  or plastic or what ? 

I've kept the tube from my old BT Escort  , its polished aluminium , just needs some Jif to remove the algae and I 'll probably fit it to latest van . 

Wouldn't a small paint sparyer in your area  sort it economically ,  same colour as van sounds OK ..if not ..black or silver as said.

 

[OnOff]

Hammerite Black.. Silver.. Other..   

Paint with a brush ... 

but I think you need a coat of "Hammerite special metals primer" first if painting Aluminum.

will probably be the cheapest giving a decent bit of weather & knock protection...

But I may be wrong! ?

opcorn

+1 On the Special Metals Primer..............just done my galvanised gate frame and then top coated with black Hammerite. Have also used it on aluminium.

No powder coating firms round your way? This guy I know is good:

http://www.gbsblasting.co.uk/

Will ask the Essex lads on the Capri forum........they like their bling!  :lol:

Also G&G Powdercoating along the A13 at Goresbrook I used to use years back. Then there was Argos Powder Coating in Basildon.........

 

[steptoe]

ok, just to upset all the hammerite guys,

can you not get SMOOTHRITE in England.? it might look a bit better,  

 

[NozSpark]

...dunno

But I do have a tin of matt black, smooth, hammerite

 

[steptoe]

musta had to rebrand it for England Wales maybe in case they were too thick to know what it was,  :slap

 

[Marvo]

http://www.vhtpaint.com/products/rollbarchassis/

The same company also do a wrinkle finish paint that looks really good. This stuff is easy to spray to a nice finish and doesn't require surface prep or undercoats or primers. We use it a lot and it's also not particularly expensive (<ZAR100 / can) so maybe about 7 quid in UK money.

 

[Evans Electric]

musta had to rebrand it for England Wales maybe in case they were too thick to know what it was,  :slap

We drink it here Stepps.

 

[Andy™]

Wrong stuff Deke, you will never get hammered on that stuff