Magic brand enamel - is there anything better?
 

I just finished up painting an 1810 with Magic brand enamel from Tractor Supply and I can't say Im too impressed. It went on thin and runny so only light coats could be applied. Took a long time to dry and doesn't seem to harden up real great either. :bash2:

It looks pretty good but only time will tell how durable it'll be...

The reason for this thread is I would like to get some advice/opinions on where I can get some good durable paint with the best match to the original color possible for my future restorations. Also, what is the best way to go? (IE spray, brush, etc) I also was wandering what a good primer to use is too...


:Thanks:

use the case/ih enamel, it goes on nice and is user friendly.

well when I repaint my 1211 to look like a 1282 I'm gonna use van sickle from orscehlens. Thats what I used on my 1200. Epoxy primer is the best. I used yellow primer on my 1200 from orscehlens also. (Full crill) or acrylic enamel is good too. Urethane paint goes on well too. Biggest thing with paint is prep. A clean, dry, smooth rust and oil free Surface. Use a hvlp gun to spray it. The case IH paint is good too. I've heard a lot of bad things with the majic paint. Sorry to hear of your misfortune.

I'll second that. Just finished painting my Original with the IH paint and am more than satisfied with the results. Used their reducer and Valspar hardener that the dealer sells. Used a cheap Harbor Freight HVLP gun.
Also, the prep work makes a difference between a good paint job and a crappy one.

Painting is as much work/money as you want it to be! But also one of those areas where you get what you pay for!

One of the problems with TS paints is that they seem to switch vendors too often - doesn't seem to be too much consistency in the quality of the paint. Also, it is a simple enamel that tends to fade pretty quick.

I usually use automotive quality paint, or slightly less expensive machinery and equipment paint. I use Nason, which is Dupont's economy brand. Sherwin Williams also sells reasonably priced auto paint that is much better quality than Tractor Supply...

With a garden tractor, you don't have a lot of surface to paint, so don't need a lot to get it done. Also, it is easier to spray the smaller surfaces and multiple planes/edges so your errors don't show up as much. HVLP guns (Harbor freight makes a few decent ones at a reasonable price) generate less overspray, so use less paint.

Definitely MORE money by the time you get epoxy primer, hardener, reducer, paint, etc - but will be a much harder, longer lasting paint job that is much deeper looking and bright. I tend to buy often used paints (Deere green and yellow, frame black, IH white, etc) by the gallon - its cheaper that way and I use it eventually. I just bought a gallon of ih yellow and it was $100+, but that will cover 3-4 tractors...

Safety is critical- ANYTIME you use an auto quality hardener, ventilation and respirator/filtration are critical, as well as body covering to prevent skin absorption. PAINT CAN KILL YOU!!!!!!!!

And as somebody already said, surface preparation is 90% of a good paint job...

"Majic" is anything but, and is likely the worst paint I've ever tried to use. After TSC switched from Valspar, I gave the benefit of the doubt and tried the new Cub Cadet yellow. I got the exact results you've mentioned.

I was able to find Valspar on Amazon, but it's a little pricey once you finally get it to your door. I only use rattle for little parts and touch-ups. For the main chassis and fenders, I also use automotive paints.

All I shoot is Nason and DuPont. Nothing else as far as I'm concerned. I don't shoot enamel either. I prefer Urethane.

Here is a picture of the fenders and frame plus all the other little parts after 3 coats of the Magic stuff. It's definitely a learning experience!

Speaking of fenders, where can I get the rubber foot pads?

:Thanks:

Another...

ive used the majic paint since I painted my first cub about 3 years ago, its the only paint I use other then some spray cans now and then for small parts. If your going to use it you have to use there hardener and reducer, drying time is decreased a lot, most times I can reassemble next day if im careful when handling the parts. I usually put my tractors together when the paint is still curing so that when tightening your bolts the paint give in and doesn't crack, ill post some pics up of the tractors ive done. Nobody that's bought them has said the paint looked horrible after owning it for a year.

here is a few pics, the red you should clear coat because it seems to keep its shine better, oh the reason that tractor supply doesn't sell Valspar any more is because of stupid EPA issues with the paint, I never used it but heard good things about it, I still use majic as it suits my needs

I have used the Majic brand rattle cans as well as their enamel paint. I have to agree that the cure time is longer than most paints I've used, so keep that in mind if you're doing a project that needs to be done quickly. I'm getting ready to paint an O and am going to use the majic enamel.

I shot a fender on an 1810 recently and used Majic brand paint. I followed the directions to the letter. The paint was way too thick when I shot it. I should have thinned it more, but it went on really well. It had a really nice shine, but since it was so thick the cure time was REALLY slow! I left the fender in the sun to cure for several days. I am going to double up on the hardener and the thinner when I shoot the O.

The photo is of a 1650 that I painted 13 years ago. I used Cub Cadet enamel from a dealer. I sold the cub a year later. The 1650 had a rough life after I sold it. The PO caught it on fire, thus the pealing and flaking of the paint on the hood. If you look close you can see where the decals started to melt. It was left outside in the weather probably a 1/3 of the time. I was a daily driver past this persons house and would see it sitting outside. I just bought it back and am really surprised how well the paint has held up after 12 years of abuse. In my opinion the Cub dealer paint is a durable paint.

http://www.xtrememotorworks.com/Part...oot%20Pads.jpg

I like the metal ones Xtrememotorworks sells. He also has rubber too.

I am reading this thread with interest.

For all you painters out there, how big of an air compressor do you have and what would be a good one to get without breaking the bank or enriching the power company?

Also, in shooting red, some advocate a clear coat. I have a 782 problem that I am trying to remedy, and I need to paint it. I don't have the means to sandblast it, so it will be a wire brush and sand, sand, sand. I want this tractor to be nice, but I am no painter. What paints would be good to use for primer, red, and clear, if necessary?

Thank you in advance. This is another great thread.


Brian Wittman

Let me clarify that my comments on Majic paint are restricted their rattle cans. Looks like you fellers are making the bulk-pack stuff work.

bkw3614:

You really don't need a big compressor to spray paint. Spraying HVLP guns requires very little pressure, so even base homeowner models can easily keep up. However, it's all the painting prep work with DA sanders, etc., that will require a much larger compressor.

:American Flag 1:

Agree with Saturn. However even though I've done a few tractors with majic school bus yellow in the gallon, hardener, and thinner, it's still not great and scratches very easy. I go strong and mix 4:1:1 so the dry time is way fast. I store mine inside so they will vertually never fade. The gloss is still there big time but again, scratches easy and flakes off if you ever have to turn out bolts to repair anything. I've been convinced by others to spend the money and go the urethane paint route, epoxy primer, etc. we put so much effort in these things to look great with sandblasting and prep, why not use quality paint and be done. The rattle cans vs hvlp also there's just no comparison.

The HVLP guns don't take much air at all - and remember that most GT's are small spray surfaces, so even with a regular siphon gun, a reasonable compressor should keep up as long as you can pause between objects.

I use a 30 gallon tank/5 hp compressor in my shop, but have sprayed off a 10 gallon 2 hp one before for small stuff. Starting at around $130 at Harbor Freight or Princess, on up to around a grand for a nice home use compressor. I used an old sears one that was given to me and I replaced the reed valves in for many years!

As far as paint, my best recommendation is to go to your local auto paint store and talk to them about what you want to do. Some things go together and others don't, so they can keep you compatible. Basically, your looking at a primer (go with an epoxy primer/filler to fill in your scratches and imperfections - you can get thick stuff that is almost a spray bondo filler..), maybe a sealer, depending on what you are covering, and a base/clear combination or just a color coat of paint. There will also be reducers, catalysts, hardeners, etc depending on what brand/type you use.
You will also need some supplies - lacquer thinner/acetone (depending on what you use), degreaser, tack cloth, masking tape, etc Again, the paint store can steer you in the right direction...

If you don't have much paint experience, you can practice on a cardboard box - the edges and horizontal/vertical surfaces mimic what you do on the tractor and you can get used to the guns pattern.

Oh, and with red, you hit the jackpot! Because of pigments, red is one of the most expensive colors to buy. But it generally covers well (unlike yellow).

Rust-Oleum Professional Enamel
 

I know this is an old thread but the subject of which type/brand paint to use for my Cub 125 is making me crazy. I am a novice when it comes to painting with a spray gun so I am looking for a paint that will be durable, close to the 483 Yellow and 902 White on my Cub 125, and simple to mix and apply. I have sand blasted all my parts and applied Rust-Oleum rattle-can primer. From what I have read, I should use the same brand primer and enamel paint. Having given you that background info, is Rust-Oleum Professional High Performance Enamel Paint an acceptable paint and are the Rust-Oleum Safety Yellow and Gloss White colors reasonably good matches to the Cub 483 Yellow and 902 White? Any and all thoughts will be appreciated.

tbone:

All the previous comments still apply.

I have never used Rust-Oleum Professional High Performance Enamel Paint but have used their regular primer...and don't care for it as it takes forever to completely dry. Having used Majic and Valspar rattle cans and quart cans, I can say hands down, Valspar (using their reducer and hardener) is easier to professionally apply, gives a better high gloss and is more durable.

If matching to the original OEM color is important to you, stick with a paint that is matched to those colors and labeled as such, i.e. IH White, IH Red, Cub Cadet Yellow, etc.

If you do move forward with the R-O, give us a report and show us how it came out.

ccguy, thanks for your response. Since I have used the Rust-Oleum primer do I really have to use Rust-Oleum paint. Is it acceptable to use another brand of enamel, even an automotive acrylic enamel, over the Rust-Oleum primer?

No you don't.
I've used the RustOleum primer and used the IH paint with good results.

Thanks Zippy1. The primary reason I was thinking about using the Rust-Oleum paint is I have read that I should stick with the same brand paint as the primer. (I learned this after I had sprayed the primer on all my parts.) I have some Sherwin-Williams automotive acrylic enamel a friend provided me sixteen years ago. I opened it for the first time this week and it still looks good. The yellow and white are a very good match to the 483 yellow and 902 white on a 124 parts tractor. It requires a reducer and harder. The only problem with this paint for me is I only have one quart and SW no longer makes it. I have never spray painted anything so I am concerned that one quart of the yellow is not going to be enough to paint my Cub 125. This paint issue stopped my progress on my Cub project 16 years ago. So after getting into several other hobbies over the last 16 years I am back to putting my Cub together and the painting is still a problem for me.

does the HF soda blaster work well for paint prep?

I have not used a Harbor Freight soda blaster; however, I did use a HF sand blaster for a few of my parts. It really didn't work very well. Fortunately, I found a fellow that repairs off-shore drilling equipment that sand blasted my decks and larger parts. He did it for venison sausage. I have another friend that has a glass bead blaster that I used for all my smaller parts. Now I need a friend to paint all my parts but so far it looks like I am going to have to suck it up and learn how to paint with my HF gravity feed spray gun.