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Painting Axles...

P

Patriot

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Florida
I'm almost ready to paint my front HP44 and rear 9". I want to make sure I do the painting right, so I don't have to go back every month to remove rust and flaking. I know very very very little about painting.
On my TJ's rear axle, I tried the primer and black rattle can method after I removed all the rust, dust,etc... That lasted a little while before it started to flake off and rust.
Personally, I'd rather line-x it, but I'm a poor neuroscience major getting ready to go to medical school in the fall. So that's not an option right now.
I've searched here and at PBB, but I've not found nothing regarding painting the axle a correct way.
Any of you painting gurus have some good info? Website write ups? Journal articles? Personal experience advice?
 
I'd like to know this too, I was just planning on rattle-canning mine with flat black on top of textured black on top of primer. They have spray-on liner at AutoZone that's not too expensive, would that work well?
 
There really is little choice other than to rattle can it. The usual applies, make sure it's very clean and there is no rust or loose paint. It definitely helps to have a good quality paint. I've found some spray epoxy paint at a local hardware store that I use for everything, it's pretty tough. I usually can't wire brush it off when I want to weld something, I need to hit it with a flap disc or wire wheel, and the wire wheel takes some effort.

You also just have to accept that an axle will need to be painted regularly the way we use them, if you always want it to look nice. I've become pretty good at spot painting with a spray can with one of those handles on it, and a piece of cardboard. :D
 
What's the name of the epoxy paint you use?
 
I´ve had pretty good luck. Wire bushing, wipe it down with a good solvent. A lite coat of Rustolium rusty metal primer (rattle can) (let dry a few days), brush on Rustolium gloss black (with a good, fine brisstle brush), after you´ve painted a foot or so, use a little rustolium gloss, in a rattle can, to smooth out the brush marks some. Not perfect, but close enough, a good thick coat of enamel (gets harder with age). Did a whole frame that way, has lasted more than a decade. Prep is the key, to how long it will last.
 
I second the brush on method.

Whether it's Rustolium or Tremclad or POR-15, I'll have to try the rattle can along with the brush next time. ThanX 8Mud fer the idear.
 
I don't do much prep work, because, well I have better things to do, I hit it with a wire brush on the angle grinder. And I like the hammered paint from RO or Hammerite, its pretty tough goes on nice and glossy and covers up grinding marks and what not very well. The downsides are its pretty expensive $5 a can and the tips like to clog up. Like the epoxy Richard uses it takes some work with the wire brush to remove it. However it always loses when it hits the rocks.
 
GSequoia said:
I'd imagine by now you've pretty much re-painted the whole rig with spot painting :D
Click to expand...

Too many times to count....... :D :D
 
I'm assuming the axles are off the vehicle.

When I was building my front and rear axles, I used POR 15 w. everything disassembled. This way you can cover ALL the surfaces.

If you do the whole POR process it's better than powdercoating, but does have imperfections in the paint (like that matters).

When you scrape through it, you can either brush on more POR with a small brush or just use a spray can.
 
xjz is right. POR 15 IS THE WAY TO GO !! If you use the rust treatment on it , you have to buy their "tie coat primer" becuase the por 15 is so slipery regular paint won't adhere. They have tough as nails under body paint i think its call chasis black ..... you can't wreck that as easy as a rattle can job. You could wack it with a hammer slap it with a big ole rock and ill bet on the por 15 wining .... eventually it wil maybe chip but it will take a beating like nothing else out there. I love it. :lecture:
 
I used POR on my jeep, to me it was a waste of time especially on the axles, the prep is a lot more difficult and it still easily gets scratched by the rocks. Of course this isn't a problem if you don't wheel your rig.

On my roadster I used POR its a great product for that application but for the jeep I don't care for it.
 
I used the POr and topcoat on my axles.

Here's another technique that works great;

I recently made an x-member and gave it 2 coats of the POR. Just before the second coat dried (still sticky to the touch), I sprayed it with rattle can primer, the primer absorbs into the POR, that way the rattle can spray paint can adhere to it. Then the spray can can be used for touch-ups.
 
What is POR 15?
 
Paint Over Rust, Its a good thick paint that looks really nice over sandblasted surfaces, though you can paint over rusty surfaces also. It does not come in a rattle can so you have to brush it or spray it in a gun thinned out. Its not UV stable so it needs to be topcoated with a rattle can either within an hour after applying or you have to use a specific POR15 topcoat afterwords. It still takes more prep than a decent paint over rust rattle can and takes much longer to apply. When it peels off via a rock or whatever it kind of comes off like powder coat, but its not as durable.

http://www.por15.com/
 
Gary E said:
Paint Over Rust, Its a good thick paint that looks really nice over sandblasted surfaces, though you can paint over rusty surfaces also. It does not come in a rattle can so you have to brush it or spray it in a gun thinned out. Its not UV stable so it needs to be topcoated with a rattle can either within an hour after applying or you have to use a specific POR15 topcoat afterwords. It still takes more prep than a decent paint over rust rattle can and takes much longer to apply. When it peels off via a rock or whatever it kind of comes off like powder coat, but its not as durable.

http://www.por15.com/
Click to expand...

I don't know about that, I think POR done properly is superior to powder. And you'll most likely save quite a bit of cash, powdercoating can be expensive. I used to live in MN and I've seen nerfs, bumpers, etc.(whole vehicles for that matter :) ). that could not take the winter's salt. Spring would FINALLY come around and my PORed axles still looked perfect. The stuff is less resistant to chips than powder. Powdercoating will chip fairly easily. POR says moisture actually toughens their paint.

I've seen powdered bumpers that got road rash pretty easily, then start to rust. But of course this will depend on the powdercoater. The POR can take quite a blow. Granted, both can be *scrapped* to the bare metal, neither is impervious to that.

As far as finish goes, the powder will "look" better. I'd do anything above deck with powder and all the underneath stuff will POR.

My 4 cents worth.
 
Gary E said:
I wouldn't bet much on that one :) Its a good product for some stuff but...
Click to expand...

What better testing ground then the Minnesota Rust Belt? I've seen it eat cars alive and just poop them out come spring!! :)

Now out here in CA probably doesn't matter much either way. But most likely you'll get more coverage per dollar w. the POR.

Either way you can't lose. ;)
 
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