I had a unique opportunity to showcase the differences between Rust-Oleum's Stops Rust Enamel Paint in a spray can vs using their sprayable Stops Rust Enamel quarts through a spray gun. Two of my trusty tools chests that have been out in the elements over the years now have a great deal of surface rust over them. Two different chests but both share the same amount of surface area and surface rust. Why not refresh them and make them last longer!
If I do not treat the rusted areas now it is a possibility the tools chests will start to deteriorate and not be able to do what they need to do, hold tools!
Always work in a well ventilated area when prepping and spraying!
Remember to wear protective gear when prepping/sanding - Protective gear can be anything from wearing a dust mask to eye protection, gloves etc.
The process took roughly 2 days of hands on time for both chests from initial take apart and clean to final reassembly. (1 day per tool chest)
Both tool chests were treated identical when prepping. The only difference between the two are the two different types of paint I used. The red tool chest was sprayed with a spray can and the black tool chest was sprayed with a spray gun.
The Materials:
4 - 12 oz Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Gloss Protective Enamel; Sunrise Red
1 - 32 oz Rust-Oleum Quart Stops Rust Protective Enamel; Gloss Black
1 - 8oz Rust-Oleum Paint Thinner; Mineral Spirits & Acetone formula
1 - Spray bottle of concentrated Krud Kutter Cleaner/Degreaser
1 - DA or orbital sander with 60, 80 & 220 grit (2 to 3 each grit)
1 - Prep-All Spray can (wax and grease remover)
1 - Tube of White Lithium Grease
1 - Wooden mixing stick
1 - pair of gloves
1 - Spray gun
- Recommended size: 1.6 to 2.0 tip
- Spray gun used: 1.8 tip HVLP, 700mL cup (24 oz)
- Gun settings used:
- Fan- 2 turns out
- Fluid- 5 turns out
- Air- full Open on Gun &
- 12 psi at gun regulator with trigger pulled
1 - Compressor
- Recommended minimum size - 20 gallon
- Settings used:
- 60 gallon size
- 45 psi at wall regulator
- 12 psi at gun regulator with air on and trigger pulled
The Process:
The two tools chests were disassembled, sprayed and soaked with Krud Kutter to cut grease/oil and finally washed clean with dish soap and rinsed with water.
Once fully dried each part was sanded with 60 - 80 grit using a sander in the rough rusty areas. This rough grit is to knock off all the built up rust. After all heavy rust is taken down I finished off sanding with 220 grit. The 220 will smooth out any hard etched lines of the 60/80 grit sandpaper and give a smoother finish as a final result. If the 60 & 80 grit scratches are not taken down with the 220 grit there will be hard etched sanding marks in your final appearance after being painted with a spray can or spray gun.
Once all parts are sanded down to desired level of smoothness you can blow off all dust and wipe down with a microfiber cloth. Clean all parts with Wax and Grease remover to ensure all parts are free from any grease or oils from your hands. Prep-All is a great alternative to a wax and grease remover if none is available.
Tape off any areas you do not wish to apply paint to. If you did not fully disassemble the tool chest then taping off casters and/or logos and/or rails will be the next best option.
Once all parts are prepped, masked, cleaned and staged for painting it is best to tack rag the parts down with a simple tack rag to eliminate any last minute dust that settles on the parts. Dust is your enemy when it comes to applying paint. Remove dust to eliminate adhesion issues.
Spray Can Application
When applying the paint with spray cans it is best to shake the cans for at least two minutes after you hear the balls start to rattle inside.
Apply the paint from a left to right motion and back and forth for each part making sure you keep at least a 50% overlap with going back and forth.
Keep the spray can at least 10” from the surface. Anything closer and you will end up with runs in your paint from applying the paint too heavy. Anything further away and you will not be applying enough paint each time and will result in dry spray and/or using way too much paint.
Your environment should be roughly 70 degrees fahrenheit and 40-50% humidity. A small magnetic thermostat (degrees and humidity) can be purchased from your local hardware store for around 20 bucks.
Spaying two coats is best for coverage when spraying with a spray can. The material coming out of the spray can is not as thick as it would be when applying with a spray gun so more coats will be needed when using a spray can than a spray gun. Wait about 15 minutes between each coat. Do not exceed more than one hour between coats as the additinal coats will wrinkle as the first coat(s) are drying. 2 or more light coats can be applied a few minutes apart. If recoat is necessary after an hour of dry time then allow 48 hours to pass before recoating or you will experience wrinkling as the paint dries.
A full 24 hours is needed to allow for the two coats of paint to fully dry. Highly recommend not to reassemble before 24 hours, but can be handled after 8-10 hours.
I used a total of 3.5 - 12oz spray cans of the “Sunrise Red” Stops Rust Protective Gloss Enamel to spray all sides, inside and out and all drawers, inside and out with two coats each and 15 minutes between each coat.
Spray Gun Application
When applying with a spray gun and using a quart mixed with paint thinner I used a total of 40 oz RTS (Ready to Spray, Includes reducer). The black tool chest had two chests with more drawers.
I used a ratio mixture of 4:1 (If more reducer is used the longer the dry times will be)
4 Parts (32oz) - "Gloss Black" Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Protective Enamel - Quart
1 Part (8oz) - Rust-Oleum Paint thinner (Mineral Spirits & Acetone mixture)
I used a primer spray gun ( Iwata W400LV-WBX ) with 1.8 tip size since the materials are thick and viscous.
Environment should be the same at roughly 70 degrees fahrenheit and 40-50% humidity.
*Air pressure at the tip for an Iwata spray gun when the trigger is pulled is about 10 psi.
I maintained a 50% overlap when spraying each part and worked from left to right and from top to bottom when applying and kept my gun at least 10" from the surface when spraying.
I only sprayed one coat with a spray gun vs the two coats from the spray can. Using a spray gun applied the paint heavier which covers thicker and quicker. If two coats were applied the dry times will surely exceed 24 hours. The parts were ready for reassembly after 24 hours with only one coat over each part.
Once both tools chests were reassembled I wanted to add a bit more character back to the them so I quickly masked off the front rails/handles and gave them a simple scuff with a scotch brite pad and wiped cleaned with Prep-All. Once dry I applied Gloss Black to the red handles and a Bright Silver color to the black ones. Both Black and Silver spray cans were also Stops Rust from RustOleum.
To finish things up and give my old tools boxes that new feel, since they look good now, they need to feel good too. I finished up by applying white lithium grease to all rails, bearing and casters to help get them back rolling smoothly.
Overall, applying with either a spray can or spray gun will easily get your job done with much satisfaction and ease! It's all up to you, your environment/tools available, time, etc to make the decision to apply with a can or a gun. Both are great options.
Pros to applying enamel paint with a SPRAY CAN:
- Dries quicker
- More control of applying paint
- More color options
Cons to applying enamel paint with a SPRAY CAN:
- Creates some over spray
- Finger/hand fatigue (Can be solved by using the Rust-Oleum Comfort Grip*)
- Narrower spray pattern leads to longer application
Pros to applying enamel paint with a SPRAY GUN:
- Quicker coverage
- Less paint
- Faster application time
Cons to applying enamel paint with a SPRAY GUN:
- Longer dry times from added reducer and thicker application
- Need compressor and spray gun
- Need to properly mix paints with proper reducers
My recommendation is that the larger the surface, the larger the equipment to use.
- If doing small trinkets, brackets, handles, trim, consoles, etc. I'd use a spray can. No need for extra work to clean up the spray gun and equipment if you have just a small handle to paint.
- If working on larger equipment, vehicles, trailers, barns, fences, etc. then using a spray gun that can push a lot of paint at one time will be best to cover larger surface areas!
'Till Next Time!
-Pete