Prepping an intermediate housing for paint!

[Boomyal]

As ya'll know, an OMC intermediate housing has a ton of convolutions and webs. I need to rough up the surface b4 repainting it. Some areas are to tight to reach into. It would be real nice if there were any rotory scuffing pads/balls on a shaft and shaped like a ball with differing sizes, that could get into to the recesses and give the existing paint a good going over.<br /><br />They would have to be flexible, not rigid, as I don't want to get down to bare metal. Any ideas would be appreciated. I've been trying to do it by hand but it is a royal pain.<br /><br />

 

[Realgun]

Re: Prepping an intermediate housing for paint!

I know you don't want to go to bare metal but would it not be easier to use some sort of paint remover.<br />Or better yet a sandblaster with walnut shells? Or plastic BB's?

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Prepping an intermediate housing for paint!

Originally posted by Realgun:<br /> I know you don't want to go to bare metal but would it not be easier to use some sort of paint remover.<br />Or better yet a sandblaster with walnut shells? Or plastic BB's?

Hmmmmm? Might be a good idea Realgun. I've got a portable sandblaster. With sand, it will strip it down to the metal plus get sand everywhere you don't want it.<br /><br />If I could find a less aggressive media that wasn't to expensive, that would work real well. What kind of places would I look for media?<br /><br />After I would blast it I would wash it down with TSP then touch up any bare spots with an aluminum etching primer.

 

[G DANE]

Re: Prepping an intermediate housing for paint!

When the automotive paint shops are going to do door corners and the awfull places around the hinges, they use a sanding sponge, a painter I know, now and then put on a wireless drill on a wooden stick. They are available in different grades, I think they mesure 1/2" x 3" x 6". They should do the job, if you practise a bit. Is this a replacement for the stolen unit or did you get it back ?? We all feel for you.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Prepping an intermediate housing for paint!

Honestly, I would just clean it as well as I could with something like acitone to make sure it was stripped of all oil reidue, etch it with the TSP, and then there are Sealers that you can get at autobody supply houses that are acid etching that I would use before I painted it. No sanding necesary.

 

[KaGee]

Re: Prepping an intermediate housing for paint!

Boomer I used my Dremel tool to get in those areas. Went through several of those small wire brushes, but seemed to work well.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Prepping an intermediate housing for paint!

Originally posted by G DANE:<br /> Is this a replacement for the stolen unit or did you get it back ?? We all feel for you.

Thanks G DANE, fortunately this unit was sitting in my garage. I had brought it home from my storage containers a few weeks before the motors were stolen. There was never any news regarding the whereabouts of the motors.

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Prepping an intermediate housing for paint!

Tumble it.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Prepping an intermediate housing for paint!

I spoke with a purveyor of blasting media today. After describing what I needed to accomplish he said I should use a certain grade of glass beads. Monday I will pick up a 50 lb bag. It's pretty cheap from the industrial supplier. I'm sure that I will find a lot of other uses for it too.<br /><br />He said that walnut shells leave to smooth a finish. They don't provide the proper 'profile' for good paint adhesion. I can control how much old paint I remove by a combination of bead grade, application pressure and duration of blasting. At any level of paint removal the glass will leave a good finish for repainting and just blast away anything that is already loose.

 

[Realgun]

Re: Prepping an intermediate housing for paint!

How was I supposed to know that. I just thought it would work and thats what I remeber. I rember lots of little facts just not the little details.