I accidently stripped the paint! Now what?

[SoShoresGuy]

Uh-oh, I was trying to "restore" my Dad's Shakespeare Sea Wonder 2080 (EC) spinning reel. I took the reel mostly apart and soaked the parts in Simple Green (obviously too long) and the factory paint came off the body, rotor cup and side plate. I didn't know that Simple Green was that caustic.

The original paint was a textured flat black, or I guess you could say "mottled" paint. Any idea what I can use to repaint the reel body and how to do it properly?

I bought a "parts reel" on ebay to replace the pinion gear and bearing in Dad's reel, but the ebay reel body is painted in a glossy dark gray. Since I was just planning to use the reel as a nostalgia item to mess around with, and not for resale, I would like to get it back to the original form as much as possible.

Thanks in advance for any suggestion(s),

Mark

[john elder]

mark: repainted reels very rarely come out like you would like and you're probably better to leave alone or pick up another parts reel where you can steal the painted parts to sub into your reel. Otherwise, you are probably as well off as anything to do a repaint using automotive-quality spray paint...you'll find several shades/finishes in black...good news is that black is probably the easiest one to do. Just keep in mind that if you get the urge to sell it, some buyer might track you down, gut-shoot you, and leave you for dead if you don't tell them ahead of time ( ---that's a joke...sorta)

[Charged]

Mark your last 2 posts ring a bell, and seem oftly similar to my own recent experiences. I had just repainted a reel, but do not expect my finish to hold up anywhere near as well as a factory finish.

Aluminum, and paint are not the best friends. I'll only repaint a reel if it was a cheapo with little value, and only as a last cosmetic resort for a reel I have no intentions of selling. In my case, it was a cheap 5$ investment in a poor conditioned reel that I always thought looked interesting. In your case, the Simply Green chemical damaged your factory finish more than you intended, and the damage is already done.

If you do decide to repaint it yourself, I would suggest several very light coats, the first few being just a dusting that doesn't even cover the surface. Then finish it with a clear coat.

[Rick H]

Mark the guys are right...if you're gonna do it, use an automotive spray and in "multiple light coats". Your best bet is to lay down a "self-etching primer" first. You can get that at the auto parts store, in the same aisle as the spray paint. That self-etching primer will grab that aluminum and hold. 1st coat...VERY VERY light, dry with a hair dryer. Another light coat, dry again...and so on till the parts are covered. Hi Heat on the dryer, but not to close. You'll see the primer and the paint "set" as you apply the heat. Then do your painting in the same manner.

If I recall, you can get that "flat or semi-gloss black mottled finish", in a can. Good Luck.

I used that primer on my motorcycle when I painted it. You can view pictures of the bike on my web page (Club and Forum Links). Link is toward the bottom of the page.

[Don Champion]

Mark
It sounds like the original paint on your reel was a "crinkle" finish. You can find it in cans in the better stores that carry spray paint. If you are painting aluminum first use a zinc chromate primer. Your paint will stay on a lot longer.

[SoShoresGuy]

Thanks, I'll look for the crinkle finish. There is still a little paint left on the rotor hub, so if I get a decent camera I'll try to post what the original paint looked like.

I also read that after I clean up the aluminum, I should put it in the oven around 450 degrees for about 10 minutes and let it cool down. This process is supposed to bring out the oils that were in the aluminum.

I have a small hand sprayer that uses CO2 (I think) as a propellant. I used this device many years ago when I was restoring a Studebaker Avanti, and it worked very well on touch-up jobs with automotive paint.

Again, I'll try to keep everyone informed at my progress, which will be painfully slow, but there is no hurry for me to get to this ASAP.

Also, I finally read the instructions on the Simple Green jug, it says to soak items for one or two minutes, not one or two days like I did.

Maybe I'll finally pay attention to "small things".

Mark