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What's halls recommendation for a good one step semi flat black paint for my frame on 58 Viking 60.? Been wire wheeled and no rot on it. Thanks

I used marine based rustoleum paint on my truck and put it on with a paint brush or spraying depending on the part. I think it looks good and I had no issues so far. (my truck is not yet on the road but you can see the frame painted in my pics below.)

Chris

If you want the paint to last, and you want it a particular color, then there is no one-step paint which will do both that I can think of.
I treat with Ospho, clean of the residue the next day, prime with Rustoleum Rusty Metal primer then use whatever final color in Rustoleum.
You could try POR15 and hope that it ends up all uniform. I have had problems with POR15 on sections which still have some paint on them.

I found a product call Hud Brite premium paintable rubberized undercoating. It sprays on in a flat black color, does a good job protecting, and hoses off fairly clean and easy. I have never been a big fan of painted frames, they always seem to rust or get stone chips. google it, a big spray can is about $9, and goes a long way. Just my $.02.

Jon

If all you did was wire wheel it... it won't matter what you put on it because paint, primer, or even poor15 needs some tooth to adhere to.
Wire wheel will burnish all the 'teeth' away.
Sand with 80g after wire wheel.

Caso is right. I put por15 on steel that I wite wheeled and it peeled off in sheets. If using por15 have nice clean rust, then it really works.

Isn't that an oxymoron?
What would be the proper procedure (short of sandblasting) to get "nice clean rust"?

My day job is coatings.

A good sound coating on anything is a great base for new coatings. If you can't scrape it off easily, then scuff/sand and apply primer. The kind of primer is an important step. If there is any bare steel, then the only primer to use is an epoxy primer. Not "epoxy fortified" or some other sales jargon... simple 2 part epoxy. I don't care what brand you pick, just as long as it's a true 2 part epoxy.

Epoxy on bare steel is the ONLY thing to put on bare steel. The reason is that if epoxy gets scratched or chipped, the spot damaged will rust BUT the rust will NOT creep out from the damaged area. The epoxy will prevent the spread of rust. This is why an epoxy on bare steel is so very important. No other products even come close the ability of rust prevention like any 2 part epoxy. Period. End of story.

If you want to paint the epoxy you can. Generally, epoxies get harder over time. They need to be scuffed or lightly sanded to open them up to accept a paint. A good 2 part urethane paint is a great product to put over an epoxy as it will retain it's shine, be chemical resitant and abrasion resistant. This is why an "epoxy/urethane" system is so very popular industrial and commercially speaking.

Getting back to the the frame with some "tightly adhered coatings" you can scuff and prime with an alkyd paint primer but the key here is a "good primer". It will help the top coat last 5 times longer than top coat without it.

There is no substitute for 2 part products that require 2 coats of product. Therefore epoxy/urethane. If you decide to go with 1 part products and no epoxy, go ahead. Just know you are NOT getting the BEST possible coating to prevent corrosion and rust.

Nice clean rust would be where you can see rust but can't scrape or sand or otherwise get it off. If you get some to come off on a rag or scraper, keep scraping. Sand blasting takes off rust but may not be absolutely required.

Once you have it so that you can't scrape it off, then you have a surface ready for epoxy primer.

I have watched a construction company build a million gallon fuel storage tank. Over time, I saw the steel rust to a horrible looking orange. I was aghast at the sight of it. I am confident now that they applied a serious rust converter product on it before applying paint, as it ended up with a perfect finish which has survived a salt spray environment for several years since then.
I will be doing some work at that facility soon, so I will ask about their process.

I think I can explain.

They would have had to sand or water blasted the tank before applying a zinc/epoxy/urethane system.
The zinc is a sacrificial coating used to show yellow/rust streaks once exposed to moisture. The idea being that it was a visual indicator that the topcoat had failed. This "indicator" gives the asset owner time to inspect and assert a repair process as deemed necessary. They key point here is that the actual tank (or asset) was not failing, but rather the top coat had failed causing the zinc to stain.

It's a very effective way of assessing the condition of the asset without losing the integrity of said asset.

The rusting tank during construction is expected and dealt with accordingly. The amount of rust on it during this time would be unsightly for sure, but not detrimental to the overall integrity of the asset. Some new modern coatings technology has replaced sand blasting in these cases with a water blast which is cheaper and creates far less dust to clean up.

Darcy, now that you mention it, they did blast the interior of the new tank. I don't know what they used as a media. Not sure if they blasted the exterior. I doubt it.

I have been in the automotive coatings industry for 25 years on the OEM supplier side of the business. The past 18 years as a Field tech service rep for one of the leading OEM exterior paint suppliers in the world. So I have modified, applied and adjusted many different types of coatings for many applications and processes. I will say that currently epoxy is my first choice for bare metal primer followed by urethane prime, base and clear. These preferences change as coatings technology evolves.
But I want to share my #1 proven cost effective Lazy method I have been using to restore vintage snowmobile chassis for 20 years. Obviously snowmobile chassis are exposed to water salt and dragging on the ground a lot as they cross over highways and trails.
I strip all of the paint (do not paint over paint with this process), hand wire brush any rust to the point of " clean rust". Apply a tannic acid/ organic polymer rust CONVERTOR that sprays out of a plastic bottle sprayer or a paint spray can like Total Solutions. Let it dry overnight above 60F.
Spray the Chassis with Rust Oleum self etching primer from a spray can. Pick any Brand Quart alkyd enamel color and gloss you want. Rustoleum,or XO (I do not care for the Majic paint) , any in a can you can mix and brush on or put in a spray gun . I actually use "XO Rust base white" from my local hardware store because they let me tint it to any color I want for Ski Doo Yellow or Snow Jet Blue.
To spray the base coat I reduce it with Acetone 50/50 and catalyze it with "Majic Brand" Aromatic Iso Cyanate Catalyst Hardener sold at Tractor supply. In the little green can. The raw paint to raw catalyst ratio is 16 Paint to 1 part catalyst. Once you do this do not re-use, do not dump leftover back in the paint can.
This catalyst will help the alkyd enamel dry faster and harder, lower surface tension and less porous. It will also increase the gloss slightly. Don't expect showroom shine we are talking DIY frame paint.
IF YOU SPRAY THIS DO NOT PUT 2 COATS ON! WEAR A RESPIRATOR, HIGHLY FLAMMABLE! because of EPA regulations most of these coatings are now reduced with 100% Acetone. With all of the Acetone, which is an aggressive solvent, it will re wet the first layer of paint and start to peel it off. I just use the 9 dollar Harbor freight gun for this and spray it like its a can of spray paint.
Touch up with a brush a week later.
Or reduce the base coat just slightly like 20% and brush it on. I just wanted to share that the catalyst makes a big difference in the Alkyd coatings durability.
Again, this is a cheap alternative, costs me about 30 bucks a sled and they do not rust out.
Or at least not yet. My first one was a 1969 Ski Doo and its still in the shed with no rust on it. My grown children rode it every year. Back then I got the catalyst from another source and did this as an experiment, but now you can buy it at the store.
Sorry for the long post just trying to cover all of the bases. But with paint that's impossible. Good luck.


Ray

I've used Alkyd enamel for years in the restoration of farm equipment. When used with hardner, it has an amazing flow and beautiful gloss. Super weather resistance (some of this equipment is left outside or in an open shed). I thin with Naptha and do recoat (within 30 minutes)and don't use any fancy primers.
However, I wouldn't use it on a frame restoration, because In My Opinion, Proper Satin black chassis looks professional, Gloss black looks out of place.
A matter of taste.