How to paint aluminum diamond plate and how durable?

[e9999]

so I'm thinking about possibly painting the aluminum "diamond" plate on the rear Kaymar bumper. It's in natural state apparently, possibly with old OEM clear coat since it's not oxidized much if at all. I may want to go satin black. A DIY job, rattle can and all. Don't want to have to go to powdercoat, bead blast etc.

Any recommendation as to specific prep (DIY etching?) and paint for something that will be stepped on a fair amount? I need to minimize costs so fancy paintshop prep agents may be out.

TIA

[450 DUDE]

Scuff well with scotch brite (no ferous ) clean, apply conversion coating (alodine) prime and paint.


The conversion coating is optional.

ken

[e9999]

ah, chromating eh?

can't improvise the etching with vinegar or something like that?

[webelk6]

Aluminum+paint=failure. In those areas(lots of abuse.)

[450 DUDE]

Im not sure about the vinegar?

To go real slick ( depending on the alloy) you could anodize it,if it's removable.

ken

[bsmith123]

you could rough it up and shoot over it with zinc chromate primer which is good for aluminum then paint with the paint of your choice.

I have heard of vinegar for painting over galvanized steel not sure about alum.

zinc chromate is used on aircraft skins before painting

[e9999]

thanks
never mind the vinegar, I thought that it's a cute trick in a pinch, but a bottle of acid from Home Depot will probably do better for steel anyway. For alum, acid may not be a good idea, don't know.

[bkfj40]

if it's removable, couldn't you powdercoat it?

bk

[e9999]

Originally Posted by bkfj40

if it's removable, couldn't you powdercoat it?

bk

sure but I enjoy doing these things myself and experimenting a bit, plus PC is much more expensive and I've had bad luck with it (once it's breached, the rust travels underneath and delaminates it...)

[awjunkies]

dont bother using any sandpaper 1500, 2000 grit or whatever as it will be impossible to get every crease with those diamond plates.

if you can get too any paint shop or even somewhere online get a few pads of scotch brite red (coarse). You will be able to scuff diamond plate pretty easily. After that use a microfiber or any low-lint cloth and wipe down the plate with some mineral spirits.

Next, buy a can of SELF ETCH PRIMER...it adheres to everything. Its basically a sort of prep/base coat that adheres to whatever metal and its "self-setching" so you dont have to scuff it before you lay on the paint.

I work at a ferrari/lambo shop and we have tons of oldschool lambos that were made of aluminum and whenever we break down any car for beadblasting or whatever we usually do those steps to seal it from the elements if we cant get it in the booth quick enough to lay down primer.

hope this helps!

[e9999]

great, thanks


side question: is there some sort of car paint system that would protect normally, yet be easy to remove fully with a chemical agent of some sort?

[MrMoMo]

We usually blast our aluminum boats, however, you can also acid wash aluminum for a nice finish. The problem you will have is you need a rough surface for the paint to grab onto. Acid washing will not do that for you.

Get a cheap handheld sand blaster from Harbour freight or ebay. - even if you only use it for this you will get a much better result. We use Dupont Nason paint on our boats, it seems to hold up well.

[4x4CPOSEADOG]

Hey e,

Have you done painting the diamond plate on your Kaymar? Can you post pictures please? I would like to do this also on the Kaymar that I just bought. Thanks.

[e9999]

Originally Posted by 4x4CPOSEADOG

Hey e,

Have you done painting the diamond plate on your Kaymar? Can you post pictures please? I would like to do this also on the Kaymar that I just bought. Thanks.

not done yet. I'm hesitant to do it until I find a paint I can readily remove if need be. There is the issue of stepping on spray paint and how well it would hold and how bad it would look...