Wrinkle finish paint

[M1ECY]

Ongoing parts procurement mean I now have a nice rack cabinet, but it is in a shocking state.

Seeing as just about every picture I have seen of a proper homebrew rack shows a neat black wrinkle finish, I want to get the same done to this one (not that I have anything against RAF colours, it just isnt right!)

Any tips, or comments as to where or how i might get this finish would be appreciated - the thought of aerosols fills me with dread!

Cheers
Sean
M1ECY

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Painting a full size rack with rattle cans would be a daunting and likely disappointing task. Getting an even result on something that size by essentially painting it piecemeal would be difficult, at best.

My suggestion would be finding a paint shop that can bead-blast and powder coat. Powder coating results in a nice, uniform finish that is tough as nails and durable long term. It's not cheap, and it has a few drawbacks you need to be aware of (thickness of coating causing doors to bind, screw holes messed up, etc), but I can't imagine doing it any other way.

There are a number of members here with powder coat experience who can add more content.

[KL7OF]

I usually paint the rack cabinet a solid or hammertone color....easy to do with spray gun or rattle can....THEN....paint the individual equipment front panels with wrinkle paint.....I use Krylon brand wrinkle paint in the rattle can....I have tried the Harley Davidson  marked rattle cans of wrinkle paint and find it to be the same as Krylon..The wrinkle paint is available in the USA at auto parts stores.   Not sure where you can source it locally in your country......Post some picture when you are done....There was a thread on the forum explaining the many different techniques for obtaining a satisfactory wrinkle finish...Good Luck

[K3YA]

Traditional wrinkle finishes were done with enamel paint utilizing an "wrinkle" additive.  The results were somewhat temperature and technique sensitive, but it was done so commonly that any industrial area had someone proficient in wrinkle finish.  It's probably be a lost art today.  Maybe someone at an old shop still knows how.

Modern spray can wrinkle has to be sprayed on thick and even for a good result.  I have never been able to get an even texture on a big piece of work.  Maybe worth a try on a small cabinet.

Powder Coat shops can produce a very nice, durable texture that is almost like traditional wrinkle.  W3HM does this with his Collins restorations and they look terrific. Generally these shops can also do the prep work for you too.  Prices that I have heard are not too bad but I expect it to be a good bit more then a DIY spray can job.  If it fits your budget and your not a stubborn DIY type like myself, then this is probably the best solution.

I recently painted a rather large rack cabinet with gray Rustolium brand enamel applied with a paint roller.  It gave me a real nice thick finish with a light texture.  But this was a more modern 1970's appearance then what your after.

[K9PNP]

Previous posts on the subject:

http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=13043.0

http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=17732.0

http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=9375.0

Hope they will help.

[KB5MD]

Steve, now that is too cool the way you have the viewing holes cut to the shape of the tubes they're in front of.  Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiccee!

[PA4WM]

I used wrinkle paint from VHT
Easy to get hold of here in Europe. Google for the nearest supplier.

Mostly sold in the automotive branche to wrinkle paint valve covers and engine covers. Availlable in black and red.

I used it on a panel last year. It looks very proffesional. Place the parts horizontal to avoid any drips. The apply a heavy coat. (I sparayed a whole can on a surface of 30cm x 45cm) The result is stuning.

Martin, PA4WM

[WA1GFZ]

I used some Rustolium outside furnature textured paint that worked well.
I painted a black front panel and set it in the sun for a couple hours to cure.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

I bet a textured or splatter finish is a lot more forgiving. Seems like anytime I tried to paint a large surface in wrinkle with rattle cans, there's always be some area that was too thin with little or no wrinkle, and other areas of overlap with too much. Those spray gun handle for aerosol cans might make it easier.

[KA0HCP]

Sometime past I found a hint in a magazine from the 30's that suggested adding a fast evaporating solvent to ordinary paint.  I don't recall what it was, perhaps acetone.

I just performed searches in the QST archives with the keywords: wrinkle, crackle and shrivel, all common terms for the same finish.   All the suggestions going back to the 30's involve painting the item, letting it dry for a few minutes then heating it in an oven, heat lamp, radiant heater, blow dryer, or gas blowtorch!

Averaging them out the process is something like:

-Apply moderate to heavy coat
-Dry for 5-10 minutes
-Place in oven heated to 200F-300F, 10-30 minutes  (high end had poorer results)
-Or use alternative heat source. (consider heating from backside)

bill

[KL7OF]

I paint my panels lying horizontal ......Double wet coat and set them on the woodstove....when the desired wrinkle is achieved, remove and let cool...

[M1ECY]

Thanks for all the info, seems to me that DIY based solutions arent really the way to go for a complete rack - ive tried aerosol stuff before - it seemed a lot of hard work for a poor finish.

I visited a lcoal Stove Enammler (sp.) and Powder Coater today, explained what I wanted....

He knew of the original products he used to use some 40 years ago, but has said they were banned years back (solvent issues)

He then went on to show me a selection of textured finishes they can do with powder coating - there is a finish they can do, which is almost identical to the finish found on the TU type tuning unit front panels - this is ideal - semi gloss/satin sheen, just about excellent in my book.

I asked about price, and was suprised when I was told £50 including all prep and materials - guess where I'm going with my cabinet!

Will let you all know the outcome - it will be a few weeks before I get it done - might be of interest to other UK readers.

Cheers
Sean

[WBear2GCR]

Yeah, I was going to say, the old methods won't work these days since they don't sell "real paint" any longer, unless you can find it from a specialty supply (here in the USA). Almost all of what is sold as "paint" is a plastic material of some sort, advanced chemistry, and low VOC (solvents). I get an industry journal on "paint" so I get to read a bit of what this stuff is... it ain't "paint"!

                              _-_-bear

[KD7EDW]

My Dad was a sign painter for all of his life - while I do not remember him intentionally creating wrinkle finish,  he talked about avoiding something called "orange peeling" that is, where the paint is laid on to too thick and/or the surface temperature of the metal is colder than the air temperature - this it causes the paint to form a skin and that skin will pull into itself this causing "orange peel" or wrinkle as we call it. I imagine that many of the paints today have some sort of an additive that helps the entire coating to solidify or perhaps gel when it is drying to a avoid the skin drying effect of thick coatings. I imagine we can blame all the effort on Krylon and their efforts to "goof proof" the paint application process. For me, I learned how to spray even thin coats early on.
However there are still sources for traditional oil enamel paints AND I believe their may be a way to re-create the traditional wrinkle process - it would require two spray mini guns (not expensive, considering places like Harbor Freight) you would divide the paint into two mix batches gun 1 with just the oil paint and gun 2 with oil pant AND an additive called Japan Drier (an additive that speeds up the drying of oil paint -found in art supply stores) - you would use gun 1 to lay a base coat and quickly while the base coat is still wet-  layer a second coat with gun 2 with the japan drier additive paint - that should form a skin- especially if the object was dried under infrared lamps. Obviously, this would not be worth the  effort if you wanted to paint one small bud box - but if you wanted to paint all your rack panels in your cabinet this MIGHT do the trick - I say might because I have not tested this out myself.