Painting Cages

[Royals92 0]

Does anyone know how to keep paint on a cage when you paint it? I prefer white cages, but when I painted it i coudln't keep the paint on and pretty mucht panited after every game. I would like to buy a bauer 3000 in white small, but noone seems to sell them, so how would i be able to paint my cage white and keep the paint from chipping?

Thanx, Bob

[Miike 1]

What kind of paint were you using?

[Royals92 0]

Used spraypaint the first time.

[twiztidwrista10 3]

Maybe sanding , primer. I painted a chrome cage black with spray paint a year or 2 ago and it seemed fine while I had it.

[Miserable 6]

I've done it many times with decent results.

Try using several coats of primer and paint and then use a couple of coats of clear. This will keep the paint from getting damaged too easily.

Here are the steps I take:

Wet sand entire cage

Prime cage

Wet sand primer (only scuff it don't remove it. Sand between coats if you use more then one)

Paint (2-3 coats as directed on can)

Clear (1-2 coats as directed on can)

Keep in mind that the clear will give you a gloss finish so you might want to use a flat paint to keep the glare down a bit.

[Ogie Oglethorpe 14]

I painted my cage with no problems. Buying the right kind of spray paint is the key. There are some made specific for that sort of task (well, not cages per say, but...). You can even buy plastic-type spray paint (where it sprays a more plastic type finish on the metal).

Also, I'll forewarn you to be careful not to apply a layer of clearcoat afterwards. Mine caused the paint to run (acetone in the clearcoat I guess). Had to strip and repaint.

[Royals92 0]

okay thanks, ill have to try all these suggestions.

[Miserable 6]

Also, I'll forewarn you to be careful not to apply a layer of clearcoat afterwards. Mine caused the paint to run (acetone in the clearcoat I guess). Had to strip and repaint.

No offense but you had to have either done something incorrectly or used the wrong paint. I worked in a body shop growing up and use clear on everything I paint and never had an issue with it damaging the paint. Sounds like the base coat wasn’t completely dry.

[Ogie Oglethorpe 14]

Could be (and no offense taken), but it certainly FELT dry. And bear in mind, the body shop clear coat is likely a different chemical composition from the Rustoleum version in a spray can.....

[Miserable 6]

No doubt. I haven't sprayed in a shop in years so I've been limited to the spray cans myself. Paint is greatly affected by the environment so you should always stick to the high end of the drying spectrum to be safe. Also, the top coats can dry completely while the inner coats can still be curing. That's why they tell you not to wax a new car or new paint job for several months. Even though the final coats is dry, the first coupe of coats aren't completely set and you could damage the paint.

[Chadd 916]

The wrong type of clear coat can cause problems. I've seen it happen.

[kovalchuk71 212]

So what clear coat should I be looking for? Somewith no acetone or what?

[Miserable 6]

So what clear coat should I be looking for? Somewith no acetone or what?

That would be fine. If you're just using Rustolium or something lilke that for paint, get the clear version as well and you should be safe. You're not going to do any damage with anything you can get at a home improvment store as long as you follow the directions and take your time.

[Ogie Oglethorpe 14]

If the Color paint has it's own sealer (as spray paints for metal typically will) then you don't even need clearcoat is my guess. You can get a glossy to get the same effect.

In fact, you might even be better off with a flat, so there's no weird glare/reflections from the overhead lights (never happened to me, but I could see the argument).

[Miserable 6]

Yeah, to be honest you don't need the clear. You're just using it to protect the color from scratching. If someone sticks you in the cage it would be beter that the scratch went through the clear coat so that it didn't scratch the actual color away. You could always substitute extra color coats for clear. Just do six coats of color and you would need a pretty deep scratch to get through it.

I've found flat colors work the best for glare. I believe they make a flat clear now as well. If not, the clear will make the finish a bit glossy but I agree with Ogie that it won't make that much of a difference.

[pantherfan 0]

i'd lightly sand it then add proper metal paint maybe 2 layers then add clear resin on to that

[Fourth Line Grind 0]

Do you think I could paint my CCM Vector Chrome cage white with enough sanding? Also, any particular suggestions such as a certain primer or finish?

You think it would look decent?