Alternatives to spray paint? Free glider rehab project

We just finished a DIY rehab project on a set of 3 vintage gliders I picked up for 100% free. We used pure tung oil for the wood (amazing stuff, tung oil) but couldn't come up with any alternatives to spray paint for the metal frames. Any ideas?

Here's a before and after shot:



And here's the full post:

Cat in the Flock

By the way, more about tung oil here, in case anyone's new to tung oil:

Tung oil

That chair looks really pretty.

An alternative to spray paint would be whitewash or milk paint.

Lisa, there is a different approach to spray paint that gives the same look.

The device is an electrostatic paint sprayer.  Short version:  an electrical charge is imparted to the paint in the sprayer and the opposite charge is imparted to the object.  Paint droplets literally leap from the sprayer to the object.  My father once had a metal file cabinet painted in this manner while he was working (strange company policy).  He was afraid that his office would stink of paint, but the job was quick, effortless and had no odor.

I don’t know if this is in the cards for you but it can be done.

Eric

Anne Miller wrote:That chair looks really pretty.

Thank you! I'm pretty happy with it.

Anne Miller wrote:An alternative to spray paint would be whitewash or milk paint.

But Anne, have you actually used those on metal surfaces? All the sources I found said those only work on wood, drywall, etc., other porous surfaces.

Eric Hanson wrote:Lisa, there is a different approach to spray paint that gives the same look.

The device is an electrostatic paint sprayer.  Short version:  an electrical charge is imparted to the paint in the sprayer and the opposite charge is imparted to the object.  Paint droplets literally leap from the sprayer to the object.  My father once had a metal file cabinet painted in this manner while he was working (strange company policy).  He was afraid that his office would stink of paint, but the job was quick, effortless and had no odor.

I don’t know if this is in the cards for you but it can be done.

Eric

Eric - Thank you! I have actually come across this method in my research but just don't have the resources to obtain the sprayer. The other issue I saw is that while it eliminates particle spread during the painting process, you're still using the paint itself, and it will still off-gas, right? Your dad's example is great, though. I've considered taking the item to an autobody shop and having them paint it, too, but I figured the expense wouldn't justify it.