Tool restoration - how to get a durable surface finish?

I have a couple of fun projects lined up, restoring old tools salvaged from a relatives shed. There are various old things, mostly from the 50s/60s I think

First is a lovely Record No 3 Vice - good working order, but lots of surface rust. It needs dismantling, stripping back to clean metal, and repainting.

Second is an old hand cranked small grinding wheel, which looks like it was intended for sharpening small wood working tools. It was with an old jammed lathe. The gearing mechanism is totally jammed, rust in places, and the whole thing needs stripping and repainting. I'm not anticipating mechanical issues once unjammed and cleaned.

Both of these projects need a really nice looking and durable finish, and I have come to realise I know nothing about painting metal with this in mind. I have been watching lots of restoration videos on youtube, and getting a lot from them. However, they usually don't explain their choice of paint and the systems they use seem very varied.  I've seen some that seem to apply spray paint direct to metal, others that use multiple coats of different paint (primer? base layer? colour coat? top coat?), and still others that use a powder coating system.

Powder coating is definitely beyond me in cost and complexity, so I'm looking at the other options. My limited experience of spray paints is that they chip and flake off metal fairly easily - I presume that is why people use the more complex layering approaches?

Anyway, to the question - I'm looking for a compromise between cost and durability, aiming for a surface finish that will last another 20+ years. Can someone give me some guidance on what to look for? Where can I cut corners, and what is essential?

EDIT - Part of the trouble is that the paints themselves are all promoted as durable, high coverage, great cover, rust resistant etc... I have no idea how to discriminate between the advertising hype and actual good quality/value

My experience with trying to use spray paints on metal surfaces is that they do not wear very well. If you are really on top of surface prep (strip to bare metal, then wipe down with solvent), they should not flake off, but they do not offer much scratch resistance. The longest lasting paint I have found in a rattle can is called "appliance enamel" which is generally a glossy white. If you want a really nice looking and durable finish, you will likely have to take it somewhere to get it powder coated. I have never had it done, but for a few small items, it might not be prohibitively expensive - you could at least try calling around and getting an idea.

I put a lot more stock in function than looks, and if you are going to actually use the tools, then I would suggest you strip them down and just paint the parts that are not going to getting a bunch of wear and tear. Oil on the moving parts will prevent rust there, and areas like the jaws of a vise are so thick that rust is merely a cosmetic issue. Even banged up paint will protect it for a long time, and give your tools that hard-used look of having gotten a lot of stuff done.

Michael Cox wrote:I have a couple of fun projects lined up, restoring old tools salvaged from a relatives shed. There are various old things, mostly from the 50s/60s I think

First is a lovely Record No 3 Vice - good working order, but lots of surface rust. It needs dismantling, stripping back to clean metal, and repainting.

Second is an old hand cranked small grinding wheel, which looks like it was intended for sharpening small wood working tools. It was with an old jammed lathe. The gearing mechanism is totally jammed, rust in places, and the whole thing needs stripping and repainting. I'm not anticipating mechanical issues once unjammed and cleaned. ...

Anyway, to the question - I'm looking for a compromise between cost and durability, aiming for a surface finish that will last another 20+ years. Can someone give me some guidance on what to look for? Where can I cut corners, and what is essential?

I am not able to understand tool restoration and paint.  To me, I am visioning that doing something with rust like removing it. Then adding oil to preserve the tool.

We too have a lovely vice that needs restoring.  It came with our property and unfortunately it is still sitting right where it was at the time of purchase.

Here are some threads that you might find interesting and that show what can be done to restore old tools:

https://permies.com/t/171170/ungarbage/Restoring-hand-tools

https://permies.com/wiki/pep-badge-tool-care

https://permies.com/wiki/127884/pep-tool-care/PEP-BB-tool-straw-removerust

https://permies.com/wiki/105869/pep-tool-care/Sharpen-clean-oil-shovel-PEP

I hope you will find a good way to clean up those tools and to preserve them for another 20 years.

This video gives you an idea of what I am aiming for.



These are tools that originally had body work finished with paint, but 40 year old paint has aged badly, and the garage it has been in for the last decade has a humidity problem.

Parts of it will absolutely be cleaned back to bare metal, polished up and then oiled. But the main body work needs to be repainted.

Incidentally, I was showing the hand crank grinder to my dad and the stuck mechanism unstuck itself. It’s a nice smooth action, so I expect the internal parts to be in good condition. Likely just in need of a clean up and regrease.

I'm with Anne, frankly - I like the waxed/ oiled protection, better. That's why I didn't respond, before. If you really want paint, I've no help to offer. Paint chips and scuffs, is more expensive, and imho, is less environmentally friendly, so I just don't bother.

First off on paint be sure you prime well, sand between coats etc.  I am a farm shop so I use a lot of spray paint.  Current favorite for most stuff there is the Rust-oleum Painters Touch 2X Ultra Cover.  Fewer coats than most and fairly durable.  They really do mean the 2X vs normal cans of cheap spray paint.  Last I bought was about $4.65 per can

That said I think there are 2 better answers out there that are both on my list of things I want to get set up for.

1.  Powder Coat.  Basically it is powder polyester just like the fabric.  It is sprayed with a special gun and adhered to the metal temporarily with electrostatic attraction and is then baked on with infrared heat.  If the powder is kept clean any that misses or falls of can be swept up and reused.  No VOCs.  Harbor freight had the gun, electrostatic generator for sale for a while in a fairly cheap form.(Just google it and they have it on special for $72 at the moment)(probably up in the $200 to $400 range to get into good equipment)  The one guy I know who tried it had a big propane radiant heater and a box made out of drywall to do baking on.  This is the answer most manufactures of gear boxes, metal tools etc are choosing for finish currently.  Very durable and chip resistant, No VOCs, reusable waste powder and cheap once set up.  Finish is also self leveling so no runs etc for the most part.  Technology has been around for decades and while Harbor only has black or white powder there are hundreds of colors available from other suppliers.  Lots of information including videos on doing it.

2.  CeraKote is like a paint that is then baked on in an oven.  One of my friends from church is doing it in his home on firearms and doing amazing finishes.  Probably the tougher finish.  Incredibly chip resistant, very rust resistant, and very good wear resistant.  He showed me how hard a sand blaster had to work to chew it off and it is probably at least 4 times tougher than paint in spite of being a thinner film.  He got 2 electric ovens and cut the end out of each and welded them together in one long box so he can do fairly long firearms.   But most people could just get an old electric over to do the bake on.  Lots of Youtube videos on doing it.

Powder coat.

CeraKote

Seems like the commercial finishes for metal are all unattractive from a long-term ecological point of view.

I've been curious about the topic too though.

Oiling large surface areas with a drying oil seems... possible, but how durable, I don't know... Also the drying oils I have are fairly expensive.

Tool blacking or controlled rust/oxidation seems like one option.

If the tool doesn't get too hot then some sort of natural paint + wax could be another option. I imagine the difficulty would be in getting the paint to adhere, but roughing the surface might suffice, if it has pitting from earlier rust then that step is done for you!

I wish I had answers, but hopefully this thread will produce some interesting results eventually.

Wax all the way! I have restored many tools in my shop, the most recent being a post vice from a blacksmith shop. It had been stored for years and years behind a wire wheel in an automotive shop, and had over an inch of grease and who knows what else.  I scraped it off, left it in the sun for a day, wire wheeled it with a grinder. Next day, another half day on the sun to get it nice and hot, then a rigorous and heavy application of furniture wax. I expect that finish to last 30 years minimum. But I live in a dry climate… if you get a sea mist every morning, it would rust through the wax within a week.

Wax is great because if it needs another finish layer, just wipe more on! No need to try to remove the previous layer, as one would need to do with paint.

Old, pitted surfaces in steel actually lend them selves well to wax, as all those little pockets will hold more wax than a smooth surface.