I just bought Besrk's front and rear bumpers. They should come in some time next week. My question is....how should I go about painting them? I'm going to check on powdercoating; but if that's too expensive, I'll just do the painting myself. I appreciate any info y'all can offer. If possible, post some pictures of your bumper after it was painted.
How should I paint my bare steel bumper?
BaldHeadedDawg
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I just bought Besrk's front and rear bumpers. They should come in some time next week. My question is....how should I go about painting them? I'm going to check on powdercoating; but if that's too expensive, I'll just do the painting myself. I appreciate any info y'all can offer. If possible, post some pictures of your bumper after it was painted.
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3,260 Posts
Sand it then spray it with a self etching primer following the directions on the can. Then hit it with your favorite topcoat. I did my Nate's 4x4 bumper on my Cherokee this way and used spray on bedliner for the topcoat. Very durable, looks great, easy touch-up, and cheap. I spent about $10 on it.
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This is what I'm leaning towards right now. If you use a self etching primer, am I correct in assuming you don't have to sand the bumper, hit it with a 3M pad, etc? The other option for me is Rustoleum. I'm debating between it and the duplicolor liner.
LineX or powdercoat would be great; but I like the idea of going to the cheap route on this and being able to easily touch it up as needed.
Does anyone have pictures of bumpers they've done themselves?
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116 Posts
Bump for any other suggestions.
Info provided with permission from ROF member Elwarpo (paint is his field):
"Ok here is how to prepare metal.
The most important part is the pre paint surface preparation.
First the safery stuff, most of what I will recommend to do a proper job is safe if you use some common sense. There will be solvents, so use them in a well ventilated area (a window cracked open does not cut it here). Also keep flames and sources of sparks away. Some of this stuff will require gloves (disposable latex work well) and safety glasses.
Step 1: Degrease
Get some mineral spirits or xylene from a hardware store. Wipe the steel with a dry rag, then with a rag with some solvent. This is to get all the oil/grease off. Depending on how oily this is, it may take several passes. Change the rag if nescessary, or else you will just smear the oil around. A non solvent way of doing this is using TriSodium Phosphate (TSP) and mixing it with water, take care to wash all the TSP off with water and wipe the steel dry to avoid rust.
After you finish the degreasing, sand the steel with fine sandpaper (325-400 grit), this will roughen up the surface and the paint will adhere (stick ) better.
Step 2: Rust conversion/phosphating
Any hardware stores will have a rust converter and they may go by many names including rust converter/neutralizer/disolver/ naval jelly... They are a mix of phosphoric and hydrochloric acids that will disolve rust chemically (sanding alone will not remove all the rust) and then phosphate the steel. The phosphate (like gun blue) will not only stop rust (to an extent as nothing will stop rust forever) but will give the paint better adhesion. Wear gloves/glasses and put something under the part to protect the floor. The converter should be gooey, and you apply it to the steel. Scrub badly rusted areas with a brillo pad or steel wool with the converter. Let stand 10-15 minutes and wash off with a hose. Dry the part well, including all cracks/grooves...right away or else the rust will come back and you will have to do it all over again. From this point forward only handle the part with gloves, as the oil in your skin will quickly start the steel rusting. You also have 24 hours to put on the first coat of primer, if you can't repeat the conversion step. All rust converters are a little different so RTFI (read the @#$%& instructions.)
Step 3: the Primer
Here is where you have a few decisons to make, and they will all affect how good a job you want, and like everything else better usually will cost more. You have 3 choices for primer:
Alkyd - Oil based primer for steel.
Epoxy - 2 part paint (mix part A and B together like the glue).
Rattle can - well if you did step 1 and 2, why bother with this.
You notice I did not include any water based paint, there is a reason, if you want performance, the do it yourselfer can forget about waterborne. Remember you don’t need good UV/weather resistance for the primer, since it will be covered with the topcoat.
Alkyd - get one designer for steel and rust prevention. It will cost a bit more but when you gash through the paint on that rock, the anti-corrosive pigments in there will greatly slow down the spread of the rust. Most major paint companies will have one (Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams, PPG, Rustoleum...).
Advantages: Good to excellent corrosion resistance depending on how it is made. Not too expensive. Good to very good adhesion to the steel. Fair to good solvent and chemical resistance. Good UV/Weather resistance.
Disadvantages: Poor to average mechanical resistance (scratch/chip) at first, but will eventually harden.
Epoxy - The standard when you want to protect steel, and is used on bridges, ships, towers and most importantly your Jeep... Get one designed as a steel primer, as this will be better than a general purpose one. One thing about epoxies (or any other 2 part paint) is once part A and B are mixed together, you have a limited time to use it (usually 2-8 hours depending on formulation and called pot life) afterwards it will be solid. The 2 parts chemically react together, and this is what causes the solidification. Clean everything well, because once they react and dry, you will never get it off (hey that’s why you are using it). So only mix how much you need.
Advantages: Very good to excellent corrosion resistance. Excellent adhesion. Excellent solvent and chemical resistance. Excellent mechanical resistance.
Disadvantages: Needs special strong solvents (stronger than an alkyd). Limited pot life. Poor UV/weather resistance. More expensive.
RattleCan – While called alkyd/rust paint… they are formulated for spraying and fast dry. This gives them convenience but you sacrifice performance. But if you don’t mind constantly spraying them, they work much better if you follow steps 1 and 2 first.
Almost all of you basic properties will come from the primer since it is what is attached to the steel. The topcoat is just there for looks and to protect the primer from UV/weather exposure. Think of it as the foundation of a house, no one sees it, but you are in trouble if it is substandard.
I recommend 2 coats of primer (follow the paints instructions for time between coats). A light sanding (325-400 grit) between coats will help the new coat of paint stick to the previous one.
Step 4: the Topcoat
Again this is mostly for appearance and to stop that nasty UV light from degrading the primer. I recommend 2 coats with light sanding (325-400 grit) before each coat.
Waterborne acrylic – Excellent UV resistance, poor scratch/mar resistance, easy to use, very poor corrosion resistance (the primer will provide this), fair adhesion to the paint below.
Alkyd topcoat – Good UV resistance, good to very good scratch/mar resistance, good corrosion resistance. There are some DTM (direct to metal) alkyds out there that are both primer and topcoat, so just use 2-3 coats of it instead of a separate primer and topcoat. Very good adhesion to the paint below.
Acrylic urethane – Also known as auto topcoat. Excellent UV resistance, very good to excellent scratch/mar resistance, 2 part paint like an epoxy (disadvantage and advantage), very good to excellent adhesion to the paint below.
Application: Most paints can be applied either by spray or brush. Spray will look better, but is more difficult and has holidays (little holes between the paint drops that can give rust a chance to start). Brush will prevent holidays but may leave brush marks. The sanding between coats will help hide these
ONE IMPORTANT THING: SEVERAL THIN COATS WILL PERFORM BETTER THAN THICK COATS
When spraying (including using rattle can) use several thin coats instead of 1 thick coat. Not only will this prevent drips, but when spraying there are always small areas between drops that don't get completely covered. These areas will creat rust areas. Several coats will have the effect of then next coat will probable cover that hole (called holidays and can be measured by conductivity). A thick coat will also dry on the surface before all the solvent leaves the film. This will cause the solvent to force it way throught the film creating pinholes (called solvent popping, small bubble holes in the surface) which will comprimise the anti-rust protection of the paint.
On both my bumper and trail skidz, I used 2 coats of epoxy and 2 coats of acrylic urethane topcoat and am very happy with the results.
_________________
04 Patriot Blue TJ Rubi - 6" Airock, RELA, 4.88, 35s...
06 Black LJ Rubi - Little and staying that way
Tact is for people not witty enough to be sarcastic.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” Edmund Burke"
"Ok here is how to prepare metal.
The most important part is the pre paint surface preparation.
First the safery stuff, most of what I will recommend to do a proper job is safe if you use some common sense. There will be solvents, so use them in a well ventilated area (a window cracked open does not cut it here). Also keep flames and sources of sparks away. Some of this stuff will require gloves (disposable latex work well) and safety glasses.
Step 1: Degrease
Get some mineral spirits or xylene from a hardware store. Wipe the steel with a dry rag, then with a rag with some solvent. This is to get all the oil/grease off. Depending on how oily this is, it may take several passes. Change the rag if nescessary, or else you will just smear the oil around. A non solvent way of doing this is using TriSodium Phosphate (TSP) and mixing it with water, take care to wash all the TSP off with water and wipe the steel dry to avoid rust.
After you finish the degreasing, sand the steel with fine sandpaper (325-400 grit), this will roughen up the surface and the paint will adhere (stick ) better.
Step 2: Rust conversion/phosphating
Any hardware stores will have a rust converter and they may go by many names including rust converter/neutralizer/disolver/ naval jelly... They are a mix of phosphoric and hydrochloric acids that will disolve rust chemically (sanding alone will not remove all the rust) and then phosphate the steel. The phosphate (like gun blue) will not only stop rust (to an extent as nothing will stop rust forever) but will give the paint better adhesion. Wear gloves/glasses and put something under the part to protect the floor. The converter should be gooey, and you apply it to the steel. Scrub badly rusted areas with a brillo pad or steel wool with the converter. Let stand 10-15 minutes and wash off with a hose. Dry the part well, including all cracks/grooves...right away or else the rust will come back and you will have to do it all over again. From this point forward only handle the part with gloves, as the oil in your skin will quickly start the steel rusting. You also have 24 hours to put on the first coat of primer, if you can't repeat the conversion step. All rust converters are a little different so RTFI (read the @#$%& instructions.)
Step 3: the Primer
Here is where you have a few decisons to make, and they will all affect how good a job you want, and like everything else better usually will cost more. You have 3 choices for primer:
Alkyd - Oil based primer for steel.
Epoxy - 2 part paint (mix part A and B together like the glue).
Rattle can - well if you did step 1 and 2, why bother with this.
You notice I did not include any water based paint, there is a reason, if you want performance, the do it yourselfer can forget about waterborne. Remember you don’t need good UV/weather resistance for the primer, since it will be covered with the topcoat.
Alkyd - get one designer for steel and rust prevention. It will cost a bit more but when you gash through the paint on that rock, the anti-corrosive pigments in there will greatly slow down the spread of the rust. Most major paint companies will have one (Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams, PPG, Rustoleum...).
Advantages: Good to excellent corrosion resistance depending on how it is made. Not too expensive. Good to very good adhesion to the steel. Fair to good solvent and chemical resistance. Good UV/Weather resistance.
Disadvantages: Poor to average mechanical resistance (scratch/chip) at first, but will eventually harden.
Epoxy - The standard when you want to protect steel, and is used on bridges, ships, towers and most importantly your Jeep... Get one designed as a steel primer, as this will be better than a general purpose one. One thing about epoxies (or any other 2 part paint) is once part A and B are mixed together, you have a limited time to use it (usually 2-8 hours depending on formulation and called pot life) afterwards it will be solid. The 2 parts chemically react together, and this is what causes the solidification. Clean everything well, because once they react and dry, you will never get it off (hey that’s why you are using it). So only mix how much you need.
Advantages: Very good to excellent corrosion resistance. Excellent adhesion. Excellent solvent and chemical resistance. Excellent mechanical resistance.
Disadvantages: Needs special strong solvents (stronger than an alkyd). Limited pot life. Poor UV/weather resistance. More expensive.
RattleCan – While called alkyd/rust paint… they are formulated for spraying and fast dry. This gives them convenience but you sacrifice performance. But if you don’t mind constantly spraying them, they work much better if you follow steps 1 and 2 first.
Almost all of you basic properties will come from the primer since it is what is attached to the steel. The topcoat is just there for looks and to protect the primer from UV/weather exposure. Think of it as the foundation of a house, no one sees it, but you are in trouble if it is substandard.
I recommend 2 coats of primer (follow the paints instructions for time between coats). A light sanding (325-400 grit) between coats will help the new coat of paint stick to the previous one.
Step 4: the Topcoat
Again this is mostly for appearance and to stop that nasty UV light from degrading the primer. I recommend 2 coats with light sanding (325-400 grit) before each coat.
Waterborne acrylic – Excellent UV resistance, poor scratch/mar resistance, easy to use, very poor corrosion resistance (the primer will provide this), fair adhesion to the paint below.
Alkyd topcoat – Good UV resistance, good to very good scratch/mar resistance, good corrosion resistance. There are some DTM (direct to metal) alkyds out there that are both primer and topcoat, so just use 2-3 coats of it instead of a separate primer and topcoat. Very good adhesion to the paint below.
Acrylic urethane – Also known as auto topcoat. Excellent UV resistance, very good to excellent scratch/mar resistance, 2 part paint like an epoxy (disadvantage and advantage), very good to excellent adhesion to the paint below.
Application: Most paints can be applied either by spray or brush. Spray will look better, but is more difficult and has holidays (little holes between the paint drops that can give rust a chance to start). Brush will prevent holidays but may leave brush marks. The sanding between coats will help hide these
ONE IMPORTANT THING: SEVERAL THIN COATS WILL PERFORM BETTER THAN THICK COATS
When spraying (including using rattle can) use several thin coats instead of 1 thick coat. Not only will this prevent drips, but when spraying there are always small areas between drops that don't get completely covered. These areas will creat rust areas. Several coats will have the effect of then next coat will probable cover that hole (called holidays and can be measured by conductivity). A thick coat will also dry on the surface before all the solvent leaves the film. This will cause the solvent to force it way throught the film creating pinholes (called solvent popping, small bubble holes in the surface) which will comprimise the anti-rust protection of the paint.
On both my bumper and trail skidz, I used 2 coats of epoxy and 2 coats of acrylic urethane topcoat and am very happy with the results.
_________________
04 Patriot Blue TJ Rubi - 6" Airock, RELA, 4.88, 35s...
06 Black LJ Rubi - Little and staying that way
Tact is for people not witty enough to be sarcastic.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” Edmund Burke"
Joined
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414 Posts
About how much would powdercoating a bumper + tire carrier cost anyway?
Joined
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783 Posts
depends on the place.. i have heard it running up to $1500... it's just like a paint job, you can get one for $299 and all the way up to a couple grand... just depends on the quality and place.
i would still stick with the self-etching primer and rattle can black. if you do it correctly, it will look awesome regardless.
i would still stick with the self-etching primer and rattle can black. if you do it correctly, it will look awesome regardless.
Joined
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405 Posts
I went back and forth with Eddie when I bought one of his bumpers. I wound up using the POR-15 system.
I looked into powder coating, and the best price I got locally was $160 at least (sight unseen), with the possibility of going higher. I used to work with a construction equipment manufacturer, so I'm familiar with powder caot - it's great, but if/when it does chip, it cannot be touched up.
The Por-15 system cost me less than $50, and a week after I finished it, I dropped my trailer hitch onto my bumper. The powder coat on the hitch chipped:brickwall but the bumper was fine.
The regular Por-15 black fades quite nicely to a lovely light matte black, or you can overcoat it with UV protector (also by Por) to keep it shiny.
I've received several compliments on it.:2thumbsup:
Interesting, pics??
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116 Posts
$50 is definitely within range. What all did you have to get from Por-15? I check their site and see so many different things that I get confused.
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2,208 Posts
Powdercoat it! you can even color match or a hammered finish!
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