I got on the phone last week after reading on this forum and called RAPCOPARTS.COM in bowie tx to order some paint for the first time from these folks and spent an hour and a half on the phone with the owner and just about forgot why i called but this is how a business should be ran , He did everything but come to my house and paint for me and great price and fast shipping i highly recomend if your painting army stuff you cant go wrong with this co. IMHO
-
Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!
If its time to paint call RAPCOPARTS.COM
- Thread starter chucky
- Start date
- 7,771
- 19,879
- 113
- Location
- Charlotte NC
A box of RAPCO's 383 Green was in the tool box when I got my M936 Wrecker. I have used it to paint small truck parts that I have removed, cleaned and replaced. The label on the box calls it a CARC Substitute - and that isn't exactly right. On the other hand, the color is about as close to perfect as you could hope for. Seems to be pretty durable as well.
92'M998
Member
- 60
- 4
- 8
- Location
- Bullard, TX
Hi -
You are very correct. I bought paint from them and before they sent it, he called to clarify colors. Great service and quick delivery!!! J.
- 10,498
- 6,631
- 113
- Location
- Camp Wood/LC, TX
Rapco’s Gillespie CARC substitute paint is the correct color but nowhere near the correct flatness.
- 4,318
- 3,208
- 113
- Location
- Fort Worth, Texas
Ditto
I was under the impression the warmer the metal when you shot the paint would make it flater on the sheen like on a hot day with the metal hot the paint would flash out especially last coat . Any thoughts i havent shot my 1083 yet but soon and i want it flat
- 10,498
- 6,631
- 113
- Location
- Camp Wood/LC, TX
Flatness comes from finely ground silica sand added to the paint during manufacture. Gillespie does not contain enough of this. When settled out, this flattening agent is nearly half of a gallon can when properly formulated. This is enamel or polyurethane paint. Not sure how the Behr latex house paint achieves this perfect flatness. If you want traditional enamel CARC substitute paint that has proper flatness, buy from “armytankguy” on ebay.
Went by my local automotive paint supplier today and was quizzing them on how to make the gellespie paint to come out flatter and they were of the opinion to use laquer thinner instead of xilleen and use hardner for it to set up faster but i thought hardner made paint jobs more glossy but they said no i guess 4 parts paint 1 part thinner and see what the first coat comes out.
- 7,584
- 363
- 83
- Location
- Cheyenne, WY
Park it outside for a month, it will fade.
- 7,771
- 19,879
- 113
- Location
- Charlotte NC
Just a thought worth consideration... 35+ years ago I had finished the inside of my house. The place was about a hundred years old when I started and I gutted it, then fixed it up. I discovered hardwood floors under luan plywood - nailed every six inches, then covered with roll vinyl flooring. (Yeah, it was a dump when I bought it - but it was what I could afford) The floor finishing guy suggested dark stain to hide the nail holes. It looked great. Then he suggested a a satin or matte finish. That looked great too when he finished!
ANYWAY, getting to the point: That dull finish on my floor was great for about six or eight years. Then the wear patterns started showing up. Asking questions, I was told that a satin or matte finish was created with laquer thinner or (insert your thinner name here) something similar. It isn't as durable as a high gloss finish. "It is softer" is what I was told.
Just guessing, but I would imagine the same thing happens with imron or any other good grade of paint.
I agree with @hndrsonj that given time, the sun will dull it Just my two cents and RapCo has the color for sure. If there is something other than a thinner that a paint mixer can add to it - it has a much better chance of working (in my opinion).
I wonder if we could find some of the silica sand NDT was talking about and practice on some flat metal to see how much silica got us where we need to be ?
- 7,771
- 19,879
- 113
- Location
- Charlotte NC
Not sure Chucky... I know for sure that it will take a paint sprayer with the ability to pass thicker material. I did a quick search here on SS and found a post by @simp5782 where he used an abrasive blaster to paint his truck. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/jobsmart-handheld-abrasive-blaster I can see how that might be able to "shoot" something with grit in it fairly easily. Simp's truck looks pretty good - even up close.
Definitely seems like a bucket of paint and some practice sheet metal are in order...
- 2,632
- 6,057
- 113
- Location
- West greenwich/RI
If you want to flatten out the Rapco paint you can go to your local autobody supply shop and get some universal flattening agent. They should sell it by the Qt. for about $35 and a qt is plenty for a gallon.
Dupont makes a very good one, but most any brand should have it, like AwlGrip G3013, Interlux YMA715, PPG SLV4985 , 5 Star 8050 gloss adjuster,
You will probably want to do a test panel, but start with about 10-15% by volume after reducing the paint and adjust it from there.
I have used the Rapco paint and I agree it is a bit too glossy. And using lacquer thinner in an attempt to flatten it will not really help, especially if it is hot out. It will dry too fast and either be very rough ( dry spray ) or it will probably even blush out if it's too hot or humid out.
Use Xylene, Naptha or even the "Oil base substitute solvent" they sell at Home Depot ( which is supposed to replace xylene MEK, VM&P Naptha and tolulene will work.
Lastly, I have seen where people have used corn starch and baby powder as flattening agents and it worked well, I just can't attest to the longevity as I can with a commercially available paint flattener.
Dupont makes a very good one, but most any brand should have it, like AwlGrip G3013, Interlux YMA715, PPG SLV4985 , 5 Star 8050 gloss adjuster,
You will probably want to do a test panel, but start with about 10-15% by volume after reducing the paint and adjust it from there.
I have used the Rapco paint and I agree it is a bit too glossy. And using lacquer thinner in an attempt to flatten it will not really help, especially if it is hot out. It will dry too fast and either be very rough ( dry spray ) or it will probably even blush out if it's too hot or humid out.
Use Xylene, Naptha or even the "Oil base substitute solvent" they sell at Home Depot ( which is supposed to replace xylene MEK, VM&P Naptha and tolulene will work.
Lastly, I have seen where people have used corn starch and baby powder as flattening agents and it worked well, I just can't attest to the longevity as I can with a commercially available paint flattener.