Help me with handle painting

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ffp

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Jul 22, 2013
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Hi, I have one of those Lightning OTF knives with it's black aluminium handle that is wearing off as I knew it would happen in a so inexpensive knife like this one I edc. So i bought a black spray paint and painted the handle. Thing is, not two days and it's already showing some spots without paint again, so yesterday i painted those spots again to see what happens.
I believe that the paint is going to weat off soon and I may have done things wrong (first time painting things like that), so i have three options:

1-Learn if it's possible to the paint to stick for a good time with some tips or techniques (that's why i'm posting here :) ).

2- Take all the painting and use it with a silver handle, but I wouldn't like to use it unless I manage to get a chrome like visual, which I don't think is possible with this handle

3- Live with it and only paint again when it is wearing almost all the paint off.

So, can you guys help me? I can post pictures ef needed.

EDIT: If someone is wondering how I painted the handle, I didn't any kind of preparation, just sparyed the thing with paint, maybe this is why it didn't hold it very well :P
 
Spray paint isn't really designed/formulated/intended to withstand wear or frequent exposure to the oil and sweat of a human hand, it's meant to cover surfaces and protect them from the elements and make them look nice.

I have a lot of experience with a variety of spray paint, and when I use it I am obsessive about my prep work before painting. Yet despite all of my effort to get the best possible results, it's difficult to get regular spray paint to stand up to wear.

I have experienced impressive wear resistance from Rustoleum enamel, but only after an entire summer of the painted pieces baking in the heat. And the older the paint gets and the more summers it experiences, the harder and more durable it gets.

I have also experienced impressive wear resistance with high-temperature auto paints, but that's because the paint gets baked hard from engine/exhaust heat. Such paints are also chemical resistant (motor oil, gasoline) so they might resist sweat and hand-oils better.

Your best chances with spray paint would be to use some high-temp auto paint (like VHT brand, found in auto parts stores), and follow the instructions to the letter (including baking the painted parts in an oven).

Personally, on an inexpensive knife, I would just go with a bare metal finish.
 
it is losing the paint in a matter of days. Would sand the handle before painting do any good? Or I should forget about this paint?
I don't know what is gun blue neither any painting techniques.
Is there anything I can do at home without professional gears?
Also, do you think I can get a metalic chrome like from this aluminium handle?
 
ffp said:
it is losing the paint in a matter of days. Would sand the handle before painting do any good? Or I should forget about this paint?
I don't know what is gun blue neither any painting techniques.
Is there anything I can do at home without professional gears?
Also, do you think I can get a metalic chrome like from this aluminium handle?
Click to expand...

Sanding a metal surface is an effective way to make paint adhere better to the metal, but it won't make the paint more wear-resistant. Like I said before, some paint (high-temp) can be made wear resistant with the use of heat. But sanding the surface of a metal piece won't make just any paint resist wear.

Here is my basic method for spray painting metal - 1. Sand the piece with 80-100 grit sandpaper. 2. Clean the part well with degreaser (common kitchen degreaser works fine). 3. dry/buff the part well to remove any water and water residue (hard water film). Do not touch the piece with your bare hands after cleaning it (you don't want to get hand oil on the piece). 4. Paint the piece according to the instructions on the can, including the instructions regarding weather temperature and humidity.

If you use high-temp paint on a knife part, you will also need to follow the instructions regarding baking the piece in an oven after painting (a toaster oven can work for small pieces). If you do this, you need to make a wire rack to hang the piece in the oven, you don't want to just lay the piece on a pan/cooking sheet/etc. Such a rack can easily be made out of coat hanger wire or similar. Basically it's just a way to hang the piece from a preexisting hole in the piece so that it is suspended freely and not in contact with any surface in the oven.

As far as the "metallic chrome" you asked about, if you are talking about putting a mirror polish on the handles, aluminum can be polished to a mirror finish, but it can be a lot of work, especially if you are doing it by hand. And when aluminum is polished it will EASILY scratch and show scuff marks.

Speaking for myself, I don't think the appearance of a knife is important enough to go through the trouble of painting it. And like I said, polished aluminum will scratch very easily. With an aluminum handle I would just put a satin finish on it ( sand it with maybe 400 grit sandpaper). Or if it were really important to me to have a black handle, I would look for someone who can apply a truly wear-resistant black metal finish commonly used on knives, guns, etc. But that costs some dough.
 
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killgar said:
Sanding a metal surface is an effective way to make paint adhere better to the metal, but it won't make the paint more wear-resistant. Like I said before, some paint (high-temp) can be made wear resistant with the use of heat. But sanding the surface of a metal piece won't make just any paint resist wear.

Here is my basic method for spray painting metal - 1. Sand the piece with 80-100 grit sandpaper. 2. Clean the part well with degreaser (common kitchen degreaser works fine). 3. dry/buff the part well to remove any water and water residue (hard water film). Do not touch the piece with your bare hands after cleaning it (you don't want to get hand oil on the piece). 4. Paint the piece according to the instructions on the can, including the instructions regarding weather temperature and humidity.

If you use high-temp paint on a knife part, you will also need to follow the instructions regarding baking the piece in an oven after painting (a toaster oven can work for small pieces). If you do this, you need to make a wire rack to hang the piece in the oven, you don't want to just lay the piece on a pan/cooking sheet/etc. Such a rack can easily be made out of coat hanger wire or similar. Basically it's just a way to hang the piece from a preexisting hole in the piece so that it is suspended freely and not in contact with any surface in the oven.

As far as the "metallic chrome" you asked about, if you are talking about putting a mirror polish on the handles, aluminum can be polished to a mirror finish, but it can be a lot of work, especially if you are doing it by hand. And when aluminum is polished it will EASILY scratch and show scuff marks.

Speaking for myself, I don't think the appearance of a knife is important enough to go through the trouble of painting it. And like I said, polished aluminum will scratch very easily. With an aluminum handle I would just put a satin finish on it ( sand it with maybe 400 grit sandpaper). Or if it were really important to me to have a black handle, I would look for someone who can apply a truly wear-resistant black metal finish commonly used on knives, guns, etc. But that costs some dough.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for your answer. I think I'll just wait for it and when the paint is off again I'll follow your 4 steps for painting. I'm not using a high temp paint. Just a regular spary one. Probably the paint will wear off, but I think I'll have to live with that...
 
On aluminum I use 100 grit paper (I often paint aluminum motorcycle parts). I use 80 grit on harder metals. If you don't have 100 grit, a slightly finer grit will also work (150, 200). I also do multiple coats, so any sanding scratches don't show through the paint. Even fine sanding scratches can show through a single coat.

Also, make sure the towels you use to dry/buff the pieces after cleaning are themselves clean (I use freshly laundered cotton towels, but even cheap paper towels will do). If the towels are "used" and have any "stuff" on them, even a little hand oil from drying your hands, that "stuff" or hand oil can transfer from the towel to the piece and foul it.

The three keys to getting good adhesion on metal with spray paint are- having a rough surface, having a clean surface, and following the instructions on the can to the letter.

Good luck :)
 
Now I have another question. When the paint wears of it does in some particular spots where there is more contact and the metal is smoother. In this case, not the whole handle must be painted. So what should I do?
Should I sand and paint the whole thing? Should I sand the spots and paint everything? Or should just sand and paint the spots?
 
This is what I do with AL handles, sand the part with 320 or so paper, clean, and coat with self etching primer. This primer is needed on AL. because it chemically bonds. After the primer dries, scotch brite (red or green) and clean again. I use rubbing alcohol. For your top coat, seems like black is what color you want, get a can of spray on truck bed liner. This "paint" has a texture and is fairly durable and if you use several coats, it lets you "fix" dings and scratches by spraying some of the bed liner "paint" on a piece of cardboard and taking a toothpick for small spots or small model car paint brush for larger areas and blend it in.You can find both primer and top coat at W-mart.**as for durability, this coating handles pocket wear pretty good but you can ding it with your sharpening stone, dropping the knife, etc. As my uncle always said, "read the directions" and "the scull & crossbones icon only means one thing".


*you need to get all of the previous paint off your parts. if you have any questions, feel free to ask. wwells63@aol.com
 
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