Should I paint a new KMG?

Tait

Tait

Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
576
I've got a new KMG coming! Should I paint it?

I'll be using it as a hobbyist to make at most a few knives a month. I live in Southern California, so it will be fairly low humidity.

I've read some comments that suggest it's best to paint, others seem happy with some surface oil.

Is it reasonable to wait and see?

Thanks much!

Tait
 
I live in NY and humidity is bad. I painted mine and I highly recommend it if humidity is a prolem.
 
paint it and you ll never look back saying it was a bad thing but let it rust and see what it looks like. kellyw
 
I had my KMG in Northern AZ for 7 years, and now in Southern Colorado for 1.5, and mine is fine. If you get out a magnifying glass you might find some light surface rust on the tooling arm, but its absolutely not bad. If I were you I wouldn't waste my time unless you feel like it might be a fun project.
 
Thanks for the replies!

jil346:
I painted mine and I highly recommend it if humidity is a prolem.
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Probably not an issue - technically (by annual rainfall), I live in a desert.

Kumdo:
...feel like it might be a fun project.
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Hmm. Play with brand new grinder when it gets here, or wait until I have time to paint it?

kellyw:
let it rust and see what it looks like.
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Sounds like a plan!

I guess it won't hurt anything to wait, may have to blast it before painting if I wait too long...

Thanks!
 
I wish I'd have painted mine so I'd have to say yep.

STR
 
My KMG clone is anodize and powder coat painted its looks professional. I wouldnt have it any other way.
HPIM0783.jpg
 
I would paint it....just something to protect it. You will have pleanty of time to play.:thumbup:
Mace
 
I'm biased living in the Pacific Northwest... if we don't paint bare steel it rusts - plain and simple.

Painting my KMG's was a no brainer here. Plus it looks cool and adds to my pride of ownership (type of stuff ;) ).

With all that said though, I doubt it would ever be an issue in southern Cali. :)
 
I painted mine and sure don't regret it. It still looks new.

If you wait, it will take twice the work to get it rust free.

It doesn't take long to paint it when you first get it.

Kelly
 
I'm sensing a theme here:

Painting it won't hurt anything, but if I don't paint it, I'd wish I had.

I think it comes with a couple of decals on - for those that painted, how did you deal with them: just paint over them? scrape them off? mask around them?

Should be here tomorrow!
 
If you notice all good equipment is painted. The KMG is good equipment. I see no reason to let one rust up. I would like to know why Rob doesnt paint them except he is trying to give us the best equipment for the lowest cost. My friend Bob painted his with Krylon Krackle paint and its beautiful. I still want to have mine hot gun blued when I get it.
 
Tait, I used electric tape to cover the plates.
And yes definitely paint it. Like it's been said, not much work and all good machinery deserves a little tlc.

Patrice
 
My wife laughed when she saw this thread title...

I guess I'm odd man out. I didn't paint mine, I don't know if it is rusty, it never crossed my mind to care. A little bit of a rust patina isn't going to harm a KMG any more than mud and rust will harm a tractor.

Precision surfaces are never painted. They're always bare metal. Generally ground, occasionally lapped or scraped. Over time they can develop a darker patina. The table on my oldest mill is pretty dark. In fact the entire mill is mostly black (and it ain't paint - all that came off years ago) So I'm accustomed to unpainted surfaces.

I look at my machines with pride. Big hulking cast iron work horses. A bit of dark brown patina doesn't reduce them in my mind one bit. Not that I have anything against fresh paint.

Now, deep pitted red rust would be a different story...
 
I didnt paint mine, but i do keep it coated with a liberal application of wd40 and whatnot when i'm not going to be in teh shop for a while. If i can get a natural 'browning' of the steel, that's one of the best protectants there is. As they say when they're working with I beams and stuff.. the best protection against rust... is a layer of rust. (not talking about the pitted flakey type here)
 
I'm in AZ where it's very dry, and didn't end up painting mine although I had originally planned to. I've had it less than a year, but it looks pretty much like it did when it arrived.
 
Oh and by "rust" i just mean a layer of oxidization. Old guns and stuff were 'browned' rather than blued which is what i'm talking about =)
 
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