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repainting a mill

1K views 18 replies 13 participants last post by  X-Rated 
#1 ·
I got a mill last weekend. It is a Millrite, in really nice shape. Paint is cracked and could be redone. Looking at it, seems fairly simple to clean and tape off all the parts that dont get paint, and just paint it. I want to get the old paint off the base at least. It is all cracked up and stuff. What would you guys recommend? I was thinking a needle scaler would do a good job. I dont think I really want to try and use a sanding disc...

Also, I bet this 30 year old mill has lead based paint on it.. So I will wear a resperator. That is another thing I was thinking about, I am hoping the needle scaler will knock off more paint than it will throw into the air. your thoughts?
 
#4 ·
I'd be very careful sandblasting anything with machined mating surfaces unless you plan to tear it completly down to clean when finished. The grit getting on your lead screws, table, and bed surfaces will cause you a lot of posible problems even if you blast away from them. grease and grit make a wonderful lapping compound.

I'd protect these areas regardless what method you choose to strip the paint. Needle scaler will probably work. Wire wheel on a grinder, scraper, aircraft striper will all work depending on the areas.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Acetone, paint stripper, wire cup brushes.

I never use an abrasive other than scotchbrite pads (in all abrasion levels) on a small right angle grinder.

These older machines are mostly covered in oils and cutting fluids. Make sure you wipe it down with an oil/wax remover (I use acetone) prior to painting.
 
#6 ·
If you want to strip it all off, i'd use a paint remover, like a gel aircraft stripper. Then follow up with an acetone wash, then a wax and grease remover before you paint it. If you don't want to strip it all off, then use some wire wheels to get all the loose stuff off, followed up with a few wax and grease remover washes. Wouldn't even think of using a sandblaster on it do to all the sand that gets every where.
 
#8 ·
I wont sand blast it for the reasons already given. I dont really want to break it all the way down. but i dont want to just repaint over top of the old paint either. Maybe that is the best answer though. Clean the shit out of it, and then tape it off and just get a fresh coat of paint on it to keep anything from rusting worse...
 
#10 ·
I think your smart for not sandblasting the mill. Most of the old grey machinery paint was very tough. I would simply repaint the mill after degreasing and sanding. Your right on the eastern seaboard which is probly why your getitng the humidity. Do you use cutting coolants and oils heavily on your mill? We have some machines that sit for a while but we use coolants which have rust inhibitors that last along time after sitting on steel.
 
#18 ·
Oven cleaner works great, but is highly alkaline. It will happily strip grease and dissolve or peal paint, but it will also react badly with aluminum. So, make sure if you use it, you don't get it on aluminum. It will actually eat holes in aluminum if you leave it on for a while... You can use it to clean aluminum as long as you are quick, and quench it with lots of water when you are done to dilute it and kill the reaction.

As for sand blasting, there is no way I would bring sand anywhere near a precision machine tool. The link above, the guy blasted the lathe bed and ways from the looks of it. If it wasn't a very gentle media, like soda, or dry ice, then that lathe is likely scrap now. Granted, it is pretty, but still junk.

Regardless of what you do to strip it, you have to get it as clean as humanly possible before reassembly. Any bit of grit will stay in place and accelerate wear. IMO, it is just not worth the risk to the machine.

Later,
Jason
 
#19 ·
looking at the mill, there is very little to worry about compared to a lathe. The head just unbolts, and wouldnt really require any sand blasting anyway. It could just be cleaned, sanded and painted. The motor comes off with 2 bolts. Same thing, scotch brite pad and clean and paint. The table and screws are all greased. The need to be cleaned anyways and steel wooled, but the table unbolts pretty easily too i think. So the Z axis and the huge base would be all that is left. That could easily be scraped/needle gunned, and cleaned, taped, and painted. Then just put it all together. I had to take it almost that far appart to load and move it. Seems a lot less complicated than a lathe....

for that very reason, I will probably buy a brand new grizzly lathe that I know I wont need to restore for 20 years...
 
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