Author Topic: Clear coating for bare metal components?  (Read 5312 times)

basewindow

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Clear coating for bare metal components?
« on: October 29, 2017, 09:29:27 PM »
Hey all,

The Lister cs restoration is coming along nicely, cleaned, primed and repainted, and newcam gear installed and other components removed and cleaned.

Problem. The push rods, tappets, tappet holders, rockers and a few other bits are back to clean bare metal and all looking very nice and shiny. For a short time.  Ive notice that even after a couple of weeks surface rust blemishes are starting to appear. Is there some sort of clear metal protection you can paint/cover these things with that anyone uses? I dont really want to paint them if possible.
1953 CS Lister 3.5hp, 1938? Bamford SD1 3.5hp, 1962 Fordson Super Dexta, 1969 International 434.

broncodriver99

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Re: Clear coating for bare metal components?
« Reply #1 on: October 29, 2017, 11:19:51 PM »
Grease and or oil seem to work pretty well.  ;D

Except for the push rods those are all parts that should be oiled regularly or coated with grease.

broncodriver99

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Re: Clear coating for bare metal components?
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2017, 11:28:08 PM »
You could also use something like Boeshield or Fluid Film, both of which need to be reapplied every year or so. Lanolin and Linseed oil work as well but they too have to be reapplied every so often. If you are keeping them lubed properly though there shouldn't be much rust going on. You could always blue them or do a black oxide coating.

mikenash

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Re: Clear coating for bare metal components?
« Reply #3 on: October 30, 2017, 07:05:49 AM »

Someone in here had a machine finished in (was it stove black?) and then coated with (boiled linseed oil?) - you can tell i have only a vague memory of it.  But it looked great!

BruceM

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Re: Clear coating for bare metal components?
« Reply #4 on: October 30, 2017, 04:53:59 PM »
I was thinking clear spray, much like Glort's suggestion, but I also remember the lamp black'd engine photo. For an antique look, the lamp black job was very impressive. 

Dieselsmoker

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Re: Clear coating for bare metal components?
« Reply #5 on: October 30, 2017, 07:41:09 PM »

Someone in here had a machine finished in (was it stove black?) and then coated with (boiled linseed oil?) - you can tell i have only a vague memory of it.  But it looked great!

That would be me... :laugh:
I stripped the Fairbanks-Morse down to bare metal as it was a lump of rust when I found it. I then assembled the engine and proceeded to polish it up with Zebo stove polish. I buffed off as much of the polish as I could once it dried, and then applied boiled linseed oil. It takes probably a week to dry. After some time the gloss fades and just the clear protective coating stays in place. I'm not sure exactly how durable the linseed coatings is, but with the engine kept indoors for the last 9 years it still looks great.

I think it's high time I pull this engine out and take some proper pictures of it. The only thing I have handy now is this link to a YouTube video I made a looong time ago with a terrible mobile phone.
https://youtu.be/CwWrmvpoE0E

On the Lister restoration I cleaned all the fasteners with a rotary wire brush. I then put them all in a tin and poured some linseed oil over them, took them out and let them dry to touch. Of course some of the oil stays inside the treads, but if you assemble within a week or two it's still soft enough to just get squeezed out. It won't give you a perfect finish like clear coatings, but also remember that since it (almost) never goes completely hard, it won't chip off like paint - which is a good thing. Added bonus is that I just love the smell of boiled linseed oil  8) 

EDIT:
Make this mental note - If you ever work with stove polish - wear plastic or latex gloves. If you think old diesel engine sump oil is black on your hands then you need to experience this stuff  :D
« Last Edit: October 30, 2017, 07:47:44 PM by Dieselsmoker »
1963 Lister 6/1 genset - Restored
1942 Fairbanks-Morse ZC-208 - Restored
1945 Ruston & Hornsby PB 3HP - To be restored
1954 John Deere 40-S - Current project

BruceM

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Re: Clear coating for bare metal components?
« Reply #6 on: October 30, 2017, 07:50:10 PM »
Yep, that's the beauty I remembered. Very nice ''authentic" antique look. And I wasn't alone in remembering it as exceptional.  Bravo, Dieselsmoker.

basewindow

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Re: Clear coating for bare metal components?
« Reply #7 on: October 30, 2017, 08:13:36 PM »
Thanks guys, plenty of suggestions there.

Was thinking of the car clear top coat as i have some floating around somewhere, but some of those sprays may do the job as well. Never thought of the linseed oil but i might look at that.

The black could work as well as that engine looks pretty cool.

Seeing i have clear top coat, i might try that first on a couple of things and see how it holds up along with a spray on some others.

Cheers.
1953 CS Lister 3.5hp, 1938? Bamford SD1 3.5hp, 1962 Fordson Super Dexta, 1969 International 434.

Samo

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Re: Clear coating for bare metal components?
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2017, 10:53:56 AM »
Nice idea on the Linseed oil, I might give that a go for my rebuild. I've painted the components prior to assembly. And using the same approach I've also cleaned every nut with a rotary brush in a drill... and am not keen on painting them.... So I'll also try the linseed oil approach first.

cheers !
Samo
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Re: Clear coating for bare metal components?
« Reply #9 on: October 31, 2017, 11:23:02 AM »
Use some Japanese Dryer with the oil.
Will dry faster and form an almost varnish type
finish.

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cujet

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Re: Clear coating for bare metal components?
« Reply #10 on: November 04, 2017, 03:23:04 PM »
I vote for automotive, 2 part, clear coat paint.

On my listeroid twin, I used the DIY electroless nickel plating kit from Caswell for the exposed reciprocating parts. It's cheap enough, fast enough and works really well. Looks great 10 years later. It's not chrome, although at first it looks much like chrome. It takes on a very nice clean metal look over time. It's very easy, as you simply submerge your clean parts in a bath of heated water with the nickel solution in it.

I found an image of an electroless nickel plated part:

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basewindow

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Re: Clear coating for bare metal components?
« Reply #11 on: November 04, 2017, 10:50:15 PM »
Ive put auto clear coat on a few items and will see how they go over the next few months.

I'll let you know hiw it progresses.
1953 CS Lister 3.5hp, 1938? Bamford SD1 3.5hp, 1962 Fordson Super Dexta, 1969 International 434.

Fig

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Re: Clear coating for bare metal components?
« Reply #12 on: April 26, 2018, 04:39:35 AM »
Anhydrous lanolin mixed with your favorite machine oil works pretty good for keeping rust away   ;)

mikenash

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Re: Clear coating for bare metal components?
« Reply #13 on: April 28, 2018, 12:40:39 AM »
See this one?

A bunch of old English folk have restored this old sleeve-valve straight-eight (probably from the 1920s?)

And it looks as if they have some sort of similar clear-coating thing happening, too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULFwUaOdtdw

There's a dozen or so youtube clips detailing the rebuild story

basewindow

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Re: Clear coating for bare metal components?
« Reply #14 on: April 28, 2018, 01:12:06 PM »
Just an update. The auto clean coat seems to have worked quite well. 6 months on and it's still looking good.
1953 CS Lister 3.5hp, 1938? Bamford SD1 3.5hp, 1962 Fordson Super Dexta, 1969 International 434.