If you're using Hammerite ...

Advice and guidance on repair and restoration techniques.
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badpenny
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If you're using Hammerite ...

Post by badpenny »

The first thing to comment on is WHY?

Admittedly some machines did leave the factory decorated in the stuff, but sadly over the years I have walked away sobbing from machines for sale that shouldn't have come within 100 miles of the stuff.
Apart from being damn near permanent it hides a host of evils, and if not painted carefully can leave impenetrable runs and brush drag marks.

My excuse for having discovered the following tip is that I was painting the steel hatch on my canal boat !!STEER!!
However Hammerite Brush Cleaner is £100 a litre, if you buy it cheap on eBay. :o
So over the years I've bought throw away paint brushes used them once and chucked them, as they go hard as rock within a short time.

This weekend I happened to have some Nitromors to hand, so as I had finished for the day and was planning to do some more the next day I plonked a small splodge of Nitromors on the bristles then wrapped it in cling film.

24 hours later I was surprised to find the bristles were still bendy. Using a a piece of kitchen paper I blobbed a bit of White Spirit and wiped the paint brush clean. !!THUMBSX2!!
Good enough for me, but I guess that mixing unknown chemicals (especially nasty ones) together isn't to be recommended so be careful.
Probably best to let the children do it until you know the risks to yourself. %|%

BP :didact:
glittering-prize67
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Re: If you're using Hammerite ...

Post by glittering-prize67 »

Yes Jeremy, it can be tricky to apply, but good to make something look nice for a quick sale. I prefer the Odds and Ends quick drying enamel. It looks great, it dries quick and lasts well. I used that on the Duo Mat and Bingolette over 10 years ago and they still look great. The colours I used on them was brass and antique gold or gold leaf. Now the spray Hammerite is good but you need a well prepped surface and lots of thin coats. !!THUMBSX2!!
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Re: If you're using Hammerite ...

Post by raj »

However Hammerite Brush Cleaner is £100 a litre, if you buy it cheap on eBay
Just buy unbranded Xylene @ around £9 a litre from flea bay for thinning, cleaning, degreasing coins. Hammerite has its uses, but not on slot machines as it gums everything up. I've given up trying to colour match Bryan's horrible blue and just gone for basic metallic blue, which looks a lot better in my opinion and is easy to touch up.
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wembleylion
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Re: If you're using Hammerite ...

Post by wembleylion »

I have always used Standard Cellulose Thinner (less than £10 for 5lts and available from any trade supplier of motor vehicle spray paints, not the Halfords or Motorworld sharks, ) for both spraying and brush cleaning and have found no problems; also good for any solvent based gloss, varnish or similar paints. However there is a recent Nanny State regulation that requires all paints sold for DIY application to be environmentally friendly water based. I notice that a recently purchased tin of Hammerite Special Metals primer is water based and it is easy to wash the brushes out with water but whether Hamerite or Smoothrite have changed, or will change, I don’t know.

I have found when spraying Hammerite it is possible to vary the size of the hammer finish by the thickness of the coat. A thick coat gives big hammer marks and a thin coat gives small hammer marks.

I have, in the past, found it possible to mix the colours without any problems, although Hammerite doesn’t recommend this practice.

John
malcymal
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Re: If you're using Hammerite ...

Post by malcymal »

My father in law tried to get some Hammerite brush cleaner few weeks back in B and Q and was told they weren't allowed to sell it any more due to its toxic content. Is this fact? I do remember that it's very pungent stuff. I prefer the chuck brush method away too.
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Re: If you're using Hammerite ...

Post by radiochrissie »

About 40 years ago I had a Mini Cooper, the paintwork had faded badly and I decided to paint the car with Hammerite, yes the whole car in blue Hammerite.... With a brush. I was quite proud of the result until I took it in for its MOT and this old mechanic could not believe what he was seeing, he called his paint sprayer mate over and asked who painted it. !PUZZLED! 'Me!' I said proudly, long pause....... 'Did you throw it on with a bucket and use a yard brush !' :shock:
I ran that car for years, it was unreliable, leaked, smoked, and the rain came in through the sliding windows, but it was a great way to learn about car mechanics, it was fast and you know what? It was FUN.
I remember that car, and paintwork, with a smile.
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badpenny
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Re: If you're using Hammerite ...

Post by badpenny »

malcymal wrote:My father in law tried to get some Hammerite brush cleaner a few weeks back in B and Q and was told they weren't allowed to sell it any more due to its toxic content. Is this fact? I do remember that it's very pungent stuff. I prefer the chuck brush method away too.
I wouldn't be surprised, there's a different thread running on here describing the new formulae of Nitromors as being about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike. EU think it's too nasty for the average adult to be let loose with. :#:
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Re: If you're using Hammerite ...

Post by malcymal »

I think I might buy up a load of Hammerite whilst it's available. I've got tins of it in the shed (black and blue) which are years old and still usable. Funny you should say this BP cause I wanted some white Hammerite smooth from B and Q to patch up some rust on the bottom of the house radiators and they didn't have it in. They suggested another make and it was rubbish, thin, didn't layer. As you brushed it you could still see the rust as it didn't adhere. Could tell it was pants by the fact it didn't take my head off with the fumes when I lifted the lid.
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coppinpr
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Re: If you're using Hammerite ...

Post by coppinpr »

Hammerite have not stopped making their thinners, It is possible B&Q have stopped selling it in there usual supermarket policy of " its risk and a pain for us to sell so we will stop selling it and sod the public".

It is very expensive ,too expensive to use really so throw out brushes are the most recommended way to go however these alternatives work Petrol,Xylene, Tetrosyl, and for small areas nail polish remover.

petrol = people say its dangerous to use,it is in fact less dangerous than Hammerite brush cleaner which has higher toxic fumes and is just as flammable

Xylene = is the main ingredient in hammerite cleaner (along with ,I think, Toluene) and works well on it own and is much cheaper,

Tetrosyl = is a trade name for the cleaner used in car re-spay business, I think it still around, it or similar products are called "gunwash" in the trade and you do NOT want the synthetic or anti-bloom versions, the cheaper ones work best. I have a large can my son in law gave me, he repaints vintage cars, very carefully, by hand and swears by the stuff (and at it on occasion)

nail polish = works well on very small brushes or spills but is expensive (in large amounts) unless the wife dosnt notice

I have also noticed that in the last year or so Hammerite has changed and plain cellulose thinners tend to work much better than they did, this week I used black hammerite on the restored butter churn (see post) and cleaned the B&Q synthetic half in brush perfectly in normal thinners
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