Does anybody know if there are any engine block paints on the market that won't get eaten or blasted away in a hot tank? If so, are there any special conditions under which they must be applied?

 

No hot tanks can legally use caustic solutions anymore. Ours is a water based soap solution...it's the high pressure jets that blow the paint off, so basically any paint will get blasted off depending on how long you blast it for. The only paints that hold up to the pressure are the HD diesel paints like CAT and JD. If you do an enamel and bake it on the block it might hold up.

 

This is good info to know. I did some checking around to see if there are any vendors that sell the CAT industrial paint outright and it doesn't look like it'll be easy to get. I went to the POR-15 site and found this however:


http://www.por15.com/PRODUCTS/PRIMER...3/Default.aspx
"HARDNOSETM paints are tough, glossy, two-component coatings for use over primed or painted surfaces. They are moisture cured, so exposure to moisture and humidity will actually improve their performance and strength.

When fully cured, HARDNOSETM Paints are rock-hard, chemical resistant, non-porous, and incredibly tough. Durable and easily cleaned, they will not crack, chip, peel, or fade with age. HARDNOSETM Paints will withstand even the most intensive UV environments.

These beautiful, two-component coatings are stronger than any color paints you have ever tried. The long-lasting brilliant colors will look terrific wherever you use them, and will withstand incredible abuse. You'll be amazed and delighted at how well HARDNOSETM paints hold up under conditions that would quickly destroy ordinary finishes.

HARDNOSETM paints are also excellent for industrial applications. Use our safety yellow or orange colors on machinery guards or heavy equipment, and then stand back and marvel at how long they last under abuse.

Put HARDNOSETM Paints on the chassis of your car, truck, or motorcycle, and quit worrying about stone chips and gravel roads. You'll be amazed at the toughness!"

Think it might be worth a shot?

 

I've used POR-15 before, and I can attest to how tough this stuff is. You can basically machine it once it sets up without it chipping away! It is NOT cheap however. The can you get is VERY small (like 3 ounces I think for the smallest one). I did brake calipers, but I would think you could do an engine block with it and use maybe 6 ounces. It brushes on, but I would guess you could thin it a little and spray it as well.

I'd be willing to bet that no pansy a** hot-tank would take that stuff off. I would be thinking more like something from the b-classic movie "the toxic avenger". (what a great movie to watch when hammered! bwahahah). Think nuclear waste and blowtorch..

Dave C.

 

The CAT or JD paint is not hard to find, just go to your local tractor dealership, the problem is you only have a choice of CAT yellow or JD green. Which are you going to use?

 

You can buy something called "Equipment Enamel".

You can generally find it in Farm stores like Tractor Supply or Farm & Country. If you don't have one you can order it. I have also seen it at some Lowes or Homel Depot.

It's meant to protect equipment that is out in the weather year round and it's the closest thing to Powder Coat I have seen. (In terms of strength.)

 

When did the caustic law take effect?? a Few of our local machine shops still use. I work at a Chemical Supply and metal finishing wharehouse and were making deliveries of caustic solutions to them all the time. Hmmm. you learn something new every day.


-john

 

It depends on location… he’s in the socialist state of CA where you can’t fart or **** without approval from the treehuggers. I’m in MD and I know that most similar processes have been made such a hassle to deal with that it’s hard to find anyplace to do any kind of chemical dip around here.

Another alternative to the hot tank deal that a lot of places are going to is baking, where the stuff is basically baked off the parts.

As far as the question… I wish I knew what it was but I bought a used victor jr that was painted black, I thought, no problem… covered it with stripper and hit it with the pressure washer… it ended up blue, almost like a glossy ponitac blue paint under the black. Try it again, still blue. Stuck it in a parts dip bucket that usually will strip anything off for a week at a friend’s shop, came back, still blue. A local machine shop took a shot at it… nothing… still blue… Nothing touched the stuff. Finally started sanding/grinding the areas that I was planning on modifying thinking I’ll sand it all off and polish it… after all the time it took to grind the stuff off the areas I was modifying I decided to blend it in and paint the thing with some cast aluminum paint.

I wish I knew what that paint was (and it definitely was paint, not powder coat, it was put over some epoxy work), I’ve never seen anything like it and it actually had a nice finish also.