| Author |
Message |
    
Chad
Advanced Member
Username: Chad
Post Number: 803
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 01, 2006 - 10:01 pm: | 
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So I now own a 40' tower and a hole in the ground, much to the dismay of my back. Tomorrow night I plan to whip up my buried section and finish the tilt hinges.
BUT I need to paint the tower. I'm thinking in my wooded area that silver is not going to cut it. I was thinking more of a flat neutral color. If anyone has suggestions as to what would look good in the trees (not camo, too hard) and would be WIFE FRIENDLY then please let me know. It seems that battleship grey is popular, I had even thought of flat black. I just dunno 
Chad |
1st_sargant
Junior Member
Username: 1st_sargant
Post Number: 11
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 01, 2006 - 11:21 pm: |
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Chad,
How about taking your wife to Menard's, Lowes, Home Depot or any where else and let her pick out the color of the paint SHE Wants to see on the tower and then your problem is solved. 
Shirley
1st Sargant
CEF164
CVC#3  |
Kid_vicious
Senior Member
Username: Kid_vicious
Post Number: 1503
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 12:59 am: |
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grey is the way!
it will disappear in both overcast days, and at night. paint the antenna too!
of course, if the wife doesnt like it; a pink tower is better than no tower!
matt |
Coyote
Advanced Member
Username: Coyote
Post Number: 740
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 8:36 am: |
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 ....I agree, Matt! |
Road_warrior
Senior Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 1382
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 8:52 am: |
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1st sargents way sounds like a good idea.
So, i'll vote for letting your wife pick
out the color. |
Chad
Advanced Member
Username: Chad
Post Number: 804
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 9:33 am: |
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Shirley,
She's in on it too! We sat in the back yard last night seemingly forever (we had to get chairs) to try to decide what would look best and we both came up stumped. It's just sooo hard to think of a color then imagine what it would look like in the air behind trees, etc. I can imagine a paint color on a wall So taking her to the local home improvement store would do us no good, I'm a good hubby, we went down that road last night
KV,
I too think flat grey is the way, although she really digs pink she won't have it on any wall or facet of the home (one reason we are married!)
I'm not painting the iMax we can both deal with that being white
Chad |
Hotwire
Senior Member
Username: Hotwire
Post Number: 1268
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 11:39 am: |
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Why not paint it to match the color of your house or other yard structures like fence? |
Hotwire
Senior Member
Username: Hotwire
Post Number: 1270
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 12:01 pm: |
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If you want to get creative go to the do it your self store and look around. You can get textured paints and paints that look like stone and brick when dry. They even have paint that will have an antique look. Or you can go crazy and get a chrome dip. thats a joke.... |
Chad
Advanced Member
Username: Chad
Post Number: 807
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 1:42 pm: |
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Home is log, that would be a unique paint job
Maybe instead of a tower I should have just bought a pole
Going to lowes tonight, should be interesting.
Chad |
Road_warrior
Senior Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 1385
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 5:00 pm: |
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Good Luck Chad! I'm fond of the gray/silver color i used for mine. My friend painted his red, white, and blue and makes me salute it every time i visit. Sticks out like a sore thumb...LOL...
I'm sure you will find the perfect color. |
Tech808
Moderator
Username: Tech808
Post Number: 9899
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 10:33 pm: |
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I have posted this before but here it is again.
The easiest way I have found over the years to paint a tower weather it is UP or on the Ground is first get a gallon of paint thinner and a rag and go over every inch of tower with the thinner to remove any buildup, gunk or bird droppings.
Then get a gallon or two of of metal paint any color depending o the size of your tower.
Sand paper if needed or steel wool.
1 - Car Wash Mit
1 - Pair of rubber dish washing gloves
Then remove any buildup with sandpaper or steelwool.
Put Rubber Dishwashing gloves on.
Slide hand in Car Wash Mit.
Dip hand with mit into paint.
Start coating tower from the Top down.
Took me less than an hour to do our 54 foot tower from the top down using the car wash mit that got into every crack and crevice.
NOTE!
If the tower is on the ground slide all sections together place on saw horses and do the same thing.
Then when it dries all you have to do is flip it over to get the small spaces of the tower that was on the saw horses.
When done take carwash mit and rubber gloves off and throw in garbage.
Then stand back and pat yourself on the back and say MAN THAT WAS EASY!
Lon
Tech808
CEF808
N9CEF
CVC#2 |
Road_warrior
Senior Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 1389
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 11:35 pm: |
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I used a million foam brushes and alot of swear words.
Will keep Lons idea in the back of my mind.
Yeah,good prep is a must. |
Allan
Intermediate Member
Username: Allan
Post Number: 110
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 03, 2006 - 12:56 pm: |
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Here's another option.......
Airless Electric Paint Spray Gun- NEW- NR-
Buy it now price---- Price: $10.49
These things work great, and for $10.59 + shipping, you can't go wrong. Just point and shoot....
Found this one Internet auctions....
PS... I'm kinda favoring the Forest Green color to match the foliage on that tower...... |
Tech237
Moderator
Username: Tech237
Post Number: 319
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 03, 2006 - 1:20 pm: |
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Ive always painted mine once they were up and usually using a battleship grey paint as I have found that to be the least obtrusive colour.
maybe this time I'll paint this one I'm getting ready to raise yellow and green the same as the house but reverse to the house. make the thing stand out just to see what happens. |
Road_warrior
Senior Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 1393
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 03, 2006 - 1:36 pm: |
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Hollowpoint- there are some paints that do not require a primer.Most paints flake/chip off of
galvanized metal after awhile.
The paint i used was outdoor application on
metal with rust retardant additives. Bought this paint at a on-line auto paint store.
But, i often wondered- what if a person prepped the metal real good and used a self-etching primer first before applying paint.
Mine was prepped very well and is 2 years old with no cracking yet, BUT,if something rubs or slightly bangs it, off chips the paint.
So, yes this is a interesting subject. |
Goat373
Intermediate Member
Username: Goat373
Post Number: 213
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 03, 2006 - 6:33 pm: |
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they dont...its powder coat...that would be the ticket chad...powder coat it "dark neutral" which is olive drab to anyone else...only thing is finding a company with...
1 a big enough booth.
2 the heart to do it for you |
Kid_vicious
Senior Member
Username: Kid_vicious
Post Number: 1507
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 03, 2006 - 7:42 pm: |
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primer is a good idea.
you can buy a 5 gallon bucket of it at steel supply houses, and its usually rust colored.
also, you want to "bake" the finish on; both the primer coat and the final coat(s).
sunlight works great, but if humidity is a problem, you need an area indoors that you can heat up past about 90-100* to cure the finish in.
yes, this is overkill, but it can make the difference between a paint job that lasts 5 years, and one that lasts 20+.
BTW, you should be prepping the steel with ACETONE.
anything else will leave a film that you dont want.
always wear eye, and hand protection when you use it, as it can absorb into your bloodstream.
(ever known a painter who wasnt "all there"?)
i also agree that spraying is the way to go with the price of equip. so cheap now.
matt |
Allan
Intermediate Member
Username: Allan
Post Number: 112
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 03, 2006 - 8:29 pm: |
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(ever known a painter who wasnt "all there"?)
Heheh... I have noticed this myself. I think they have used the thinner as a mouthwash... |
Airplane1
Advanced Member
Username: Airplane1
Post Number: 757
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, May 04, 2006 - 12:35 pm: |
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I used rusolium rust stop paint on mine, used gray rust stop primer then got silver rust stop for top coat but I think I will get flat red and flat white and paint it like the radio towers around here, each section a different color red and white. there are four sections so it should look great.
Chad, I think you would like flat dark brown, it would blend into the trees well. or the said black, I think it would blend in too.
AP |
Allan
Intermediate Member
Username: Allan
Post Number: 117
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, May 04, 2006 - 5:59 pm: |
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paint it like the radio towers ...
Don't forget the red strobes @ the 100 foot increments...... |
Kid_vicious
Senior Member
Username: Kid_vicious
Post Number: 1512
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, May 04, 2006 - 10:46 pm: |
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dark brown is a good idea.
i think that powder coating is a good idea for things that will get seen alot but touched almost never.
if a rock, stick, or anything else hits your tower, it will put a scratch in the powder coat, and unlike paint; you cant repair it.
when i used to work in scenery shops, i dealt with alot of powder coating, and just about every time we shipped something, there would be at least one scratch upon arrival, and we would have to try and match the powder coat the best we could. not easy.
plus, its expensive!
you're talking hundreds of dollars to get a 40 foot tower done.
just my 2 s-units worth,
matt |
Vanillagorilla
Advanced Member
Username: Vanillagorilla
Post Number: 565
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 10:13 am: |
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All I can think is:
If your gonna take your wife to the store to pick the color...BRING YOUR CHAIR!...and be prepared to buy paint for at least one room in the house as well!
That, I'M SURE, is how it would go for me!
That being said...I believe you need zinc oxide primer over galv. metal IF you want any top coat to stick for any extended length of time. I've heard people say to wipe down galvanized metal with vinegar to help adhesion properties but can't vouch 100% for either. |
Goat373
Intermediate Member
Username: Goat373
Post Number: 218
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 6:19 pm: |
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kid...the powder coat that i have seen layed on here in summerville...you nearly have to take a hammer and chisle to it to mearly mar the surface, much less chip it...powder coat aint weak stuff after its bakes on at around 400F.
maybe you are mistaking powder coat for some other form of covering, or perhaps powder coat comes in differant stregth degrees??. |
Kid_vicious
Senior Member
Username: Kid_vicious
Post Number: 1602
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 11:54 pm: |
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maybe it does come in different strengths; i dont know, but im not confusing the powder coating with another process.
ive personally trailored too many big metal objects into a powder coat shop to do that.
i do have to admit that the majority of things we built were displayed indoors.
interesting!
matt |
Road_warrior
Senior Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 1449
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 9:32 am: |
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If i ever have to do mine over again. I'm
going to try a Etching primer. Which is
suppose to attach itself better to Galvanized
then regular primers are capable of doing.
Then use a good paint over the Primer.
My friend did the vinegar trick and painted
his with Rustoleum, but, 2 years later started
all chipping off the tower.
Having it baked on would be the best, but,
cost would kill ya... |
Chad
Advanced Member
Username: Chad
Post Number: 819
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 9:42 am: |
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Well as of now it has been cleaned with acetone and painted with flat indsustrial primer. Instead of the wash mitt method I used a HVLP paint gun and some nice nozzles. Waste was not that bad, I did this to provide a smooth surface for the final coat and to reduce the chances of having voids or paint goobers that could hold water.
So far the choice for the final coat is that color of brown that came on many dodge 70's vehicles I painted up remnants of the push-up this color and hung it from a tree and it was absolutely invisible. Although knowing me this could change, so far this is the procedure. Another post will be coming about another question |
Road_warrior
Senior Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 1452
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 3:15 pm: |
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I bet that will look very nice after your done
Chad. If i ever have to do mine over it would
get sprayed instead of by hand.
|
Kid_vicious
Senior Member
Username: Kid_vicious
Post Number: 1609
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 7:21 pm: |
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ok chad, now you just need to buy a couple of fake christmas trees, and make yourself a "tree tower"!!!
LOL
matt |
