Stihl paint! What to use????

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jason6586

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I am going to be restoring a few older stihl's over the next month or so. I am wondering what people have used for paint to redo the orange and white? I would like it to match original.:confused2:

Thanks
 
This may not be perfect but is the easy way to go and its fairly effective: go to Tractor Supply and get a can of "Ford Gray" and "New Kubota Orange" -- there is a picture of someone who restored a saw using these exact colors and it came out looking spiff.

I'm currently in the middle of touching up with the gray.
 
This may not be perfect but is the easy way to go and its fairly effective: go to Tractor Supply and get a can of "Ford Gray" and "New Kubota Orange" -- there is a picture of someone who restored a saw using these exact colors and it came out looking spiff.

I'm currently in the middle of touching up with the gray.

+1. The Stihl grey is not fuel proof AT ALL, and the orange literally takes a dozen coats to cover.
 
Go to your local DuPont/Nason auto paint dealer and order a pint or Qt of Nason Fast Dry Machinery & Equipment enamel. It is a single part, air dry acrylic enamel that needs no hardener. Carry a piece of a saw that has a nice clean sample of the color(s) you want and get them to match the color. Most dealers do not charge for matching, especially for simple solid colors.

Thin the paint with lacquer thinner and spray with a Preval gun, available at Ace Hardware and Home Depot. For bare metal, use the Dupli-Color self etching green primer in an aerosol can.

Since it is an air dry product, it will not harden if left in the gun. I never clean mine out with solvent. I just spray the nozzle dry by removing the spray gun part off of the bottle (this will make sense when you see a Preval sprayer) To get it really clean just spray the nozzle with a little shot of carb cleaner.

A Qt will paint probably 50 saws in white. The orange will cover in 2 coats, even thinned out for spraying. The white is cheap but orange is going to be pricey.

Jimbo
 
Go to your local DuPont/Nason auto paint dealer and order a pint or Qt of Nason Fast Dry Machinery & Equipment enamel. It is a single part, air dry acrylic enamel that needs no hardener. Carry a piece of a saw that has a nice clean sample of the color(s) you want and get them to match the color. Most dealers do not charge for matching, especially for simple solid colors.

Thin the paint with lacquer thinner and spray with a Preval gun, available at Ace Hardware and Home Depot. For bare metal, use the Dupli-Color self etching green primer in an aerosol can.

Since it is an air dry product, it will not harden if left in the gun. I never clean mine out with solvent. I just spray the nozzle dry by removing the spray gun part off of the bottle (this will make sense when you see a Preval sprayer) To get it really clean just spray the nozzle with a little shot of carb cleaner.

A Qt will paint probably 50 saws in white. The orange will cover in 2 coats, even thinned out for spraying. The white is cheap but orange is going to be pricey.

Jimbo

+1000. That's the paint I'm using now myself.
 
well i'm a little new to restoring saws but i came across a old stihl contra, S10 and a 090av. The 090 and the contra were running the S10 was not. I have everything cleaned blasted and ready for reassembly just needed to find the paint and still in the process of looking for emblems and such. They are not going to be run just for looks in the shop but they would be runners with some gas once i get done. Ill check with the local auto body supply shop and see what they can do if i take a new orange shroud in. Also im not sure what that sprayer is but would a small air brush work for painting?

Thanks
 
I dislike the idea of repainting old saws, but that is just an opinion.....:biggrin:

I partially agree with you, But if I get a saw looking like this S10 I suffer from an uncontrollable urge to paint it ;)

before.jpg

lhrMedium.jpg
 
Wayne, that is a neat restoratation but you you could always find an original S10 like this.

P41907770.jpg


P4190778.jpg


I have not had to paint one yet but it is getting close.

Al.
 
Go to your local DuPont/Nason auto paint dealer and order a pint or Qt of Nason Fast Dry Machinery & Equipment enamel. It is a single part, air dry acrylic enamel that needs no hardener. Carry a piece of a saw that has a nice clean sample of the color(s) you want and get them to match the color. Most dealers do not charge for matching, especially for simple solid colors.

Thin the paint with lacquer thinner and spray with a Preval gun, available at Ace Hardware and Home Depot. For bare metal, use the Dupli-Color self etching green primer in an aerosol can.

Since it is an air dry product, it will not harden if left in the gun. I never clean mine out with solvent. I just spray the nozzle dry by removing the spray gun part off of the bottle (this will make sense when you see a Preval sprayer) To get it really clean just spray the nozzle with a little shot of carb cleaner.

A Qt will paint probably 50 saws in white. The orange will cover in 2 coats, even thinned out for spraying. The white is cheap but orange is going to be pricey.

Jimbo

Just curious as to the fuel resistance of this paint? I've yet to see an air dry paint survive any length of time bathed in fuel. I suppose if you're just restoring a saw and not going to use it, it doesn't matter. I know the 2 part urethanes do very well in this environment. I like to use a paint that closely resembles the performance of a modern, original factory paint. Urethane paints aren't that hard to use at all, I find that they are actually easier to use and very tough and chemical resistant.
 
Just curious as to the fuel resistance of this paint? I've yet to see an air dry paint survive any length of time bathed in fuel. I suppose if you're just restoring a saw and not going to use it, it doesn't matter. I know the 2 part urethanes do very well in this environment. I like to use a paint that closely resembles the performance of a modern, original factory paint. Urethane paints aren't that hard to use at all, I find that they are actually easier to use and very tough and chemical resistant.
+1
Epoxy primer and multi component Urethane is the more durable paint finish on a saw that is going to be used, rattle can paint is only good for shelf queens.
 
+1
Epoxy primer and multi component Urethane is the more durable paint finish on a saw that is going to be used, rattle can paint is only good for shelf queens.

+2 Even my shelf queens are sprayed with 2 pack Urethane, I'm not going to spend hours stripping & preparing a chainsaw then using inferior rattle can paint.
 
The factory applied finish of either brand is NOT a catalyzed paint. Furthermore, neither factory uses a primer of any kind. The factory gets their finish hard by baking, which is also feasible if the saw is disassembled. Painting unprepered bare light metal will result in very poor adhesion, which often looks like poor chemical resistance. Without going into a lot of detail about painting bare aluminum and magnesium (see the "So I'm curious, what do you guys do for a living? " thread and look at post #168) just do this and you'll be fine:

Thoroughly degrease parts to be painted, finishing with clean fresh 'low odor' or 'odorless' mineral spirits.

Sand the bare metal till bright; paint will not stick to tarnished light metal.

Do a final wash with a good soap (like Dawn) and a red Scotch Brite pad (NEVER steel wool!)

After air drying, PROMPTLY apply the self etch primer.

After the primer cures (2 hrs minimum) apply the topcoat. For extra toughness, after the part is 'touch dry', bake it at 140-200 F for 1 hour

Jimbo


Just curious as to the fuel resistance of this paint? I've yet to see an air dry paint survive any length of time bathed in fuel. I suppose if you're just restoring a saw and not going to use it, it doesn't matter. I know the 2 part urethanes do very well in this environment. I like to use a paint that closely resembles the performance of a modern, original factory paint. Urethane paints aren't that hard to use at all, I find that they are actually easier to use and very tough and chemical resistant.
 
These are reportedly the GERMAN paint codes for Stihl paint, I don't know how to translate to American paint codes. Old Stihl white is German paint code RAL 7035. Old Stihl Red/Orange is RAL 3000. New Stihl orange is RAL 2004. New Stihl white is RAL 9010. Hope this helps.
 
This may not be perfect but is the easy way to go and its fairly effective: go to Tractor Supply and get a can of "Ford Gray" and "New Kubota Orange" -- there is a picture of someone who restored a saw using these exact colors and it came out looking spiff.

I'm currently in the middle of touching up with the gray.
I'm re-doing a saw right now and putting together the parts and paint. TSC had Majic Tractor, Truck & Implement Oil based enamel that can use a catalyst.

https://www.majicpaints.com/tractor-truck-implement-enamel/
Is this the right color gray (Light Ford Gray, 8-2967) for a Stihl saw?
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...plement-oil-base-enamel-light-ford-gray-1-gal

Obviously, I am not buying a gallon ( I have a quart, which probably will paint at least a dozen saws or more), but I want to confirm the color before I begin.
 

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