Going to test a few varnishes

[PatriceL]

Yes N2, I ordered a new mask and filters to make sure.

Ok this is the next step, abrasion resistance.
Of course this is far from a proper laboratory measured test, but hopefully it can still give some answers and point me in the right direction to arrive at something I am happy with. This was after a 48 hour cure time.

I discarded the 2 samples that did not "wet" well for this part.
Used a very high tech device to scratch the paint...my fingernail.
Except the w shaped one that was done with a scribe.



And I also did one last one with more of a rubbing motion with my fingernail again across the surface. You can see it at the top of the samples



The general observation is...very disappointing.

1) The UV resistant Gloss: The best one but still a lot easier to scratch than I would have thought or hoped.

2) The Crystal Clear: Not as good as no1 but pretty close.

3) The Clear Glaze: Worst of the 3, even flaked easily and not just on the mirror finish one.

Now I am not giving up altogether on these. I am hoping that maybe I messed up and can improve with the thickness of the coats or the curing time. This is really a lot softer than I would have thought.

Any input is still much appreciated.

More in a few days, thanks for looking.

[SlowBlues]

I've found modern rattle can paints take much longer to truly cure than product literature leads one to believe. I don't have much experience using Krylon but I know Rustoleum products scratch fairly easily even after 4 days, but given 1.5+ weeks harden up considerably - and this is in a southern california climate. Major pain for sure. IMO modern cheap paint sucks, there was a "golden" age where chemistry was modernized and regulation wasn't so severe, but alas those days are behind us. I remember a friend going to mexico to get lead paint in the 90s, talk about a beautiful always wet finish. Just don't eat the chips, stupid.

[PatriceL]

Thanks SnowBlues, I will coat a few pieces and let them cure for a couple weeks to see if that makes a difference. Not very practical as you say but if it's what it takes.

I am going to try another product too in a few days and will post results here too.

[SlowBlues]

Two other clears I've heard nothing but good things about are Permalac and Penetrol. Neither are available where I live, in california, but i did find a california VOC compliant variant of permalac at my local steel supplier, it was $36/32oz about a year ago. I've not had a chance to test it.

[pjk]

PatriceL-
I have tried many different clear coats over steel. The one fact that I found quite curious is that bare steel will rust under clear coat. (When kept exposed to the weather.) 2 part automotive clear coats, clear powder coat finishes, and different spray on lacquers/varnishes- all eventually allow for the bare steel to rust.
The best scratch proof finish is Cerakote. This is the hardest clear coat that I have found. (it is mostly used to coat weapons). I have used it directly on steel as well as a top coat on 2 part automotive clear coat. Although Cerakote claims superior scratch resistance, it does poorly as a final finish on table tops- it does, in fact, scratch quite easily.
One of the best clear coat finishes that I have found is POR-15 2k urethane CLEAR. (https://www.por15.com/2K-Urethane_p_123.html) It is very hard wearing, scratches like all of the rest, but does a good job on keeping the rust off of bare steel.
POR also have a clear rust preventative coating for bare steel that does a great job of keeping the rust at bay, but unfortunately the clear coating turns yellowish when exposed to sunlight.
I hope that this is helpful to you.

[MiteyF]

I had never considered POR15... I've used it on motorcycles a few times (just the black), and MAN is that stuff tough! A buddy of mine didn't keep the petcock hole clean on a bike tank when he POR15'd it, and the tank was trash once it dried.

[PatriceL]

Thanks for the suggestions gents, I'll look into them.

I ordered another product that is used on jewelry and such called Protectaclear by Everbrite.



I got both the spray and in liquid form. Used the same 2 samples, one brushed and a mirror one (well close to mirror anyway).
I used the can on the mirror one and a small paintbrush for the brushed one. I must say that I really liked how it went on with the brush without the fumes as a bonus.
Only one coat on these for now but they suggest 2-3. But as you can see from the small scratches (done with my nail again) it is a lot more resistant. And this is after about 48 hours curing time and they suggest a full 5 days. I'll retest in 3 days to see if it hardened some more.



But all in all I think I will be using this for now. Of course some of the products suggested above might do a better job but they are all a lot more complicated to use for many reasons, mainly in regards to toxicity and room for me plus cost of course.
I'll post more results in a few days.

Thanks again for following and all the help.

[SlowBlues]

It really is a crap shoot with finishes these days unless you go to the really high end (expensive and fussy), ESPECIALLY for bare metal finishes. I'm going to try the California variant of permalac (low VOC) soon on an outdoor raw steel project at home, and Rustoleum clear enamel on another, I'll let everyone know how it goes. There are surprisingly few real world tests on raw metal finishes to be found online, and almost no long term tests. I was in a similar dilemma recently and went with the two above products due to customer reviews (hard to trust) and general online recommendations. Be sure to update us about the everbrite's long term performance