Spring Thunderbolt Painting Project

[timrein2030]

Hello Everyone! Greetings from Lapeer Co, MI.

I am now back on the volunteer fire department in my area, and will be doing the maintenance on our Thunderbolt 1000T siren this spring. The last time the beast was painted was by myself, 15 years ago, so it is a sad looking pale yellow and the moment with some small rust spots.

I will have access to a bucket truck to perform this task, and wanted everyone's opinion on the method of paint application.

1. Airless paint sprayer, which is what I used last time but was a pain due to having to run extension cord to small compressor as well as the air hose. I also have thought about a Wagner painter, but from experience those are more trouble than worth usually.

2. Just order several cans of Rust O Leum Sunburst Yellow, which is my chosen color, and take my time between coats.

OR

3. Just take my time with a good quality paint brush the old fashioned way.

Are any these methods going to be better than the other as far as paint coat longevity? Also, since I will be using Rust O Leum paint is there any point in also applying their grey primer beforehand.

Thanks!

[CDV777-1]

Regular Rustoleum has no UV resistance and will bleach out and fade badly really quickly.
I don't know about their safety yellow industrial paint. I don't know if it will fade out as bad as the regular sunburst yellow.

[T1000 Charlie]

Years ago I painted some outdoor lighting fixtures and faced a similar rapid fading issue. We used a Krylon spray clear plastic coating and it seemed to slow the fading. With the advancements in paint products in the last few years, I would contact a paint supply store and ask them for advice. There must be a paint or coating that would aid in UV fading.

[siren fan]

I would suggest scraping off as much of the old chipping paint you can and use an industrial strength paint. The more time you take prepping the better it will come out.

[holler]

Anything rustoleum will fade. You can get tractor paint (acrylic enamel) and mix hardner with it and it's alright. I painted a 2t22 and P-15 with Tisco cat yellow and they have started fading, but they were both installed in 08 and 09.

To get a decent, durable paint finish you have to step up to an automotive paint. I've been using Summit Racing acrylic urethane and it's holding up well. Only downsides are it's expensive, very toxic, requires a paint gun, and requires painting skill. It's not very forgiving, neither is the epoxy primer I use underneath it. It does look good though, attached is a P-15 I painted with acrylic urethane.