flairj
07-06-2009, 01:47 PM
I have had a couple of Certates 2000's now for about 3 years and they get plenty of use on both Bream and Bass. Through the course of that time they have both lost a fair bit of paint around the T section from being put into upright rod holders in the boat (the tube kind that have a slot running vertically down which I know are crap but are the only kind I can fit in my boat). This was a bit of a disappointment as the paint didn't rub or scratch off but rather kind of peeled off to the base metal which for a reel as expensive as they are, was a bit on the average side. So after seeing plenty of baitcasters being painted I figured I would dive in the deep end and try to paint a spinning reel.
A lot of the inspiration and then tips came from Mick (alphas) so a bit of credit has to go to him. Now that I am almost done I do wish I had taken more photos through out the project but you can imagine what the pieces look like bare metal, primed, painted and clear coated.
Step one was taking the existing paint off. This was done with a cheap orbital tool bought from Bunnings for $40 (which will come in handy for many other things when it comes to reels). At first I tried the soft brush like attachment thinking that the wire would be too harsh. It did nothing, so I went to the wire attachment and was in business......... that is until the cheap wire attachment started to come apart and fling small pieces of wire everywhere. Off to Bunnings for a "Dremel" brand wire brush and away we go. The paint around the area it was coming off went with ease leaving perfect bare metal and looked like a "vintage custom" Certate you see on the Jap sites but once I got to the sides of the reel, both the detatching side plate and the side attached to the foot, it got much harder and it was clear other means were necessary to prep the surface. To keep this kind of short, there was a lot of hand sanding with wet/dry 1200 grit paper. The main body and side plate were ok. The bail arm pivot and anti reverse switch were easy enough. However, the spool rotor and drag knob were a bitch. The spool rotor being the biggest hassle at every stage of the project. I had to nearly destroy the drag knob in order to do it. There are two screws that hold a gunmetal silver bar on top and to simply paint the whole thing would have looked crap. I tried everything but getting to the screws was too hard for me and the schematic lists it as one piece. So I had to take the orbital tool and "engrave" away enough room to get a tiny screwdriver in and undo them. After that the knob was easy.
Spool rotor: the bain of my life. Because it is curved on every surface and there is only maybe 6 - 7 mm between the arms of the rotor and the main body it was an incredible pain to prep for painting. The big problem being that it is the most visible piece probably more important than the side plates to get right. Getting enough primer, paint and clear in between the arms and body without putting too much on the outside of the arms and "orange peeling" it was tough and I just had to take it really slow.
After prepping the reel it sat for a month or so due to a combination of rainy humid weather and actual time to do it. So, first was the colour choice. I didn't want to go too bright as I think that usually make reels look cheaper. I wanted a colour that Daiwa didn't already use very much and I especially didn't want to make the same mistake Mick did at first and paint an expensive reel a colour that would make people mistake it for a cheaper reel (Mick painted his Steez a colour of blue at first, until someone said "add a twitching bar and you have the worlds most expensive Viento" ) :P . So, one of the least used colours from Daiwa is red with and the Fuego's being a fairly light brighter shade I decided I want blood red.
I went to Autobarn and looked at the swatches and settled on a colour that was as close as I could get. The best part was that everything I bought was the same brand and I knew they would be compatible (another pitfall Mick helped me avoid). The etch primer, the 100mls of acrylic paint, the tin of high gloss acrylic thinners and the clear topcoat were all K & H brand and I'm told that it is a decent brand (I'll let you know for sure in a few months). I was wanting to get two pack clear for the top but it would have been $40 as it was only sold in larger tins. When the guy was mixing the paint I had him put about three or four times the amount of sparkle stuff in the paint for extra effect. I was very lucky and the guy behind the counter was someone I went to school with and hadn't seen in 15 years. He and his family own the place and I got everything I needed for $26 :D
This is where Mick and I split a bit. He had his paint pressurised in a can in store which is around $30 I believe. Rather than get paint and clear in cans for $60 I went to Supercheap Auto and bought one of the general purpose airbrush sets they sell. I would have bought the professional set but it didn't come with all the hoses I needed and the general would be fine for cover work on the reel. I wanted the pro because I would use it for painting lures too. I have had a bit of experience with an airbrush as I used to make and sell lures for a while but they are pretty easy.
In total I put on two coats of etch primer and left them to dry for 24 hours ans sanded them back a little with 1200 wet/dry. Then I put 4 coats of the cherry colour on and left it 24 hours between each coat and sanded back any imperfections. The etch primer I did from a can and this was the only time though the whole painting process that I put too much on and got some orange peel going and had to sand it back pretty hard (which is part of the reason it got 2 coats of etch primer). The paint out of the airbrush was great and I felt like I had a lot of control. Also, the paint out of the airbrush touch dries very quickly which stops dust and crap in the air from settling on the wet paint. the only problem I had throughout the paint part was that the colour looked nothing like I wanted. The original colour is a dark blue and now it look the spitting image of Queensland maroon which wasn't what I wanted.
The next gamble I took came off well. Rather than spraying the clear from a can, I sprayed it into one of the jars and put it through the airbrush. It came out a treat and the parts came up a lovely deep cherry red with lots of sparkle and colour deflection. The only step I have left now is to take the tape off it all and very lightly rub it back with 2000 wet/dry and put a bit of car wax on the parts (it is car paint after all). Then for reassembly and then try to source a machine cut I'ze handle as there was no way I could ever paint the original.
I should have that done in a few days and I'll post up some pics of that.
Enjoy, Josh
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Reel001.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Reel003.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Reel005.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Reel006.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Reel007.jpg
A lot of the inspiration and then tips came from Mick (alphas) so a bit of credit has to go to him. Now that I am almost done I do wish I had taken more photos through out the project but you can imagine what the pieces look like bare metal, primed, painted and clear coated.
Step one was taking the existing paint off. This was done with a cheap orbital tool bought from Bunnings for $40 (which will come in handy for many other things when it comes to reels). At first I tried the soft brush like attachment thinking that the wire would be too harsh. It did nothing, so I went to the wire attachment and was in business......... that is until the cheap wire attachment started to come apart and fling small pieces of wire everywhere. Off to Bunnings for a "Dremel" brand wire brush and away we go. The paint around the area it was coming off went with ease leaving perfect bare metal and looked like a "vintage custom" Certate you see on the Jap sites but once I got to the sides of the reel, both the detatching side plate and the side attached to the foot, it got much harder and it was clear other means were necessary to prep the surface. To keep this kind of short, there was a lot of hand sanding with wet/dry 1200 grit paper. The main body and side plate were ok. The bail arm pivot and anti reverse switch were easy enough. However, the spool rotor and drag knob were a bitch. The spool rotor being the biggest hassle at every stage of the project. I had to nearly destroy the drag knob in order to do it. There are two screws that hold a gunmetal silver bar on top and to simply paint the whole thing would have looked crap. I tried everything but getting to the screws was too hard for me and the schematic lists it as one piece. So I had to take the orbital tool and "engrave" away enough room to get a tiny screwdriver in and undo them. After that the knob was easy.
Spool rotor: the bain of my life. Because it is curved on every surface and there is only maybe 6 - 7 mm between the arms of the rotor and the main body it was an incredible pain to prep for painting. The big problem being that it is the most visible piece probably more important than the side plates to get right. Getting enough primer, paint and clear in between the arms and body without putting too much on the outside of the arms and "orange peeling" it was tough and I just had to take it really slow.
After prepping the reel it sat for a month or so due to a combination of rainy humid weather and actual time to do it. So, first was the colour choice. I didn't want to go too bright as I think that usually make reels look cheaper. I wanted a colour that Daiwa didn't already use very much and I especially didn't want to make the same mistake Mick did at first and paint an expensive reel a colour that would make people mistake it for a cheaper reel (Mick painted his Steez a colour of blue at first, until someone said "add a twitching bar and you have the worlds most expensive Viento" ) :P . So, one of the least used colours from Daiwa is red with and the Fuego's being a fairly light brighter shade I decided I want blood red.
I went to Autobarn and looked at the swatches and settled on a colour that was as close as I could get. The best part was that everything I bought was the same brand and I knew they would be compatible (another pitfall Mick helped me avoid). The etch primer, the 100mls of acrylic paint, the tin of high gloss acrylic thinners and the clear topcoat were all K & H brand and I'm told that it is a decent brand (I'll let you know for sure in a few months). I was wanting to get two pack clear for the top but it would have been $40 as it was only sold in larger tins. When the guy was mixing the paint I had him put about three or four times the amount of sparkle stuff in the paint for extra effect. I was very lucky and the guy behind the counter was someone I went to school with and hadn't seen in 15 years. He and his family own the place and I got everything I needed for $26 :D
This is where Mick and I split a bit. He had his paint pressurised in a can in store which is around $30 I believe. Rather than get paint and clear in cans for $60 I went to Supercheap Auto and bought one of the general purpose airbrush sets they sell. I would have bought the professional set but it didn't come with all the hoses I needed and the general would be fine for cover work on the reel. I wanted the pro because I would use it for painting lures too. I have had a bit of experience with an airbrush as I used to make and sell lures for a while but they are pretty easy.
In total I put on two coats of etch primer and left them to dry for 24 hours ans sanded them back a little with 1200 wet/dry. Then I put 4 coats of the cherry colour on and left it 24 hours between each coat and sanded back any imperfections. The etch primer I did from a can and this was the only time though the whole painting process that I put too much on and got some orange peel going and had to sand it back pretty hard (which is part of the reason it got 2 coats of etch primer). The paint out of the airbrush was great and I felt like I had a lot of control. Also, the paint out of the airbrush touch dries very quickly which stops dust and crap in the air from settling on the wet paint. the only problem I had throughout the paint part was that the colour looked nothing like I wanted. The original colour is a dark blue and now it look the spitting image of Queensland maroon which wasn't what I wanted.
The next gamble I took came off well. Rather than spraying the clear from a can, I sprayed it into one of the jars and put it through the airbrush. It came out a treat and the parts came up a lovely deep cherry red with lots of sparkle and colour deflection. The only step I have left now is to take the tape off it all and very lightly rub it back with 2000 wet/dry and put a bit of car wax on the parts (it is car paint after all). Then for reassembly and then try to source a machine cut I'ze handle as there was no way I could ever paint the original.
I should have that done in a few days and I'll post up some pics of that.
Enjoy, Josh
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Reel001.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Reel003.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Reel005.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Reel006.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/flairj/Reel007.jpg