Tricks for long lasting BBQ/Smoker paint job.
- Newly fabricated steel should be sandblasted to "white" steel.
- paint should be applied to pre-heated steel ( I like to take it to 160*, then let it cool to about 100* before spraying) this will work out any humidity that the steel has absorbed.
- Apply paint in very thin coats, allowing to dry well between coats. ( pre-heating the steel and spraying at 100* will allow you to re-coat in about 15 minutes) I usually will apply about four coats.
- Allow paint to dry at least 24 hours before heating the cooker up again. When you do heat the cooker up, take the heat up very slowly and try to hold it under 200* for a couple of hours.
- Do not use any thinner. If paint is too thick to shoot then warm it up.
Rustoleum has always given me the best results, and I have tried at least a half dozen or more of the other brands. Do not use a primer. I prefer the semi gloss, but the flat will give you higher heat resistance.
Keep in mind, these paints are enamel, they do not use an activator and rely on the solvents in the paint to evaporate and "air dry" the paint. They never "cure" so applying the paint to heavy or wet is the biggest mistake people make. The solvents get trapped due to the top layer of paint will dry faster than the previous coat and when the cooker is heated up, these solvents will boil up and cause blisters in the paint. Also, by not getting the moisture out of the steel by pre-heating can also cause blisters. To know if its ready for the next coat, put your hand on the paint , it should slide easy and not stick like it would on a piece of rubber. Scratch a spot with your finger nail, it should feel hard and not gummy. You might get a little 'paint dust" on your hand if you got the steel a little too hot, but its not a problem, just hit it with an air blower real quick to blow off the excess and shoot right over it.
keep an extra spray can handy and if you do use a little too much lighter fluid and burn the top of your firebox, just clean it with a scotch brite pad and put a few coats on it as needed.
Note; if you just absolutely can not find someone to sand blast the cooker before you paint, then wash the new steel with something like "purple power' and let it sit outside until it gets a light haze of surface rust. This will give the new steel the etch the paint needs to bond properly. The surface rust can easily be removed with wire brush and scotch brite pad, just make sure to pre-heat very well before painting.
And do not use wood or charcoal in the firebox to preheat, you do not want the smoke residue on the steel, use a propane burner or even a heat gun or hair dryer stuck in the exhaust stack.
Good luck and have fun!