Artist needs tips for painting sheet metal

A. You can try a topcoat like a urethane or clear powdercoat; but if the surface wasn't prepared right then this too can come detached from the metal. If the metal was pretty smooth when you painted, then try to roughen it up by sand/bead blasting, hand sanding, or mild acid. I usually sandblast and then clean well before painting.

I got the reply from Jason in Flint. Thanks, but can you elaborate on the "acid" you mention and also where to get it? And "sandblasting" equipment?

Thanks,

A. Hi, Michelle. Next time, scrub with detergent, wash with vinegar [in bulk on eBay or Amazon], diluted maybe 2 to 1, and apply a primer coat of Self-etching primer [on eBay or Amazon] ; this has a mild acid in it that etches the surface for "tooth" and so you are painting onto the metal rather than onto the tarnish on the metal. As Jason says, you can't count on holding paint onto a surface with a 'shrink wrap' effect; it needs adhesion. Good luck.

Regards,

A. Regarding acid etching metal surface to accept paint - the HGTV website recommends using a 50-50 vinegar and water solution. You might try different strengths of vinegar to get the results you want on steel. Happy creating.

A. Dear Artist working on metal.
I have been working with galvanized metal for over a year now and if you hand sand and apply your paint it will stay, then top coat with a product from Home Depot called "Top coat", it is epoxy used for counter tops. It is wonderful, will stick and will make your painting POP off the metal. Mix per directions, if you don't you will get tacky and it will never harden.
Would like to know what you are doing, am looking to share art ideas with other artist working on metal surfaces. I am starting to look into other metals as well, copper, cold rolled. etc.
A.R. artist

A. I am attempting painting on sheet metal, most likely oils. I'm going to sand, and search for a topcoat, but I guess there will be no priming. I've done work on wood, also, and I didn't prime because I wanted the natural wood grain to show through... I'm just having difficulty with primer, basically. So, fellow metal-painters, good luck

A. Hi there. I have a project that requires painting on metal as well for a support rather than canvas. My understanding is that if one sands down the metal, you can prime it (the safest bet) or just paint on it from there, and then put a poly or varnish on the painting when you are done if you choose to avoid peeling and scratching issues. Now, what is exciting is that I discovered just recently, that most major art companies, golden, liquitex, etc., make a CLEAR gesso [affil links] (aka primer) ... so if like me, you want parts of the metal to be exposed in the painting ... this is the perfect solution. Hope that might inspire someone out there, or help.
Chris

A. Hi, Helen. If sandpaper doesn't work -- if for example the tin is so thin that it remains dangerously sharp even after rounding the edges with sandpaper -- one possibility is to roll the edges .

Of course, this assumes I understood what you were talking about, which isn't always a good bet :-)

Regards,

A. Just thought I'd add a little information that, through lots of trial and error, might help those wanting to paint on metal. I am an oil painter and -- believe it or not -- oil paints will adhere to metal with no priming or gessoing. For acrylics you'll need a clear gesso like GAC 200. It took me ages to find out that oils can be applied directly (I've tried it on aluminum, copper, zinc, and brass) you just need to prep it properly. Of course after all of my experimenting, I found that a small family run business is starting to make metal painting panels. I saw them at a trade show, they gave me a free sample, and now it's my new favorite way to paint. I hope they (something like Duho Studios) keep with it.

A. Hey Jon. Lucky for me, the copper and aluminum panels I bought from Duho Studios came pre-sanded so my oil paints didn't have a problem adhering. I've only tried painting on nonferrous metals and am not sure metals like steel will act the same way. But yes, I recommend a pretty hefty grit sandpaper or steel wool [on eBay or Amazon] to rough up the surface and then thoroughly degreasing and cleaning the surface. Unfortunately I haven't dealt with rust, I've only applied patinas to the metal, which can give a pretty cool rusty look. Also, the only clear gesso that I've found out there that will adhere to metal is Golden's GAC 200. It will cloud the metal a little, which is why I don't use it much, but it's useful if anybody is unsure or doubtful that the paint will go directly on the metal. I hope to hear how your art goes, it seems not too many people are doing this sort of thing and I'm still in the learning phase myself. All info helps, good luck!

Thanks Brian, As usual with most art mediums they are forgiving. We will see over time, but as of now the oil paint comes out very striking on the metal. I think that gesso would have removed some of metal texture effects I want. I welded two pieces of sheet metal with one quite rusty and intentionally have a nice raised weld bead where they meet and then took a grinder and just had at it. I have found that you can do a good sketch of your painting with the grinder and I also added some weld beads to outline certain areas of the sketch with a nice raised effect. Another benefit is how the paint is affected by either rust or by the ground metal patterns. This frees me up to continue and plan on welding frames for these metal canvases and see where this leads me. If I am wrong I will still have my metal canvas and can clean it off and start again. I am happy to uploads photos of my progress, yet I don't see that option here. Is anyone familiar with websites that allow exchange of emails or photos of work?

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Ed. note: please send photos as "attachments" in email to the editor

A. Hi there, I own a company and we build metal art surfaces for artists. Aluminum is the most popular. We prep the surface with an orbital sander, 80 grit and some gold scotch brite to even the finish out. I've never had complaints concerning long term adhesion. Surface prep and cleanliness is the key with aluminum. We also do hot roll, cold roll, galvanized, and bonderized as well but always remind the artist that this is not an archival surface and will deteriorate to varying degrees depending on what conditions they may be exposed to. Ferrous metals should be sealed, the best clear coat I've found available in gloss and matte finishes is "Permalac" [adv: Permalac on eBay]. It's expensive but this stuff is tough and made to handle weather conditions for extended periods. Also great for sealing copper and brass or bronze once the desired patina or tarnish is reached. Copper and Brass are great for mixed media folks who want to work with chemical patinas. Any metal surface that will have paint or chemical applied to it should always be given some "Bite" the chemical will react more uniformly and quickly and the paint, of course, will stay where you want it. Good luck everybody, with everything you do. Brian

A. Prime your surface with a phosphate wash primer - phosphoric acid with a bit of zinc oxide, or carbonate. This gives the surface some "tooth" which makes the paint stick.