A few photos of my reel restorations

[Crow]

Great work!

[Paul9591]

Paul,
Your paint jobs look flawless!I think the Mitchell 300 is probably the best looking reel ever.I don't repaint many,but if I come across one missing a lot of paint I would.Are you willing to share specifically which "high temp black satin enamel" you are using? Rattle can or airbrush,whatever technique you have looks better than original!

Thank you for your kind words on my work jgp2000.

Re-finishing is not my preference, but like yourself, if a reel is in a very poor state, then I will, and I do enjoy the process.

Without going too far into the small details, I did all of the work with rattle can paints, usually around 2 or 3 coats of black top coat.

I am sure the factory must have chemically etched the metalwork before using a red primer undercoat (not always red, and sometimes zero primer as we know), so without that ability, I have used an etch primer called 'Upol Acid 8' bought from a well known UK car care outlet called Halfords, though I'm sure the Rustoleum equivalent would be just as good, and probably better?

I spray just enought to cover the bare metal, which should be completely clean of all the original finish, or etch primer won't take, so good thorough preparation is vital; I haven't yet found a paint stripper here that is strong enough to remove a Mitchell finish, so sanding down has been the the only option for me.

Finally, I clean the metal parts with Isopropyl alcohol before spraying.

Once I have my etch coat covered enough that it is not showing any of the metal through it, I leave it for an hour or two and clear out the etched in Mitchell script with a metal scribe.

The following day I add a coat or two of red primer to seal the etch and go over the script again an hour or two after (the worst / most tense part of the job).
I then leave it another day and gently flat sand the red with 2000 grit Wet and Dry, hopefully without going down to the etch primer, then blow it clean with an air duster.

Next comes the top coat, where I chose to use a satin black high temp engine enamel called VHT from Frost paints in the UK, but I'm sure any similar product would be fine to use, though I do like the nozzle VHT has; sprays really fine and even.

This is where it gets really tricky in the script clearing stage, because too little drying time will drag paint from the top edge of the script groove, creating a weird effect and leaving it too long could result in chipping of the script edge, so I usually wait for at least 5 hours before attempting to clear the script of black paint (sometimes it comes out really well, and sometimes not so good....I haven't found a perfectly Ideal dry time or method yet, sadly).

For spraying I have a good paint mask and I use a rubber glove on the hand I use to hold the piece, but no glove on the spraying hand as I have had the rubber glove finger tip get in the way of the spray nozzle, causing it to splatter.

The correct way to use engine enamel is to bake it in an oven for 20 minutes, which activates all the anti chemical and hardening properties, but I have chosen to let time do it's thing.

I let the parts dry for a week and polish with carnuba wax before assembly (carnuba wax cuts the paint down to a beautiful shine without being too harsh, but still go easy or you could still go too far with it)..

This is just my own way of doing things, and I'm sure there are better methods and products. I know of some restorers that can nail the original Mitchell look, but I am happy with the results I get. During a period of early Mitchell production (within the second version era), the paint finishes look quite glossy, so I am somewhere in the ballpark I guess.

Hope this helps. 

I have added some random photos of different stages of refinishing below.

[Paul9591]

What a KORKA restorra, great work Paul, you will fit in very good on this forum, thanks for the pics, cheers Don.

Thank you Don 

[jgp12000]

It wasn't as critical as painting a reel, but we used "honeymoon grease"(vaseline) to mask off nomenclature on black boxes.I have used it to mask the "Mitchell" white lettering,removing the excess with a lint free cloth/alcohol then after paint use the sharp end of plastic spudger to get the grease out of the etching.I use plastic spudgers for anything I don't want scratched or plastic putty knife.I know it can still scratch  paint but less likely.

[Paul9591]

It wasn't as critical as painting a reel, but we used "honeymoon grease"(vaseline) to mask off nomenclature on black boxes.I have used it to mask the "Mitchell" white lettering,removing the excess with a lint free cloth/alcohol then after paint use the sharp end of plastic spudger to get the grease out of the etching.I use plastic spudgers for anything I don't want scratched or plastic putty knife.I know it can still scratch  paint but less likely.

I did actually wonder about using something similar myself, but I was worried about leaving any residue on the main surface, but you have given me a bit more food for thought on this, thank you. Time to go and experiment. 

[jgp12000]

These are pretty sharp:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DGNCNR0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

[Paul9591]

These are pretty sharp:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DGNCNR0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Very interesting, thanks for the link.

Yes, one of the obvious problems in using sharp metal scribes etc. is if it slips whilst carefully clearing the grooves of paint, you stand a good chance of ruining the job, and I have on more than one occasion had to respray and start over again because of this, so a plastic point may be the way to go?

I had considered using a very fine battery engraver to just re engrave the script for a cleaner job, but I don't have very steady hands anymore, soooo.....hmmm, maybe not?

[jgp12000]

I get wood qtips as well and carve the wood side for different projects &
Fill wollered out holes to reattach
Hardware.

[Paul9591]

I get wood qtips as well and carve the wood side for different projects &
Fill wollered out holes to reattach
Hardware.

All very helpful advice, thank you.

[Reeltyme]

My wife keeps wooden "skewers" in the kitchen for shish kebabs. They have some nice length, small diameter and a pointed end. Dollar store item. Great for not scratching your reel!

[jgp12000]

Reeltyme thanks for mentioning the skewers,cheap and sharp no carving required.I have some.

[Paul9591]

My wife keeps wooden "skewers" in the kitchen for shish kebabs. They have some nice length, small diameter and a pointed end. Dollar store item. Great for not scratching your reel!

Another cool idea! I have a couple of duff engraved Mitchell side plates (worn main shaft bushings), so when I get a chance, I'll try some of these ideas out (just recovering from an op at the moment, so I can't get out and about so well.....not long to wait though...hopefully). 

[jgp12000]

I also forgot another member(forget who)got me started on Liquid mask.I got a quart at lowes on clearance & will probably go bad before I use it all,better than vaseline.I would dab the Mitchell etching with it then wipe off the excess.The etching will be masked then pick out with skewer.

[Paul9591]

I also forgot another member forget now got me started on Liquid mask.I got a quart at lowes on clearance & will probably go bad before i use it all,better than vaseline.I would dab the Mitchell etching with it then wipe off the excess.The etching will be masked then pick out with skewer.

I'll look into it, thanks.