Can I Use Scalecoat (NOT Scalecoat II) Paint on Aluminum?

[Kisatchie]

I have a Nikon camera lens that has some engraving on it that's been scratched off. I'd like to touch it up using Scalecoat Loco Black paint. Anyone know how well Scalecoat adheres to aluminum?

Thanks for any info.

Dee is in hiding... she tried to confiscate my lens, scratched her name on it, realized what a dead giveaway that was, then tried to scratch out her name. When I find her, she's getting half rations of termites!

[robert3985]

Scalecoat adheres excellently to most common metals.  I've used it on aluminum (prototype weapons mountable night vision) with excellent results.  I "scratched" the surface with fine steel wool first to get rid of any oxidation, then totally degreased it with Bestine.  I would recommend not getting any Bestine down inside your lens, so use a soft brush not dripping wet with the Heptane, but enough to wet the surface.  Could be that a clean polishing cloth might work better with a bit of Bestine on it. I've used both original Scalecoat, and Scalecoat II with the same results.  I prefer Scalecoat II because it is enamel based and an easy cleanup in my airbrush.

Wait until the paint is fully cured before handling.  You can tell when that is because the paint odor goes away.  Should be about 3 to 4 days at room temp.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[nkalanaga]

Looking at the Material Safety Data Sheets, it appears that the only difference between SC I and II is the proportion of the solvents.  And, as Bob says, they both work fine on metal, the only difference is that the SC II is much less likely to damage common plastics.  They can both be baked on, although that probably wouldn't be a good idea on camera lenses.

And, yes, they take a LONG time to fully dry.  I usually allow a week, and they should be protected from dust in the air, as much as possible, while drying.

[Kisatchie]

I learn something new every day (actually, every 1.326 days). I didn't know Scalecoat II could be used on metal. That's great, since I already have some loco black.


Hmm... Please Kiz, I was bad
scratching up the lens.
Please don't take away
my termites...

[peteski]

I learn something new every day (actually, every 1.326 days). I didn't know Scalecoat II could be used on metal. That's great, since I already have some loco black.

Kiz, there are no absolutely specific paints just for metal or just for plastic.  Some of the paints might have solvents which will attack plastic, so some paints with milder solvents (which can still be used on metal) are sold as plastic-compatible. All paints can be applied to all surfaces, but some will stick to bare surfaces better than others. Surface prep. is the key to good adhesion and the (smelly) organic solvent based paints in general have binder (the stuff which carries the pigment  and adheres to the painted surface) which is tougher and sticks better to painted surfaces. But if the surface is not perfectly clean then no paint will adhere well.

But for high-wear surfaces (like camera lenses) I don't expect any user-applied paint will stick as well as the factory-applied coating. They usually etch the bare metal surface then use special high-adhesion and wear-resistant coatings (which often are baked to make them even more durable).