I have a project that I have been planning and searching the internet, Antique Tractor forums, and individuals but I am not coming up with much help and direction. So I turn you.
I am planning on re-painting/freshening up the wood on a Minnesota barge box. The wagon has sat inside the past 20+ years, but has been used in the years prior. It has areas of good paint under where the lap board were for the extended sides and poor paint in areas where the wood was exposed. Of course the inside of the box there is little to no paint. The color of the wood box is red and matches the metal pieces on it. The painted lettering on the box is in very good shape and it doesn't need much but a little touch up. I am not in the restoration business or looking for a showroom paint job, but to preserve the wood and make the barge box look good again. How should I proceed to paint this wooden barge box? I would like to have the paint color be consistent as possible and match the color of the metal standards and hardware. What kind of paint should I use? How should I preserve the lettering that is painted on the wood? What should I put on the floor of the box?
When I was farming with my dad, I had painted a Lundell wooden barge box with an oil base paint for exterior wood that I bought at Fleet Farm and then painted the metal standards and hardware in acrylic metal paint for tractors/implements. The two colors didn't match, both were red, but both had lasted very well through the years of ear corn, shell corn, and oats.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you can help me. I am hoping to have this wagon ready to go this fall when my dad and I are going to put the NI 319 mounted picker w/sheller on our IH 656. I kind of got an itch, thanks to this forum, to put the picker on the tractor and go have a little fun this fall!!
-- Edited by KA656 on Sunday 11th of July 2010 02:23:44 PM
KA656 Just a few thoughts on your wagon. I'm a firm beliver in oil base paint on wood. I know there are a lot of good latex exterior paints on the market, but I guess I'm just old fashoned enough to still believe oil base would be best on a wooden wagon box.
I recently repainted an M&W Little Red Wagon and my local NAPA store was able to match the orginal paint from a piece that still had good paint on it. They have a camera that they use to take a digital picture, analyze it on a computer and can then mix the correct formula to match. I know of other paint stores that have the capability to do the same. I would try checking your local paint or NAPA stores.
We also have a local sign shop that can do the same with decals. He can take a digital photo and use it to recreate almost any decal. The only other option on the lettering is to mask it off and repaint it by hand. Takes a steady hand and a lot of patience.
Not sure if I would even paint the floor unless it is going to set outside a lot. Maybe just a coat of a good quality wood deck preservative.
