Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I'm spot sanding the bucket of my ST824.  There are some areas that are in need of a filler, such as seams and welds.  I know sharp edges are where paint tends to get thin and be the first place that paint will peel from.

I'm considering automotive seam sealer, but wonder if epoxy would do the trick as well.  Maybe I'm being penny wise and pound foolish.  I hate to buy a 14oz, caulking gun sized tube of seam sealer to use a tiny bit.  I have some paintable epoxy on hand.  I know you shouldn't use anything with silicone in it; paint won't stick.

Any suggestions.

If you can find a small tube of seam sealer that is a much better option than epoxy.  While epoxies work well they do not lend themselves to flexing well and will crack when the blower flexes and it will flex. 

You may be able to get away with some paintable silicone caulk for outdoor use like GE silicone II  paintable caulking for a bout 5 dollars a tube.  I know from experience if you apply this to a clean dry surface it sticks very will and will not peal or crack.

What i normally do when painting anything that has sharp edges / corners is to paint the edges first and I normally will put 3 to 4 coats of paint on the edges before i even start to paint the rest of the part.   Once you have several coats on the edges then just paint the whole thing and it will blend right in.  Remember patience when painting and make sure to wait long enough between coats.  Many light coats are far superior to a few heavy coats.

Good luck

consider first the condition of the surface you intend to apply the sealer to, is it rusted at all?  If so the stuff you apply will quickly depart with the corroded metal. Better to have it soldered or welded, then ground smooth, then primed, then painted.  Do it once. in the long run it costs less and takes less effort. Also metal expands and contracts like metal.  The fillers, epoxy's etc do not and inevitably separate from stress if not from corrosion.

Something like 3M Dynatron Seam Sealer then?

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/3M-12-oz-Dynatron-grey-auto-seam-sealer-caulk/_/N-25na?counter=0&filterByKeyWord=seam+sealer&fromString=search&itemIdentifier=167027_0_0_

That product will work as it is designed to allow for flex in automotive body panels.  It is critical for any product to work the the surface be free on any rust, dirt or oil and if possible paint.

New Yorker suggestion to lead the seam will also work and it not that difficult to do.  You can buy body solder/ lead for automotive use but almost any solder/lead will work on a properly prepaired steel surface.

you can look at some stuff on Eastwood see the link below.



http://www.eastwood.com/autobody.html?srccode=ga200220&gclid=COqg-tK3zawCFYqA5QodPVNPrQ

I When I restored my blower.  I welded some of the outside blower seams.  Used seam sealer on the inside and hard to get to places.  Also used spot putty in some areas.
The seam sealer is the quickest and easiest to use.  It's also probably the best thing to use in this type of application.  It's what it's designed for. 
The welding is over kill unless you doing a repair as well.

I have restored many a hot rod and seam sealer is an indispensable product to have.   I also like to use lead on easy to reach stuff and it is easy to form and shape great for those overlapping seams to smooth them out.  Mig welding works but it a pain to grind down and if you are just trying to smooth out a seam and not do a structurial repair i would avoid the welder.

Expensive but the best. POR PATCH     .POR15.COM. 

Knee_Biter wrote:
Yep!  POR15 does it for me.  It's amazing stuff.  Does everything it claims and that the other so-called rust paints do not.

carlb wrote:
Well, I painted already.  I am going to put the sealer over the paint.  I know it is backwards, but I didn't strip the paint entirely.  Just spot sanding and prime.

"Eastwood's high-solids Seam Sealer seals cracks, crevices and body seams, as well as waterproofs and insulates; remains flexible. Adheres to paint; tack-dries in 15 minutes, air dries in 1 hour. Black in color, but can be painted after 1 hour. Use a standard caulking gun to apply."