Thread Number: 44833
Maytag A712 painting tips |
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Post# 657786 , Reply# 1   2/3/2013 at 05:47 (4,100 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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Laurent:
No one sells Harvest spray paint any more - it's just too dated a color. What you will need to do is to visit a Sherwin-Williams store with a sample of what you want and have them match it. You can then buy or rent a sprayer for its application. The top is going to be a problem, though. Maytag tops are porcelain, which means you're going to have to rough it up to get it to hold paint, and you're going to sacrifice durability - paint is nowhere near as durable as porcelain (ask any Whirlpool owner!). While some collectors do paint Maytag tops to get custom or rare colors, my understanding is that the machines they do that to are not daily drivers. If your A712 is going to be a driver, you might want to reconsider. This post was last edited 02/03/2013 at 06:13 |
Post# 657958 , Reply# 3   2/4/2013 at 00:55 (4,099 days old) by d-jones (Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh Area))   |   | |
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I think I may be the one you're thinking of that had a body shop paint a Maytag washer, but my washer was already Harvest Gold, so it was just the cabinet that got painted. You should be able to find that thread with a search of the archives. Sandy is right about painting over porcelain. Some have done it with varying degrees of success, but I personally would never recommend it. However, if you can find the top panel in the color you want, the rest of the machine can indeed be painted. I had my paint custom matched to the porcelain top by a Sherwin Williams Automotive paint store, and the paint actually matched better than the factory paint did. As for why they used porcelain on the top panels of the older machines, you sort of answered your own question when you shared the story about the paint turning to mush. These days manufacturers seem to be less concerned with that sort of thing. |
Post# 657998 , Reply# 4   2/4/2013 at 09:31 (4,099 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut)   |   | |
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Painting appliances, especially porcelain on steel surfaces, IMHO never works well. It always looks like a paint job and no matter how much sanding, grinding, or applications of dangerous muriatic acid you use, little bits of the paint will and do eventually flake off.
If I were you and wanted to change my A712 from white to Harvest, one of the most wonderful things about vintage Maytag washers is that cabinets and innards are mostly all interchangeable. Go on Craigslist or use some other means to find another vintage Maytag washer in Harvest Gold and switch innards and control panel. I've done it, it works. It's still a lot of work, but you'll end up with a better result. You might just stumble on a 712 in gold, or if you're really lucky, its classier grandmother, an A806.
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Post# 658003 , Reply# 5   2/4/2013 at 09:45 (4,099 days old) by cadman (Cedar Falls, IA)   |   | |
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Too bad you're in Sacramento, I've got an '06 series top in Harvest I've been trying to scrap! Not the lightest thing in the world either.
Here's a tip for those needing to do a touch up or a color match on smaller parts. O'Reilly Autoparts (a chain, but I'm not sure how extensive) will mix paint and put it in an aerosol can or touch up bottle relatively cheaply. Last time I did this (replaced an automotive side mirror and had to color match) I think it was around $20. Wouldn't surprise me if other auto stores offered this as well. -Cory |
Post# 658007 , Reply# 6   2/4/2013 at 10:01 (4,099 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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Might be worth it for you to pay shipping on Cory's (cadman) top from Iowa. It's funny how it works - the moment you need an exact part in an exact part, it becomes very HTF. Shipping charges on the correct part will probably be less than you'd spend on painting prep, paint and application for the top you have.
And David (d-jones) is right about why manufacturers switched from porcelain to paint. It's much cheaper for them - not just a materials-cost savings, but a savings on a whole porcelainizing operation. And it means most consumers will end up with a shabby-looking appliance much sooner, making them want to replace it earlier, which generates more sales. Why consumers don't use their clout is beyond me. When Whirlpool switched to painted tops, they should have been met with stern resistance in the marketplace, which would have persuaded Whirlpool to go back to porcelain. Instead, everyone decided their name was Ben Dover, with the result that paint has spread beyond Whirlpool to more or less become the industry standard. This post was last edited 02/04/2013 at 10:41 |
Post# 658021 , Reply# 7   2/4/2013 at 10:34 (4,099 days old) by kb0nes (Burnsville, MN)   |   | |
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I used to work at a shop where we painted motorcycles. We used a PPG primer called Ditzler DP-40 which is a catalyzed polyurethane epoxy primer. Every surface we applied it to, which included a variety of plastics and chrome, we never once had an adhesion problem. I'd be quite confident that with a 400 grit wet sanding on the porcelain, DP-40 would stick. It looks like today PPG has replaced it with DP4000.
The trade off with high performance finishes like this is that it is expensive and nasty stuff to work with with a short working life. Let it kick in the gun and you buy a new spray gun! I'd go to an automotive paint retailer and talk to them about your needs. They can match any color you would like. Perhaps you will even get lucky and they can recommend someone that would take on the job of spraying the paint for you also as a side job. It might cost a bit more then a DIY job but it will hold up and might even be as good (or better) then the factory paint! |
Post# 658039 , Reply# 8   2/4/2013 at 11:45 (4,099 days old) by bluejay (Havre de Grace, MD)   |   | |
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There is a guy in Illinois that does re-porcelaining. I doubt it'll be cheap, but he may be able to do it in Harvest Gold. As far as I know, he's one of the few that does this.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO bluejay's LINK |
Post# 658042 , Reply# 9   2/4/2013 at 11:53 (4,099 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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....Would anyone want to spend the money for professional repainting or reporcelainizing when there are still plenty of tops out there in this color in good condition?
Even with shipping from Bugtussle to East Jeebus, it's still cheaper to just locate a top in the right color. You can buy a whole machine for a fraction of what reporcelainizing would cost, and strip it for your parts stash in addition to getting the top. |
Post# 658092 , Reply# 10   2/4/2013 at 18:11 (4,098 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)   |   | |
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