Spray Painting Old Transformers

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xfmr

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
46
Is it OK to Spray Paint old transformers? I have some that a re a bit rusty on an amp I'm restoring and I know the rust doesn't affect sound negatively and that I shouldn't sand them, but is it OK to Spray them with some rust-o-leum? I want this thing to look as nice as possible but not if it will harm it's operation. Thank you for your help.
 
> I want this thing to look as nice as possible

If looks are most important, spray.

Painting over rust is a short-term solution (like the used truck we just bought). For short-term, a good latex/emulsion (water-base) paint will do OK. (No, an hour of dampness will not make more rust than it already got in 40 years.)

You can sand or brush lightly with the grain. Don't jam it against a coarse belt-sander (like I will need on this rust-truck) and smear the laminations against each other.

Perhaps best: spray end-bells, use linseed oil on orange rust, talk about lam rust mojo.
 
There's nothing wrong with re-painting an old transformer.
Re-painting electrical components such as transformers, coils, electric motors, etc. is done everyday within the electrical apparatus repair industry.
Is this a transformer you can easily remove from the chassis? Is it a style where stamped covers protect the winding, or is it an open paper arrangement? The key word using sand paper, is to use some form of garnet paper and not emery cloth which has conducting particles in its "dust".
And that obviously you have a means of removing the created dust before applying the paint.

Here's the disclaimer and fine print note: Build up of paint (meaning the item has been repainted over time with no attempt to remove previous
coatings) can become an insulator creating an increased operating temperature for the device.  Unless the transformer was designed at a some
"save-a-buck" minimum threshold of operation, and already has a high operating temperature, you may want to leave it alone.
Any paint applied to it could become discolored as well due to heat.

Put some paint on it. It will look great.

John
 
It has never been repainted before and it has end bells, no exposed paper or anything. It is the output transformer from a Magnecord PT6-J Amp and I think I may just remove the end bells and paint them, leaving the core alone. I never noticed it heating up before so I wouldn't worry about it now. I know by covering up the rust it will eventually come back from under the paint, but that is OK. For now I just want it to look sharp.

Is that rust converter stuff that turns rust into a black paintable surface OK to use?
 

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