Next Best Thing To A New Paint Job

Next Best Thing To A New Paint Job FARM SHOP Miscellaneous 29-1-39 "You can get an extra $1,000 for a shiny combine over a dull one," says Jim Deardorff, president of Superior Coatings, about a product called Kleen Kote that stops rust and restores old paint. Deardorff is a paint specialist who has also developed a black light paint process (Vol. 24, No. 1) and a new sandblast media that uses walnut shells (Vol. 26, No. 3). Kleen Kote is a spray-on product which he says not only adds years to a paint job, but can add dollars to vehicles and equipment at trade-in or auction time. "My biggest sales so far have been to shine up equipment for auctions," he notes. While Kleen Kote shines up a paint surface, the micro-emulsion cleaner also gets into surface cracks, cleans them out and fills them in. "Two of the major causes of paint failure are the salts from roads and sulfates from diesel exhaust," says Deardorff. "Detergents used to get grease and oils off are pretty aggressive and can really tear paint up. With Kleen Kote, the contaminates never get a chance to bond with the paint, and you don't need detergents." Deardorff says Kleen Kote cuts corrosion as well. Corrosion begins when moisture migrates through cracks in the paint surface to the underlying metal. In cold climates, the process is speeded up as moisture drawn into micro cracks freezes and expands to make the cracks bigger, allowing in more moisture. By cleaning out dust and dirt and sealing the cracks, moisture is kept away from the metal. "If you apply it twice a year, you will keep the moisture from getting into the paint," says Deardorff. While he advises getting the surface as clean as possible in preparation, the product can be sprayed over dust. If sprayed on thick enough, it will migrate through the dust to saturate the paint. Once the paint is saturated it can be left as is, leaving the surface with a smoky or foggy look. If a glossy surface is desired, Deardorff suggests wiping it with a damp rag before it dries. "I recommend using a high volume, low pressure spray gun with only about 10 lbs. air pressure at the nozzle for larger applications," he says. "That will gently lay it on the surface. If you use a hand pump or Hudson-type spray gun, use a wet rag to wipe it on for a good coat." Deardorff suggests the new product is especially valuable when used on farm equipment. Fertilizer, chemical and manure spreaders/applicators are especially subject to corrosion. He says a layer of Kleen Kote will cut corrosion in half. The basic ingredient in Kleen Kote is a concentrated industrial product from Progressives Industry. Deardorff sells it in concentrated form or mixes it with water and other additives depending on final uses. He recommends a 15:1 mix for general use and 20:1 mix for general maintenance for combines and tractors. For high corrosion potential vehicles, like feed trucks and fertilizer spreaders, he markets an 8:1 product with a corrosion inhibitor added. He does recommend a pretreatment with Chlo-Rid, a salt remover agent, before applying Kleen Kote to farm, fertilizer or road equipment. "I put it on a car in December, ran it all the way through the winter without washing," says Deardorff. "In March, I ran it through the car wash on just the rinse cycle, and it came out shiny." Kleen Kote is available from Superior Coatings for $35/ gal. in its concentrated form. It is also available by the quart, gallon or bulk amounts in solution. A gallon of 15:1 solution is enough to treat a combine at a cost of $20 plus shipping. A quart of the same at $10 would be enough for a mid-sized tractor. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jim Deardorff, Superior Coatings, P.O. Box 317, 205 McCormack St., Chillicothe, Mo. 64601 (ph 660 646-6355; email: jdeardorffsupct@ yahoo.com).

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