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Restoring an IBM XT AT 5150 5160 case

T

tonata

Experienced Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2019
Messages
190
Location
France
Hi,

I have a case from IBM 5160 that was severely damaged by rust ... So I removed most of the rust, but now I have "holes" where the paint is missing.

Photos are here: here

1) How can I fill the holes so that there are no edges?

2) How to re-create the same texture? If I just pain it, it will be visible around the "holes" because it will be flat (because the bare bone metal is flat).

3) Does somebody knows what is the color of the case? Where could I buy a match?

4) Would the case survive sanding and removing all the paint? I have some doubts ... after all sanding always makes the metal a bit thinner, right?

I live in Europe, France.
 
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I cannot help you with the color. Regarding the "holes" and sanding: because of these "holes" you are better off with removing the paint completely. And removing the paint can be done by sanding the case. Sanding can remove some of the metal but, if careful done, we are talking then about fractions of a millimeter. Certainly if you only have to remove the paint.

Still a comment regarding the color: if you cannot get a 100% perfect match, IMHO nobody will notice. You can always blame it to the age of the computer :)
 
Automotive Filler/ High build primer. it works awesome! it's designed to fill small imperfections before paint is applied. Spray it on, it goes on thick, then sand it back flush.

I used it on my Leading edge http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?73705-PC-case-rust-repair

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For texture, someone elsewhere suggested to try some of the Rustoleam textured paints, once you find the right pattern in a very light colour, you spray it , then spray over that with the desired color.
I haven't tried it.
 
The case was originally powder coated IIRC so if you wanted to be authentic, you could send it off to get powder coated again. You'd probably want to match the color as best as possible first so you're not guessing later. Paint stores have color cards you could compare the case color to get a close match.

I wouldn't sand the case, paint remover get rid of the paint and a rust converter will take care of the rust. MC-51 is a great product for getting rid of rust, it converts rust back to good metal without being super caustic or corrosive.

https://www.mc-51thebestrustremover.com/

MC-51 is mostly safe with paint, so you could forgo the paint stripping and just kill the rust and experiment with trying to repair the bad areas.
 
GiGaBiTe said:
The case was originally powder coated IIRC so if you wanted to be authentic, you could send it off to get powder coated again. You'd probably want to match the color as best as possible first so you're not guessing later. Paint stores have color cards you could compare the case color to get a close match.

I wouldn't sand the case, paint remover get rid of the paint and a rust converter will take care of the rust. MC-51 is a great product for getting rid of rust, it converts rust back to good metal without being super caustic or corrosive.

https://www.mc-51thebestrustremover.com/

MC-51 is mostly safe with paint, so you could forgo the paint stripping and just kill the rust and experiment with trying to repair the bad areas.
Click to expand...

Sorry. I did not get it. What do you mean by "send it off". How to powder coated it again? At home? Also I am in Europe, so American products are harder to get.
 
tonata said:
Sorry. I did not get it. What do you mean by "send it off". How to powder coated it again? At home? Also I am in Europe, so American products are harder to get.
Click to expand...

Find a powder coating facility and take it to them to be recoated. This is widely available and cheap, but can't be done at home.
 
Yup find a professional paint shop that does Powder coating, I don't know about being cheap though, I've never had one done, I've scrapped loads of cases over the years because of rust, The question that always comes to mind is " Is it worth it ", 5160's are not exactly rare or worth a lot, If i was desperate i'd take it back to bare metal and buy a few rattle cans.
 
Around here I'd guess 20-30 € for blasting and powder coating for a simple part like that. I got a bicycle frame + fork done for 50 € and that was already somewhat labor-intensive with all the masking and other stuff that was required.
 
I used some spray paint on my 5170 and it said something about chalk on the can. It couldn't have turned out better and has a soft chalk type feel to it. I think I still have the can in my garage if you want to know the brand/type.

edit - here it is with some pictures:

http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthre...-What-are-the-HD-options/page7&highlight=5170

I used some hobby store acrylic paint on the front plastic bezel too.
 
Powder coating can be done at home, you need a special sprayer (harbor freight $70) an air compressor and a full size oven
 
alank2 said:
I used some spray paint on my 5170 and it said something about chalk on the can. It couldn't have turned out better and has a soft chalk type feel to it. I think I still have the can in my garage if you want to know the brand/type.

edit - here it is with some pictures:

http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthre...-What-are-the-HD-options/page7&highlight=5170

I used some hobby store acrylic paint on the front plastic bezel too.
Click to expand...

Does this Rust-oleum Chalked spray leaves traces on your hand when touched? Is it well glued to the the surface? Is it easy to scratch it?
 
onre said:
This is widely available and cheap, but can't be done at home.
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You can do power coating at home, it just is expensive to do and impractical if you're only going to do one part.

You can get the paint powder and electrostatic gun for a couple hundred dollars, the problem is the oven to bake the paint.

Hobbyist powder coaters usually build a custom cabinet with heat elements, but if you have a small part, you can get away with a toaster oven.
 
GiGaBiTe said:
You can do power coating at home, it just is expensive to do and impractical if you're only going to do one part.

You can get the paint powder and electrostatic gun for a couple hundred dollars, the problem is the oven to bake the paint.

Hobbyist powder coaters usually build a custom cabinet with heat elements, but if you have a small part, you can get away with a toaster oven.
Click to expand...

or you can just man up and use the cooking oven
 
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