Bought An Old Lawn Mower From A Yard Sale? Revitalize Its Look With A Little Help From An Air Compressor
Yard sales are a great way to save money on purchases, including old riding lawn mowers! Fortunately, you can bring an old lawnmower back to life with maintenance and a few repairs, and it will run good as new. But what about how the lawn mower looks? Don't pass up on a great deal on a used lawn mower just because it looks old. Revitalize the body of an old lawn mower by spray painting it with an air compressor!
An air compressor is a versatile tool that can be used many different ways based on the attachments that are connected to it. Here's what you can do.
An Air Ratchet to Dismantle
You'll need to dismantle the mower so you can sandblast and paint it to make it look brand new again. But dismantling the deck and other components can be difficult. Sometimes, bolts can really tighten up over time, especially in equipment that has rusted. You could struggle for hours with a regular ratchet. Instead, connect a ratchet tool attachment to an air compressor and remove those rusted bolts fast. To keep track of all the bolts, place them all in a plastic bag or a container that you can close.
A Sandblaster to Remove Rust
Clean dirt and debris from the mower and the parts that you removed with quick bursts of compressed air before you attach a sandblaster to the air compressor to remove rust. Since sandblasters use fine sand to remove rust, it's a good idea to protect everything that you don't want covered with sand with drop cloths secured with tape.
Since rust is the result of metal being exposed to moisture and air, you can expect to find bare metal underneath the rust, unless the rust has completely damaged the metal. If the metal is too thin, you may want to take it to a lawn mower repair shop so they can check the viability of the metal and make repairs or replace the part, if necessary. Obviously, you don't want the metal of the lawn mower deck to be too thin and weak to withstand the force of rocks or other debris that may get kicked up by the blade while you are mowing.
A Pressure Washer to Wash It Clean
After the rust has been removed, you'll want to remove the fine sand that may have accumulated on it, which can be done by pressure washing the mower. You can tell when the sand is washed completely off when the water runs clear. Before painting, you'll need to allow it to dry. If you want to speed the drying process up, simply detach the pressure washer tool from the air compressor and give the wet parts quick blasts of air until it is dry.
A Paint Gun to Spray Paint the Mower
A paint gun attached to an air compressor gives a smooth finish. If you'd like to paint a design onto the deck, such as flames, use flexible painter's tape to create the design.You'll also want to secure painters tape to the various parts that you don't want to be painted.
It's a good idea to practice your spray painting technique on another object first, like a piece of cardboard or a sheet of plywood. That way, you can get familiar with how the spray paint gun works with the air compressor.
As always, keep safety first and foremost in your mind when you spray paint, as well as when you sandblast. Wear eye protection and a mask to cover your nose and mouth. If you have sensitive skin, you may want to wear a pair of long pants and a shirt with long sleeves.
For more information and help with the air compressor, talk with companies that offer rentals, such as Summit Tool Rentals Division Of Wirtz Rentals.