Well, I read a TON all across the web. I was looking for something like POR15 and the others, and ran across Hammerite. Never heard of it. And LOVE the hammertone effect.
So I read some more. And the reviews on it were about as mixed as you would find on any product that requires common sense to use.... but leaned towards the positive side. A common complaint was how thick it is. To me, this is a GOOD thing. A thicker paint in general means your buying more PAINT and less thinner. Most companies reduce their paint down to get more out of a batch. Effectively reducing the solids per can purchased.

So I said screw it and bought some. I plan to so my body an frame in this, but I figured I would do my engine in the Red hammertone first. I was wanting a 'blood red' type shade. When I got the Red Hammerite it was basically pink. That kinda sucked.
But being a paint and coatings engineer, I figured I could figure it out and fiddle with it. Thats basically my point in this whole post. Is to show people how to tint and reduce Hammerite when needed. (I would like to atleast contribute something from my area of expertise in return for all they help ive received from this great site.)

Here is a pic of the Hammerite Red untouched straight from the can (on the knife) and after tinting (on the engine) to get my desired 'blood' shade.


You can reduce Hammerite with any good quality Urethane reducer. If you intend to spray hammerite with any siphon or gravity feed paint gun, it would be very difficult without reducing. Generally speaking, the slower the solvent, the better and more pronounced the hammered and mottled effect you will get. Avoid fast solvents unless your skilled and in a cold (dry) climate. I was using a slow solvent (all I had on hand) in a cold environment (46F) so as you can see, a few sags resulted. I wasnt concerned with runs on the engine, so it was expected.

Once you reduce Hammerite, crosslink time (the recoat window) should be the same, but full cure time will be greatly extended. In other words, dont be discouraged if it is still soft 10 days out. Be patient. Put it in the sun regardless of temperature. This will speed the flashoff of the tail solvents. In the case of an engine, give it 6-7 days to cross link, and then fire up the engine and the heat produced will also help cure the paint. But I cannot yet speak of Hammerites ability to handle direct metal temps above 200F. So paint an engine at your own risk...... as I have.

When reducing any paint, gloss will always suffer. Sometimes it is not noticeable, other times it is. Also, always reduce the paint the least amount you can get away with. Because the more solvents you incorporate into the paint, creates more gas that will eventually need to get out.
Additionally, when reducing any paint, more coats must be applied to achieve manufacturers recommended film build (I think 4mil for Hammerite?)

Since a Urethane reducer can be used to reduce Hammerite, I figure surely Urethane candy concentrates can be used aswell. And sure enough, they can.

But remember, DO NOT reduce your Hammerite until you are done tinting it, because tinting will often reduce it for you. Candy concentrates are urethane reducer and dye.... more or less.

My disclaimer. There are SO many products out there today, i cant vouch for the quality of it all. So the products I specifically used were Medium reducer from Southern Polyurethanes http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com...ne_reducer.jpg

And candy concentrates from http://motostorm.com But he only lists his candy on Ebay. http://myworld.ebay.com/phsinvent/?_trksid=p4340.l2559
I have also used Alsacorp and HOK candy concentrates with no problem.

And just to eliminate any confusion, here is the Hammerite I used. http://www.epaintstore.com/hammerite...ish-paint.html But I wouldnt order from epaintstore again. What I saved in cost, they made up for by taking FOREVER to ship (I had to email them 9days later to get it shipped).

Anyways, I hope this helps someone. If you are wanting to make a custom color, and are not gonna spray it, the first and best way to tint Hammerite would be to tint Hammerite with Hammerite. For example, if you wanted an Orange, mix the red with the Gold.
But if you cant do that (like in my case, wanting a richer red) urethane candy concentrates are fine.

Heres more pics. The oil pan, timing cover, valve covers, and water pump bolted to the motor are basically being used as masks. The new water pump was painted separate.

 

Please dont use this thread to debate whether Hammerite is better or worse than Rust Bullet, POR 15, or other products.