Paint vs (molded) plastic

E

efnfast

New member
How can one tell if something is painted versus molded plastic?



The "vehicle" in question is a 96 John Deere Tractor (GT275)



I was convinced it was SS (Imron), until I talked to somebody who seemed convinced it was green molded plastic....now I'm not certain.



The reason I have doubts is because I was able to correct it with my 3401 + SIP + PFW, but the correction went verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry slowly. Slower than anything I've ever seen. Also, when correcting it, I got a little bit of green paint transfer on my pad, but not much (as compared to SS vehicles, where they're caked in the color)



How could one tell paint vs plastic? Also, if it were molded plastic, what would be a good polish to use on it for correction? PFW/SIP works, but so slowly it's not even funny.
 
lland said:
Magnet?
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I'm presuming he knows the panel is plastic, and is asking how to tell if the color is from paint, or if the color is the plastic itself.



First off, if I'm the mfr., there's no way I painting something that's plastic with Imron. It's too expensive, too difficult to work with, to waste on something that won't corrode and won't absorb water. So, even if it's painted, I highly doubt it's Imron. Are you saying that some parts of the tractor are painted in Imron, and that you know this? If that's the case, I can see some small areas being painted with Imron, just for a good match. All that being said, plastic gets painted all the time on all kinds of things, cell phone and computer cases, for example, so it certainly wouldn't be unusual for the plastic to be painted (just not in Imron, IMO).



As far as your color transfer, if you were polishing molded plastic and were removing some of the plastic material as part of the process, some "plastic" transfer would be expected, just as you get paint transfer to the pads.



How about some pics of what you're talking about?
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I'm presuming he knows the panel is plastic, and is asking how to tell if the color is from paint, or if the color is the plastic itself.



First off, if I'm the mfr., there's no way I painting something that's plastic with Imron. It's too expensive, too difficult to work with, to waste on something that won't corrode and won't absorb water. So, even if it's painted, I highly doubt it's Imron. Are you saying that some parts of the tractor are painted in Imron, and that you know this? If that's the case, I can see some small areas being painted with Imron, just for a good match. All that being said, plastic gets painted all the time on all kinds of things, cell phone and computer cases, for example, so it certainly wouldn't be unusual for the plastic to be painted (just not in Imron, IMO).



As far as your color transfer, if you were polishing molded plastic and were removing some of the plastic material as part of the process, some "plastic" transfer would be expected, just as you get paint transfer to the pads.



How about some pics of what you're talking about?
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John Deere GT275 hood



The reason I thought single stage is because it wasn't clearcoated since I got paint transfer. Also, as you can see below, it oxidized over time and was able to polish out.



It was, a while ago, suggested it could be Imron because the time-frame is right for it, and whatever it is, it is very difficult to polish out scratches. Oxidization was no problem, but taking out some of the RIDs took forever with 3401+pfw+sip.



But then I had a thought after reading one of Scott's posts - what if it were molded plastic; i'd have trouble corre3cting it because I might not be using the right products. But then I thought, molded plastic doesn't oxidize. So I don't know.



trac2.jpg




trac1.jpg




trac4.jpg




50/50

trac9.jpg




trac11.jpg
 
Plastic oxidizes, too. We have some tractor experts on here, maybe they know what the paint is. Imron is a two-part polyurethane airplane paint. At least when I knew about it, it contained polyisocyanates, and had to be sprayed with an airfed respirator. It gained some favor in the model airplane (because many model airplane guys are involved in full scale, also) and custom car circles (because it's really rugged). I'm still having a problem with it on a production tractor, but Deere has a good name and I guess I could see them using it because of the environment (dirt, fertilizer, etc.)



As lland said, if you're not sure if it's metal or plastic, a magnet is a quick check; they may have sprayed it with Imron but I doubt they were using aluminum panels...
 
The hood itself is definately plastic (you can tell from the inside)



Now the question is, is it painted, or just molded plastic?



If it's molded (green) plastic, how would one do a better job polishing it? A plastic specific polish like plastic-X?



I had good success with plastic-X on headlights....
 
I thought that John Deere powdercoated their panels. That may be why you are getting some transfer but not as much as a traditional SS paint.
 
longdx said:
I thought that John Deere powdercoated their panels. That may be why you are getting some transfer but not as much as a traditional SS paint.
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Thanks for making the issue even mroe confusing now :rofl
 
efnfast said:
The hood itself is definately plastic (you can tell from the inside)
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longdx said:
Ok, now I'm on a quest. Apparently, JD powdercoats all metal surfaces. The hood is either painted with Imron or gel coated in JD green.
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I wish you guys would get your stories straight. Or, longdx, are you saying, that if it's metal, it's powdercoat, and if it's plastic, it's gelcoat?
 
longdx said:
Ok, now I'm on a quest. Apparently, JD powdercoats all metal surfaces. The hood is either painted with Imron or gel coated in JD green.



Here is a link on a tractor forum (before this, I didn't know one existed) about this same topic. Powder Coating - MyTractorForum.com - The Friendliest Tractor Forum & Discussion Board and Best Place for Tractor Information on the web!!!. Hope this helps
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It's not metal, so it probably isn't powdercoated.



Hmmm, I didn't even think that it might be gelcoated - if I had to take a guess, I'd say painted, just because gelcoat (atleast the ones I've practiced on) correct A LOT faster than this bugger
 
John Deere and other tractor companies powder coat all metal components except hoods or fenders (those are painted).



Plastic Components ( such as your hood) are injection color molded. The color goes all the way through the panel.



As far as correcting it, you will probably have to step up to #105 and Twisted Wool, then step down from there, or live with it. Plastic panels on tractors are hard to get swirl free without spending tons of time on the panel. I usually get the panel close, then fill with a glaze. The farmer is happy, and I dont risk burning through a $3000 tractor hood.



Good luck!
 
Brandon1 said:
John Deere and other tractor companies powder coat all metal components except hoods or fenders (those are painted).



Plastic Components ( such as your hood) are injection color molded. The color goes all the way through the panel.



As far as correcting it, you will probably have to step up to #105 and Twisted Wool, then step down from there, or live with it. Plastic panels on tractors are hard to get swirl free without spending tons of time on the panel. I usually get the panel close, then fill with a glaze. The farmer is happy, and I dont risk burning through a $3000 tractor hood.



Good luck!
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Fascinating; my hood is corrected ~95%. Took SIP and PFW and a loooooooooong time though ... I think it's just easier to try to avoid hitting stuff with it and later have to compound it out :chuckle:
 
Here's another one for you then, heh - How much "material", on average, do you have to polish with? For example, if you did 1 polish a year with PFW/SIP, which barely seems to make a dent, how long until you strike through to the base material (or maybe that's not even possible because the whole panel is green all the way through?)
 
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