Polish versus paint on a Quadrafire 3100

[Wyodaniel]

I picked up a used Quadrafire 3100 ACC, and it was a little rusty in a few places, mostly along the top. I used a wire wheel and a rough buffing pad on every exposed surface already. To make everything look clean and flat black again, I'm realizing that I have the options of either stove polish or high temp paint. I'm also realizing that there's some different surfaces and I'm not sure if they needed to be treated differently; I have the thick metal slab directly on top (green arrow), and some thin little heat shields with an air gap behind them on the sides and the back (red arrows).

I don't what metal each component is made out of, and what kind of surface finish is more appropriate.

Any advice? Thank you!

 

[bholler]

I picked up a used Quadrafire 3100 ACC, and it was a little rusty in a few places, mostly along the top. I used a wire wheel and a rough buffing pad on every exposed surface already. To make everything look clean and flat black again, I'm realizing that I have the options of either stove polish or high temp paint. I'm also realizing that there's some different surfaces and I'm not sure if they needed to be treated differently; I have the thick metal slab directly on top (green arrow), and some thin little heat shields with an air gap behind them on the sides and the back (red arrows).

View attachment 335018


View attachment 335019

I don't what metal each component is made out of, and what kind of surface finish is more appropriate.

Any advice? Thank you!

The answer is always paint. Polish was only a good choice before high temp paint was invented

 

[Wyodaniel]

The answer is always paint. Polish was only a good choice before high temp paint was invented

Haha, ok. Any particular recommendation on brand or method of application (spray, brush, whatever) ?

 

[bholler]

Haha, ok. Any particular recommendation on brand or method of application (spray, brush, whatever) ?

Stovebrite or aw perkins. Spray is much easier

 

[marty319]

Get black mettalic, looks sweet

 

[bholler]

Get black mettalic, looks sweet

It does but I would recommend 2 coats of flat then top with metallic. The metallic doesn't cover all that well.

 

[Murray01]

Read somewhere(maybe here) that multiple thin coats is better than 2 thicker coats. My stove was is way worse shape than yours, I started with a scraper on the rust. I went with very thin coats, probably 5-6 coats, the first 2-3 coats seemed to get sucked into the metal much like primer on wood. Acetone was recommended to prep for painting, didn’t have any but had gallons of wood alcohol so I used that.