Pedaling Around Pennsylvania

"Getting Red-dy to Paint that IH " Part II

By Michael G. Henry

Pedal Casting

Last month I took a look at preparing to paint that IH
tractor, whether it be a 1/16, Pedal Tractor, or real
IH tractor. With August now upon us, I began painting
the IH 66/86 series pedal tractor (see picture of
casting). August here in Western Pennsylvania is not
always the best time to be painting because of the hot
temperatures and high humidity. However, I was
fortunate to get a nice paint job on the 66/86 series
casting due to the series of rainshowers that we have
had.

I used CaseIH 2150 Red for this tractor. Some people
prefer the look of the newer IH red, but I still like
the old IH red look. I used an air compressor with
paint gun to paint this tractor. I set the air
compressor at 30 psi., which gives me a nice, even
flow of air. My paint gun has to be at least 30 years
old, so you don't have to have the really expensive
equipment to get the job done.

The first thing that I did was prep the tractor, as I
went over in the July article. After one coat of
primer, I used 400 grit sandpaper and then cleaned off
the tractor again and re-primered the casting. You
will notice in the pictures that I hang my pedal
tractors from the ceiling of our garage using a heavy
chain. My hook is only a clothes hanger cut and bent
to suit my needs. When the casting was dry from the
2nd coat of primer, I used a spray can to put a light
coat of IH 2150 Red on those hard to paint areas.

When spraying the tractor, I use a light 1st and 2nd
coat of paint. Make sure that the paint is nice and
tacky before applying the 3rd coat. I check the paint
by touching the top of my pedal arm where the front
wheels go. On my 3rd coat, I use a quick, heavy coat
of paint and check the casting by using a trouble
light or flash light. If I see any missed areas or
light areas where the paint isn't glossy, I will use
another coat of paint over the entire tractor.

Rear Pedal Axles

For the rear axles and seat, I give each a light coat
of IH red from a spray can before using the air spray
gun. For this project, I painted the bottom of the
seat, let it dry for 2 days, and then turned it over
in order to paint the top.

Painting the pedal tractor casting, axles, and seat
only took me an hour, including clean up time. Allow
the pedal tractor to dry for at least a day. Two days
or more is the preferred time to let the paint dry.

Pedal Seat

Next month I will show you how to attach the wheels of
the pedal tractor and apply the decals.

Until next month...happy pedaling.

TTT August 2003 Page 9

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