My first full refinish, Karsten tr Anser 5

SUITS · February 5, 2023

Well I finally got bored enough and brave enough to try a full refinish.

got a cheap karsten TR head off of the web, the 5lb tub of 40/70 glass from Harbour Freight. The gravity fed gun? And quick change adapter. Gun is on clearance, got out the door for around $32. My compressor is a craftsman 5.5HP 30 gallon.

Started the finish with a lot of 320 grit sanding. More sanding, more sanding. Then I went with the scotchbrite ball in the drill. Some wire brushing as well. This was a chore. Biggest mistake was not taping off the elastomer insert. It ended up getting very scuffed and I blasted it to even it out. .

finally to the blast, if you have not done this before it is very fun. Some issues with the feeding of the cheap gun, there is a gap where the hopper goes into the nozzle. Will have to pack that full of cotton balls. During the process there is a lot of shaking the hopper and turning the on off on the nozzle to clear jams. But for under $20 what did you expect.

some mistakes to avoid. Wear a full blast hood or steal a shower cap from your granny. I did this out in the middle of my backyard and still got covered in beads. All In all I am thrilled with the result, debating between black and white for the line.

before

after