Ron (R) writes: It (primer) seems to work best sprayed on minimally thick, and mostly sanded away. Nick (N) writes: I see. I'll give it a whirl. RE chips and ripples R writes: I've had the best luck with countersinks, and installing vertical hitches, by beveling the hole edge before the final bronze coat. With the countersinks, I use a countersink (or rotary file) of a shallower angle to knock the top edge off. N writes: These are metal cutting countersinks? R again: For plate perimeter bolts, a small thin washer that does the damage far enough under the lag or nut head that it doesn't show. N asks: Where do you get these washers? They must be unusual, requiring a large hole, a smaller OA diameter than the lag head, yet relatively thin. R again: Whatever, for something utterly non-functional, plate finishing takes up WAY too much time and generates WAY too much angst in the process. N writes: Agreed! I sometimes think we shot ourselves in the foot on this one. R: What do you folks do about hitch pins? Do you have birthdays while you mask and un-mask each one, or just spray over them and blow off the chips after stringing? N: Like the "birthday thing" <G>. I don't care for the look of sprayed over hitch pins, plus the new finish tends to crack and rotate on the pins when stringing. I learned (can't remember from whom) to make player tubing "hats" for all pins (cut them at an angle). First I wire-wheel all pins, prep the plate, and then don the hats prior to spraying.
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