So today I left the 15th annual Cabin Fever Expo in York, PA lightheaded because of the engine exhaust fumes but not empty-handed. I've used the occasion as an excuse to buy myself a mechanical toy in the past but this time I felt emboldened (or it might just be all the fumes again) and bought a machined Steam Engine Kit #5 by P.M. Research that requires assembly.
Now my challenge is to deburr, de-flash and paint the cast parts before I can begin the assembly. I know that for most of you hardcore machinists in the group would not consider it a challenge but I haven't done anything like that before so that'll keep me busy for awhile.
The question naturally arose: "what paint to use?" The young fellow selling the kit to me was honest and said he's just running the booth until his dad comes back from lunch. And I badly needed some fresh air and could not hang around for much longer. The assembly manual says: "Use proper metal primer" and mentions no actual paint.
So, what would this respectable group recommend for the primer and the paint? And where do you get it, is this something a mere mortal gets at Michaels or A.C. Moore - type craft store or is this a special order paint?
There won't be any actual steam there (compressed air) so there isn't any high-temperature requirement but I really want to use the right stuff because I sincerely hope this won't be my last project of this kind. I may even get around to buying a lathe and a mill at some point in the future and do a project that requires machining (long shot at this point tho). That's what visiting a show like this does to people :)
Also, I've heard/read/seen on TV that (some) metal paint requires baking. As much fun as it would be to mess with it in a home environment, I don't think I'm properly equipped for that, so a self-drying paint would be my preference.
Thanks for any information, tips or comments!