Uh oh. Before the paint it guys chime in look at lynceed oil, or penetrol. But both will add some gloss. Even the “wipe on clears” will some. Gibbs oil might be the best bet to keep it dull
Need some of that TEXAS Clear. The shiny stuff. Wait wrong site it’s not the C-10 Site. I have mixed up some Matt clear and reduced down to wipe on, then wiped off. Pulled some deeper color and gave some protection. Did not give a shine but just looked like deeper color. Tried on a few test panels first.
Don't do nor add anything. Leave it as is, at Mother Nature's mercy, and let the paint age naturally.
Keep it clean and dry, and don't leave it parked out in the Florida sun. I wouldn't put any 'sauce' on it.
Funny thing about patina.... as soon as you apply something to "preserve the patina", technically you no longer have a natural patinaed surface. On a side note, I dated a girl in highschool called Petina, but it didn't last. After a while she just lost her shine....
This^^^ It's rust, rot and decay that one makes excuses to not fix correctly and most of the preservation nonsense just makes it look silly rather than just old and neglected. If it actually has decent paint with just a few thin spots a bit of hand polishing once in a while will give it that softly worn but well cared for look of an old but well cared for saddle or pair of boots. This is real "patina" Well kept, original paint, worn thin in spots because the old gent who had it kept it under a tarp for a number of years. The gent who owned it in the late 80's early 90's was a customer of mine who was afraid to drive it because the gas gauge didn't work. He couldn't grasp the concept that if you filled the tank every time and drove X miles and filled the tank again and figured out your gas mileage pretty soon you had it figured out how far you could safely drive on a tank and have some reserve and be able to closely estimate the number of gallons it took. A few years later I saw it riding up the freeway on a trailer. That is "patina" anything less is just crappy worn out old paint with rust and decay thrown in.
My daughter has an OT truck and she loves the "patina" on it. I tried to explain it is rust! She won't be swayed even when I offered to paint it for free! She wants me use Poppy's Patina on it. I am torn. So I am watching this thread with interest. I hear washing it with CLR first helps, then a matte wipe on finish? I feel dirty just typing that.
It may not be perfection, but it sure is fun to drive and see other people’s expressions when the “ old rusty whatever “ drives down the road! Oh , and I use nothing to enhance the patina, not even a car cover, just drive it.
My youngest son loves old crap not painted. So do most of my students. They also dig em the other way. I guess there’s room for both. Friend just used CLR on his truck. Looks much better as it removed a lot of rust stains revealing more old paint. He’s gonna try penetrol on a small spot to see how it looks. I wish I had used something on my bus 7 years ago.
My Austin had a coat of cheap, nasty looking red oxide primer on it when I got it. I sanded a door looking for a name or some identifying marks but uncovered an old lace and cobweb paint job. I lightly sanded it with 400 and 600 then washed it and polish/waxed it like any other car. It looked pretty good as far as "patina" goes, but it was checked and peeling everywhere. 4-5 years later it's dull and nasty looking again, and more paint has fallen off. I'm faced with polish and wax again and see if it comes back, or strip and paint it. The rust hasn't gotten any "rustier" but there's more bare metal now than before.
I used Penetrol on my 88 F-250 couple years ago. Old oxidized red paint. Stays outdoors all the time. At first it was shiny and looked like new paint. The flat surfaces, hood and cab roof, have now turned to flat appearance for the most part. Sides are still a little gloss, but more like semi-gloss. It was just an attempt to get a few more years of protecting the paint, but it really just needs to be repainted with real paint. I guess for what I was expecting it is fine. Certainly cheap, as I only used one can (32 oz qt if memory is right) for like $10, plus a little wax and grease remover and some tape for around the windows and trim, even though I brushed it on. No complaints, but it is not a substitute for real paint. It will make your old faded paint to be glossy when first applied, but as my truck shows it will lose gloss over time.
Exposure to the elements can provide some very cool, natural, non-clear, un-coated patina all its own! Every ones results may vary.
I dunno. Ordinarily, I would agree, but if he's talking about the nice little coupe that he posted in hot rod primer (or faded gray) I would drive that around a long time as it is before committing to the torture of a paint job. It screams Hot Rod to me....
Well have a friend that just sprays WD-40 on and evens it out with an old towel. Some one mentioned Linseed Oil. Be careful and do not leave Linseed Oil saturated rags in an enclosed area. It’s a very high risk for spontaneous combustion. Store rags outside or in a highly ventilated area. Have a friend that lost a 30 foot sailboat to fire caused by oily rags.
Gotta say that I've been in the body & paint biz for 40 years, but I recently did my first linseed oil treatment on my old truck. I wasn't a fan at first, but 2 days after I did it, it dried down and looks great to me, has the feel of flat clear. But it was $8 for the bottle of boiled linseed oil, and an old rag. I didn't thin my oil.
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