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I am restoring a mills hi-top and have stripped the castings down to bare metal. I am wondering what the best painting method and types of paints / finishes to use. I have access to an automotive paint booth and tools. I am just wondering if that is overkill. I am looking for a first rate restoration.

What do you use and have you been happy with it?

Thanks!

Depends on what kind of restoration you want. The Mills Hightop castings seem to be very rough in spots when taken down to bare metal. They seemed to use a heavy bodied sandable primer to fill the pits and rough areas. You can use primer and automotive spot putty to make the casting smooth. Primer should be final wet sanded with 600 grit wet or dry sand paper You can then spray it with a good enamel from a hobby shop or if you want a deep gloss automotive finish, use your friends spray booth and paint it with a single stage acrylic enamel. They originally did not have that deep automotive finish but some people like the look.

Watlingboy

I want to keep it as original as possible, thanks for that info. Yes, it has a ton of pits with the paint gone. When I bought it someone had stripped it completely, so it looks like a bit of body work for me.