Last week @John Ruschmeyer sent me this case that really needed some help as you can see from the following two pics. After some research it turns out that this is a Gem case. I needed one for my MMOC and even though the covering was shot, I had an idea on what to do.......... This pic after sanding and grinding off the rust and the case sprayed with self etching primer.......... I didn't have what I needed for the outside of the case, so I went ahead with lining the inside of the case. Excuse the dust on the lining as I had it all over my fingers.......... OK, now back to the outside finish. Years ago I used to make extra cash by doing my version of chip guard on the bottom parts of the panels on cars. I used rubberized undercoating and when dried, I sprayed on the color of the car over it to blend in nicely. And this is what I did to finish the outside of this case. This pic is just the undercoating.......... After letting it dry for a while, I put a coat of black on it, as at times the undercoating can look like a dark gray, depending on the lighting conditions. I also gave it a clear coat to help protect the finish. As you can see, if the undercoating is done in very light coats, it gives it a fabric like appearance.......... And this is how it looks with a razor and blades inside. The hard part, leaving it alone for a couple days to let everything cure and not screw up the finish..........
Thanks, I guess this shows I'll give anything a try to make it better and usable. Might even try this on an old wood case.
I've used Rust-Oleum textured paint on the top of an inexpensive dresser to give it a leather look and it worked great.
One thing about using rubberized undercoat is that when it's totally cured, it offers a nice finish that is very hard to chip. I had a New York State Trooper Plymouth Fury that I did with it. Even after four years, the finish was still good as the day I did it. And that's with the notorious New York winter salt on the roads.
