Paint jobs on coasters?

I have a question is it hard to repaint a whole coaster to a diffrent color because Anaconda at PKD was green and now they repainted to red. i wanna know is it hard to do a thing like that especially since the ride has been up for 5 years or more?

Most paint used on steel is an enamel. Enamel is an oil based paint, very think with lots of pigment. The times when coasters are often primed beforehand is when they have suffered quite a bit of weathering, and therefore adds life to the structure.

From what I have heard, there is a new chemical in paint that helps it not to bleach.

Haha, hopefully CP used some of that new paint when they repainted Raptor and will do the same when they paint Mantis and Magnum! :) Errr, at least I heard they were painting Raptor this offseason! :)

-Matt

Most of the parks use alkyd enamels to paint their steel coasters which is the cheap stuff. In a few years it tends to chalk up pretty badly. The best paints for gloss retention are urethanes, usually applied over a cost of epoxy. Parks hesitate to use them because they are more expensive, and because parks tend to change colors frequently.

The problems of changing colors vary depending on the colors. Anything over white is pretty easy. Yellow over black is at least a 2 coat job with the first coast white or light gray. Of cousrse the parks have the advantage that you aren't looking closely to see in minor show through.

I don't know the details of painting the rides, but the Hangman at Wild Adventures, GA, has changed color every time I go back! It was pink, then orange, and then yellow. It's almost worth going to the park just for that kick. ;)

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