Recent Edition

callen — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:00:39 +0000

How to Paint a Kettlebell

callen — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 00:54:30 +0000

Anthony Diluglio has some of the coolest kettlebells I have ever seen. Swirled, multi-colored, you name it – he’s got it. Well, today I spent the entire day stripping, sanding, and painting all 12 of my kettlebells to see if I could duplicate Anthony’s results.I am happy to report I was successful. Furthermore, I may own the only set of colored Aders in existence. Pictures are above, but below are the general directions and procedures I followed.

Materials

White spray paint
Colored spray paint
Clear spray paint
Emory cloth (sandpaper for metal)
Heavy gauge rubber gloves
Mineral spirits
Small scrub brush, steel wool, and scraper
Dremel or other detailed sanding apparatus (optional)
Klean Strip Deep Down Aerosol Stripper ( About Halfway down ) 1. Although the Aders have a nice finish, I find that the paint adheres better to the kettlebell if it is bare metal. Apply the stripper liberally and let it sit.

2. Wearing gloves (this stripper will sting if it comes into contact with skin), use the scraper, steel wool, and brush to remove the finish. Repeat if necessary.

3. Clean the bell with mineral spirits.

4. Sand imperfections in the handle with a Dremel, if necessary (generally not necessary to any great extent with the Aders).

5. Sand the handles with the emory cloth.

6. Remove the dust from the bell.

7. Tape the handle.

8. Put a coat of white spray paint to serve as a primer. I hung the bell with a rope by the handle from my outdoor pull-up station and twisted the bell. Holding the spray paint about 6 inches to 1 foot away, I released the bell, let it spin, and sprayed. I obtained very even coverage.

9. Let the white coat dry for about 15 – 30 minutes.

10. Repeat step 8 with the primary color. Key is to spray about 6 to 9 inches away from the bell. A light coat even applied is the goal.

11. Let the colored coat dry for about 15 – 30 minutes.

12. If desired, put secondary colors, swirls, or dots on the bell by twisting slightly or letting the bell hang.

13. About 15 minutes later, remove the bell from the hanging apparatus and remove the tape. You’ll have a kettlebell with a metal handle and a colored bell.

14. Apply a clear coat to the entire bell, including the handle. A thin coat is all that is necessary to protect the handle and the bell.

You are now the owner of a multi-colored kettlebell.

I loosely tried follow the kettlebell sport color scheme of 12kg=blue, 16kg= yellow, 24kg=green.

These 12kg Aders are my favorite and came out the best.

The 16kg Aders. The yellow paint cracked on top of the primer, but the effect was pretty cool. These are my wife’s favorite. They sort of look like the sun, don’t you think?

The 20kg Aders. This was my first attempt, but I am pleased with the outcome.

The 24kg Aders. I messed up the other side of these and will have to redo them at some point, but I am happy with the result.

The 24g Dragon Doors. The original finish on these comes off quite nicely with the chemical treatment I used. Wear gloves when using this stuff – it stings like hell on bare skin. No telling what type of cancer causing substances I exposed myself to yesterday.

The 28kg Aders, in honor of my alma mater. I need to find a Texas Longhorn stencil to complete these two.

Here is the entire set.