Paint suggestion

Rust-Oleum® is the best stuff!

The easiest way is remove hardware, tape where necessary.

Wipe filing cabinet free and clear of all debris.

Apply the Rust-Oleum® Stops Rust® Rusty Metal Primer Spray to the filing cabinet. As always, follow manufacturer's recommendations on preparation, application, drying times and clean up.

Next, apply the Rust-Oleum® Stops Rust® Enamel Spray in a color of your choice. Apply a second coat, if necessary, within 1 hour or after 24 hours.

Done don't worry about the rust it will be stopped by the paint just wipe it as clean as you can. Sand Blasting and / or sanding may not give you that smooth finish. You may not even need to prime it check the directions on the spry paint and see. Some cabinets use Satin.

Check it out pick office projects.

Projects

 

I'm more of a Krylon man myself, but suit yourself. Just don't buy the cheapest paint at the dollar store.

Get a relatively fine 3M Scotch-bright abrasive pad, like the stuff on the back side of your kitchen sink sponge (but finer) if you're not familiar. Any paint store or DIY store will have them. Remove or disassemble as much as you can. Degrease the box with a non-oily solvent. Blend in any chips with fine sand paper. Scuff the rest of it up with the Scotch-bright pad until the existing paint has lost it's shine.

Mask as necessary.

If you don't have any bare metal, you might want to just spray the color coat. But a bit of primer (same brand as the paint) will (may?) produce a better finish. Some primers act as fillers too and go on thick. They are designed to be carefully sanded after they dry to fill any scratches and provide a smooth surface for the paint. Other primers are very thin and designed just to help the paint bond. Sometimes the paint is applied after the primer is just dry enough, but not fully cured. Ask your paint store man if you're not sure or go to the paint company's web site. The existing paint in the picture look pretty good and I might be tempted to just scuff and spray color without any primer. Is this a concours parts box?

Spray several coats of red following the recommended re-coat and curing times. Check out some painting videos on Youtube. Notice how the painter gets the paint gun or paint can moving, then he starts the paint as he sweeps across the part, and then he releases the trigger/button before he stops the movement of the paint gun/can. Then he does the same thin on the return stroke always trying to keep a constant distance. Emulate this movement; this isn't hair spray. Start with the edges and details first and then spray the larger panels last rather than the other way around.

Here's a good tip. Fill a tall container with hot tap water and put the paint can in it for 10 minutes to heat the paint. Then shake the can for a LONG time. Then put it back in a fresh batch of hot water for a few more minutes. This will thin the paint for better flow and increase the pressure in the can for a better spray pattern.

Do not let water collect on top of the can because as you periodically shake the can as you're applying the paint, you'll splash water drops into your fresh paint............. BAD!

From time to time, wipe off the little bubble of paint that collects on the nozzle. Eventually it will spit that blob into your fresh paint, usually just before you're about to congratulate yourself.

 

Yes I do know what those cards are/were. Can you say hollerith code. Back to subject. Most of those cabinets. Especially government sourced ones (Wright was a big vendor) were baked enamel and were extremely hard finish and very resistant to chemicals and abrasion. The compound used to clean punch card readers and the like were very nasty and long since illegal I would guess. Freon was very common as was methulene chloride and similar. The cards were very hard and also very wearing of all rollers and transport areas. Do not be surprised to find it more difficult to remove or roughened up than you would expect. As to adhesion of new paint I would not want to guess. We used to put sticky labels on the drawer ends and it was very common to use a razor blade type paint scraper to get Thames off and not harm the paint. In another life I was a lead systems operator on CDC 6600 for the USAF. If that means anything to anyone

 

I would try something like this.

Speed Blaster Abrasive Soda Sandblaster USA 8001 50 | eBay

Will give you a better (smoother) prep job. Can be bought for around $40 if you search.

 

Based on the picture it looks like the drawers held imperial sized screws...4-40, 6-32, etc.

 

Now all you need is a baby blue Ferrari.

 

Wouldn't hurt to hit the whole surface with scottchbrite to give the paint something to grab onto!