Repainting Professional Peavey Speaker Grills

So you guys will get the picture, my wife & I DJ weddings, birthdays, reunions etc on the weekends normally, as a side job. We are using a set of Peavey SP-4 (in case you want to look up the specs for the purpose of this thread), which are professional speakers, not just some $100 home stereo speakers. These speakers have "some sort of metal" grill.

I noticed when setting up last weekend, a little rust has formed in the lower left corner of one of the grills. Its a place about 5" square area. I have no clue why, unless it was a factory paint issue. The speakers have never been wet or exposed to anything that would do that, that I know of. I have always kept them in a spare bedroom when not in use, until I got the trailer about 15 months ago. Since then, they stay in the trailer which is dry & no moisture other than general humidity here in Louisiana.

I said all that to ask this. I plan to sand down the rust spot with light sand paper like 150 or 220 & then paint the entire grill with a aerosol spray can of paint etc from Home Depot.
1) Do I need to use a primer on these before painting?
2) If so, on the whole grill or just the area where the rust is?
3) If not, I do have some clear "stop rust" stuff that is clear.
4) Should I use that on the rust area?
5) Or, should I just paint the grill.

By the way, I am going to use a gloss black.
Any idea's or advice?
Tips or tricks to give a noobie on this project?

As always, thanks in advance,
TC

 

A rust preventative primer would be a good choice. Just on any bare metal...no need to do the whole grill with it. You may need to lightly sand the entire grill to give it a little "tooth" for the paint to stick. I'd probably use one of those lightly abrasive pads (3M?), not sandpaper, for that part.

Just a note...if you use a Rustoleum labeled product (big letters on the can..not a "by Rustoleum"), you will need to give it plenty of time to cure. In my experience they just don't cure as quickly as some brands like Krylon or Painters Touch, and can easily be scraped off with a fingernail even the next day.

 

I agree, lightly sand it all, just prime the bare and finish coat the entire grill.

I suspect there is more humidity in the trailer than you think there is. I wonder if there is a way to ventilate it ??

 

I have stacks of speakers. Don't use Peaveys and more but I know what the SP-4's are.

I have the same problem with all my metal grilles. No matter how hard you try they will always rust.

I would remove the grilles from the speakers. They should be held on with like 8-10 screws. Lightly sand or scuff both sides. Prime bare metal surfaces. Paint both sides with flat or semi-gloss. The flat will give you the strongest finish. Gloss will chip easily. Semi gloss does the best overall job.

I have some cabinets that I use in the rain. Those grilles are epoxy painted.