Home from work today due to some early snow so I have disassembled the grinder and am preparing to paint. I ordered a rattle-can of
PlastiKote Bedliner which is a superb coating product with a light texture. I have used it for years on external Jeep components and have great faith that it will perform equally well for this application. It can be easily touched-up at any time and blends perfectly, very durable.
I have also decided to paint the non-contact parts of the steel platen attachment (not the aluminum apparatus). Since this is a high-heat part I will be using engine primer and engine enamel (good to 500 degrees). Not excited about the color but it is Hemi Orange leftover from my Jeep. It also has worked well for years under the hood so I expect that it will handle life on the platen well.
I plan to order a glass platen plate and attach it to the platen. Before painting, I will weld a lip at the bottom of the platen as suggested in threads here to help support the glass in case of adhesion failure.
Platen Painting by
GhostCreekMine, on Flickr