I purchased an used TD-Ito some time ago for a fairly low price. The top of the reel where the 4 ports are located was touched up with paint and started to peel. I've asked a few people on this site to see if they can help me with repainting the reel, but unfortunately no help, I didn't hear back from them. I took this as an opportunity to learn how to repaint or touch-up my reel. I started by stripping the reel down to the bare frame.
The etching primer that Daiwa uses is pretty darn good, using a paint and finish remover did not harm the factory etching primer at all. However once I removed all of the paint on the reel body, I then realize why did the touch-up paint previous used started peeling, it was missing the etching primer. Probably was dropped, or deeply scared.
I cleaned the reel with pep-sol which removes any chemicals, dirt or oil\grease.
I purchased a can of aresol self etching primer from eastwoodco.com for about $15.
Sprayed about 4 coats with 15 minutes of drying between each coat. After I sprayed the etching primer I allowed about 4 hours of drying time.
Next I sprayed the color paint that I purchased from a hobby store. I used a lacquer areosol spray paint Model Master AMC sterling silver metallic. I applied the first coat allowing 15 mintues to dry before the next, after my 4th coat I allowed it to dry for about a day.
Now, since I don't have an airbrush and not wanting to invest in one, I have to add a bit more labor.
After the reel dried a day, I wet sanded the reel with 1200 grit. Using water and dish detergent to keep the sand paper wet. I sanded the reel until it was smooth and even where there are no over-sprays. I used the pep-sol again to clean the reel. I then applied 2 light coat of the same paint, spraying with a distance to avoid any over-spray. I then dried it for about 2 hours before spraying the clear coat.
I used Model Master enamel high gloss clearcoat. I sprayed about 8 coats of clearcoat, allowing 20 minutes in between. I let the reel sit for about 3 days to dry. I then wet sanded the reel with 1500 grit as stated above to remove any over-spray from the clearcoat. Once I was done I used 3M rubbing compound with a soft cloth to rub out the swirls that was caused by the wet sanding. Then I applied the 3M Liquid Wax to bring out the gloss.
Overall I think it turn out nice. The only difference I notice is when you compare it with another TD-Ito the color is a shade off, unfortunately matching the original color paint is very difficult. The new one remains in storage.