Advice on clearcoat for a metal piece

I can find no helpful info about this on the internet - I have a 1940s metal olive green cabinet (Lyon) with great patina, no rust, and a flat / matte painted surface (probably matte from age). I would like to keep the patina and clearcoat with a gloss finish, for indoor use - I’ve done similar projects but much smaller and used spray gloss enamel, and it has worked out great, but this being a fairly big piece with large flat surfaces, spray is probably not a good choice. I was thinking rolling enamel with a foam roller - any ideas would be appreciated.

 

I would be concerned about anything adhering well without sanding first and I don't think you would want to do that. I would give it a good coat of a premium car wax.

 

If you want to preserve the patina, and it is in good condition, why do you want to coat it? If it is a metal cabinet, there is a risk of setting up conditions that would make it more likely to rust in the future.

Can you please post a photo of the cabinet?

 

Here are a couple photos. I’ve already repurposed the drawer unit and used spray enamel and it worked out fine. I just like the gloss look better, otherwise it would look like it belongs in a garage shop.