Topic: Frame paint and clear coat

[jamesbekman]

Hi Everyone,

So I've thawed out from the winter, acquired some more bikes in the interim, and am trying to finish my one project that was stripped down to the frame, the frame was stripped and primed in self etching primer and then hit with VHT roll bar&frame spray paint in flat black. 

The primer grabbed good but the VHT paint wasnt grabbing/bonding to the primer well.  I believe its self etching too, should that cause a problem since its not going onto metal? 

The paint comes off easily under abrasion.  When we were attempting to put the motor back into my CB500K0 we scraped up the paint pretty bad.

Im thinking to just hit the frame up with more VHT paint and then clear coat everything and I would like to know your thoughts on that.  I definitely do not want to strip the frame again but I wouldnt be against acetoning the frame as it removes the top VHT paint pretty easily. 

In regards to the clear coat, Im going for a satin finish.  I figure a couple coats of satin clear should harden everything up and I shouldn't have to worry about further problems correct?

I was looking at getting SprayMax's 2k satin clear as it hardens up good but is that going to be overkill when I can get a few cans of regular 1k satin clear spray cans?

Thanks for your input,

James

[Geeto67]

I think your primer and the VHT paint are not compatible. Usually that VHT stuff is pretty tough, but it does help if it is applied over bare metal rather than primer.

VHT is epoxy based. Was the self etching primer epoxy based? If so, how long did you let it cure before applying the VHT.

Epoxy paints are very sensitive to humidity and temp. If you were shooting it on a cold damp day it will almost never cure. An old body guy I know told me a long time ago in order to get a good result you need to bake epoxy for at least 30 minutes to cure it. What were the conditions when you sprayed the primer? what were they when you sprayed the VHT.

Take the bike back apart. sand the finish back down to the primer. repaint. applying more paint on an already unstable paint is just going to give you more problems.

[Muckinfuss]

Epoxy primer can sit for a very long time without any top coat, but it does have to be scuffed with 220 before any color coat is applied.  Non-epoxy primer can not sit uncoated for long.  It's porous and loses its 'tack' after a few days.  If the VHT is epoxy and the primer was not, and sat uncoated or unsanded.....you have a de-lamination issue that can only be fixed by sanding down and starting from scratch.  In the end, rattle can products don't always do what the labels tell you they do.

[jamesbekman]

I cant remember what the primer was as this was done before winter.  The VHT website says its epoxy and does not have to be used with primer. http://www.vhtpaint.com/products/rollbarchassis/

Ill have to strip her down again.  What paint do you guys recommend?  Besides powdercoat.  Its an arm and a leg to do here in NY.

[katman]

My budget couldn't handle powder coat. I primered  both my frames and sprayed them with ultra coat black and clear.
I did tape the frame some when installing motor. Nice durable finish though.

[jamesbekman]

Thanks, at the price of the POR I might just do Spraymax 2k!

[Muckinfuss]

http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/index.htm        Go there....do a little research...great tutorials and even better products for primer basecoats.  I think it's a good time for you to start from scratch with which process will give you the results you're looking for: with three-four kinds of primer formulas (etching, epoxy/urethane and fill) and they aren't interchangeable under topcoats and both the flash time between coats is different as well as the spray technique. 

POR-15 is a type of etching primer and goes on 'seasoned' metal.  That is metal that is or has rusted.  Here's some more data to ingest: http://www.rustbullet.com/Comparison/ProdComp.asp   

If you're looking for a "level 5" finish, you'll do things differently than if you're looking for a "level 2" finish.