Topic: nice weekend i think i will stay in and paint

[neil young]

well im single , it's beautiful outside .you would think i should be out chasing cougars and such ,but oh no i'm a  cb 550 junkie  .i have been thinking of what to do with my newly purchased 77 550 (thinking bobber)it runs well,needs a nice clean up.so i started to read about spray painting auto parts (from a can)and i thought why not.here is a test piece (extra side cover i had) and woohoo  :ocandy apple red with clear coat.next is my tank

[750goes]

well done 

[neil young]

thx ...i thought not to bad for the first time (tank might be a differant ball game tho)

[Gordon]

Looks good!
 If you're going to do the tank with rattle can paint (and it can be done well) make sure you use a two-part, chemically hardened clear coat and not one of the regular air-drying ones or all your hard work will be for nothing the first time you spill a drop of gas on it.  Don't ask me how I know.

[Rocker]

What did you use to paint? Looks good.

[FunJimmy]

Neil

With all due respect, you need to get a girl friend! 

[neil young]

Neil

With all due respect, you need to get a girl friend! 

no sh.it jimmy ......Rocker the primer ,paint and clear coat is dupli color sray paint.i took my time and followed some other peoples rules from the internet who have had success.as for the tank i will try and find some better clear or put a towel under the gas nozzle after the refill  

[neil young]

Looks good!
 If you're going to do the tank with rattle can paint (and it can be done well) make sure you use a two-part, chemically hardened clear coat and not one of the regular air-drying ones or all your hard work will be for nothing the first time you spill a drop of gas on it.  Don't ask me how I know.

can you buy a two part clear in a rattle can ???or i was thinking about doing the paint then going to maco and getting them to clear coat it

[super pasty white guy]

2 part clear is available from spraymax

http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_2_part_2k_aerosol.cfm

[rphilli550]

2 part clear is available from spraymax

http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_2_part_2k_aerosol.cfm

whoa ...20 bucks a can. but it looks like it would do a really great job...might have to look into this myself.

by the way, the paint looks good, neil.

[neil young]

2 part clear is available from spraymax

http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_2_part_2k_aerosol.cfm

has anyone ever used this product...if yes will it resist gas spillage?

[xtalon]

2 part clear is available from spraymax

http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_2_part_2k_aerosol.cfm

has anyone ever used this product...if yes will it resist gas spillage?

I believe Staphcar used it with excellent results.  If he doesn't jump in here, shoot him a PM.  At least I think it was him.

--xTalon

[neil young]

anybody out there know if this clear will resist gas spills

[neil young]

well i guess i have more money than brains so i ordered it anyway.when it's done i will let you know how it turns out

[super pasty white guy]

I didn't respond to your question because I don't have any personal experience.  I've done plenty of research though and have seen that it has very good chemical / fuel resistance.  It's what I'm planning on using when I get around to repainting.

Don't think you'll be dissapointed.

Dave

[neil young]

i checked there web site and found nothing about gas resistance.most of the info was in dutch or german or whatever(i only read a the english)we will see i guess

[super pasty white guy]

Found this list on several on-line shops.  Also found at one point several user testimonials as well, just can't remember where.


Features and Benefits

• High gloss and DOI
  Excellent chemical, weather,abrasive and fuel resistance
  U.V. protection package
  Dry time 12 hours (at 68 degrees F)
  Easy to apply without the cleanup

Two component clearcoat for all basecoats.  Can be air or forced dried for a perfect OEM look.  U.V. protection package. Very smooth flow and long-lasting high gloss.

[neil young]

thanks super pasty white guy.....sounds good to me.

[neil young]

alright i finally finished  painting here is some picsthe before po had painted it  i used regular furniture stripper.it worked pretty well.except on the original paint which there wasnt much of

[neil young]

i went with toyota yellow and toyota black

[neil young]

i forgot to mention that the spraymax clear coat looks great.the spray pattern was really good.and the cans are a good size.one can did all the parts with 4 coats each.we will see if gas poses a problem.i filled it up yesterday with extreme care just in case

[neil young]

i can't think of anything else that needs to be done to this bike.so i'm off to Nova Scotia on wed.when i return it's time to strip down my other 550 and  paint the frame black.maybe chop it up a bit and make me a bobber

[B. Alec]

That looks great and leads me to try and hi-jack your thread a bit.  I've read a million step-by-step how-to's about using laquer rattle-cans and two-part catalyzed clear-coats, and sanding til your arm falls off.  I haven't found much step-by-step for enamels, though, so I'm hoping for some advice given the differences between the two.

I stripped and sanded my tank, used a self-etching primer and then a laquer sandable primer.  I then sanded the primer with 1000- and 1500-grit so it was nice and soft, and, knowing it's ok to put enamel over laquer (according to the internet, at least) did three light and one medium coats of white Duplicolor acrylic enamel. 

Some questions for my next steps, given that I'd like to see the most gas-resistant rattle-can job I can get for under $100.  I'm using enamel because what I've read here indicated it's more durable than laquer.

1. I have a couple of drips in the color coat.  Should I sand those out before the clear-coat?  If so, should I follow up with another color coat even assuming I haven't sanded too far down?

2. Should I sand the color coat smooth before the clear-coat or leave it with orange-peel knowing the clear will take care of it?

3. I'd like to try the SprayMax clear, since it sounds like it might be more resistant than my alternative, Duplicolor Engine Enamel Clear. I couldn't tell from their website if it's compatible with enamel, and all the testimonials I've seen are from laquer-uses.  Anybody know if I'm ok using this on enamel?

4. I'd love to add a couple different color stripes.  The last time I used masking tape for a spray job, the overspray sort of melted the paint I was trying to mask off.  Any suggestions on a good masking tape or a better way to avoid this?

[neil young]

That looks great and leads me to try and hi-jack your thread a bit.  I've read a million step-by-step how-to's about using laquer rattle-cans and two-part catalyzed clear-coats, and sanding til your arm falls off.  I haven't found much step-by-step for enamels, though, so I'm hoping for some advice given the differences between the two.

I stripped and sanded my tank, used a self-etching primer and then a laquer sandable primer.  I then sanded the primer with 1000- and 1500-grit so it was nice and soft, and, knowing it's ok to put enamel over laquer (according to the internet, at least) did three light and one medium coats of white Duplicolor acrylic enamel. 

Some questions for my next steps, given that I'd like to see the most gas-resistant rattle-can job I can get for under $100.  I'm using enamel because what I've read here indicated it's more durable than laquer.

1. I have a couple of drips in the color coat.  Should I sand those out before the clear-coat?  If so, should I follow up with another color coat even assuming I haven't sanded too far down?

2. Should I sand the color coat smooth before the clear-coat or leave it with orange-peel knowing the clear will take care of it?

3. I'd like to try the SprayMax clear, since it sounds like it might be more resistant than my alternative, Duplicolor Engine Enamel Clear. I couldn't tell from their website if it's compatible with enamel, and all the testimonials I've seen are from laquer-uses.  Anybody know if I'm ok using this on enamel?

4. I'd love to add a couple different color stripes.  The last time I used masking tape for a spray job, the overspray sort of melted the paint I was trying to mask off.  Any suggestions on a good masking tape or a better way to avoid this?

first off i used dupli color paint and primer.barely had to sand at all.i had a few small spots that required wet sanding from trying to use every bit of paint in the can(last bit spatters rather than spray).i used lacquer(looks and feels good)a buddy of mine at work who does quite a bit of body work was impressed(he uses a paint gun).mask all you want the darker color will bleed through.i had to buy 1/4" black pin stripping to get a hard edge (worked great)i used green auto tape(not the actual name)and no matter how much i made sure the edges were pressed down it still seeped past(this was the longest part of the project)take the tape off cry a bit retape spray yellow remove tape cry a bit retape paint black(you get the idea)just buy pin stripping and apply at the end.as for the orange peel look wet sand the crap out of it(i didnt have this problem at all)i read a few times that if you paint in a low humid condition you won't get this effect.so i painted only when it was hot and dry.after you WET sand the drips apply another coat of paint.i did about four coats on the tank (i figured more the better)if you pinstrip buy two cans of the spraymax.i'm going away for a week and when i return i'm doing a few more coats to smooth everything out(pinstipping is high)so you can feel it when you run your hand over the area i applied it

[B. Alec]

Thanks for the help!  The masking advice is good.  I'm still curious as to the procedural differences between laquer and enamel, given the long drying-time needed between coats [the can says wait 7 days if you've let it sit for an hour already].   

The plan is to:

1. Wet-sand out the drips and orange peel, as you say, then do one more color coat - and not sand this last coat at all.
2. Wait seven days, then mask off the white and paint on a stripe or two.
3. Then wait seven more days, apply pinstripe decals to the edges of the stripe(s) to get the cleanest line edge possible.
4. Clear-coat with Spraymax. 

Anybody with enamel/Spraymax experience suggest changes?

Thanks!

[kayaker43]

Spray Max comes in a few other flavors including 2 part primer,.. unfortunately, no colors.

You can get them all here:

http://www.tooltopia.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=37014

[Peterbylt]

I posted this one a while back but it fit this thread so I will post it again.

Just as an experiment I tried using a Minwax Spar Exterior polyurethane clear coat out of a spray can that I had purchased at Home Depot on my gas tank and side covers.
 
I know it is supposed to be used as a finish on wood but I tried it anyway.
 
I applied it over a base coat of blue metal flake Dupli-color Lacquer that I had applied a couple of months earlier.
Even with buffing and polishing the lacquer was quite dull and never looked very good.

The results were Quite spectacular and the finish came out very glossy and deep looking. As an added bonus its gas proof.
 
Currently the finish is 8 months old and I have had a couple of spots bubble in the clearcoat where I did not clean and prepare the lacquer underneath good enough. Truthfully I did next to nothing to prepare the lacquer except wash it. If I were to do it again I would clean it with mineral spirits to remove the old wax.
 
When I was spraying on the the polyurethane it would not go on evenly, it ran and puddled badly.
Frustrated I went up to the Home Depot to get some solvent to remove it. When I came back much to my surprise it had smoothed and leveled itself out and hardened nicely.

With the appropriate preparation I think this could work out very nicely.

Before Clear Coat


After Clear Coat

[neil young]

alright the results are in....i went to a full serve gas station today.the gas jockey was an idiot.i unlocked the lid and started to take my helmit off when this twit starts to remove the cap.he dosnt realise there is a spot to set the cap into.when i start to reach for the cap he casually drops it onto the side of my tank  :'(fortunatly no chips or damage );Dthen when i tell him im going to do the filling he spills gas (not a lot but enough)on said tank.well the sraymax clear did what i had hoped for all along.after wiping the tank off the clear did not smear.checked it a few hours later,it looks good.$20.00 bucks a can is worth every penny

[Terry in Australia]

Nice work Neil, I like the yellow, but I'm not sure about the stripe though. (just my opinion, but) Every time I see your name I think about the old "After the Gold Rush" album, hell, you even look a little like your namesake did back in the seventies, ha ha! Cheers, Terry.