Author Topic: New paint... for the tank  (Read 1006 times)

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Offline dboblet

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New paint... for the tank
« on: May 11, 2008, 12:11:58 PM »
OK, I'm a cheap sob and I don't have access to a sprayer... I'm thinking (well um... past the thinking part and that may be part of the problem... hold while I pop open another beer).. ah that's better.  Anyway I'm planning on using a spray paint from a can (oh god... I can hear a bevie of groans coming through the internets) and baking it in the ol' oven (after I chase out the trouble and strife for the evening and open all the windows....).... oh yeah... I'll make sure it's fuel free and dry first (hmmm having remembered to empty and dry the tank inside, maybe it's time for another beer... seem to be thinking way to clearly here)...

So the question... uh... the question.... darn.. I'm sure there was a question... um... oh yeah, the paint... and gas.  Having baked the paint, will it be more fuel resistant when I get sloppy at the pumps?

darn, got the question out at last... now for that beer......
No matter where you go, there you are.

Offline eurban

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Re: New paint... for the tank
« Reply #1 on: May 11, 2008, 01:32:11 PM »
Go to the "tricks and tips" section and read Terry's thread on his rattle can paint job.  Looks like it came out very nice!

Offline ProTeal55

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Re: New paint... for the tank
« Reply #2 on: May 11, 2008, 01:55:27 PM »
Line-x it  ;D
Joe a.k.a ProTeal55 a.k.a JoeyCocks a.k.a Maker of Friends

Offline dustyc

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Re: New paint... for the tank
« Reply #3 on: May 11, 2008, 02:41:56 PM »
I haven't done it, so I can't give first hand info, but I don't think it will do anything to make the paint harder, more gas resistant or anything like that.  It just doesn't make sense that it would. 

I'm all for experimenting, so I would say give it a try except for the danger of putting a gas tank in an oven and putting paint that is still gassing off in an oven.  To me, that sounds like a recipe for disaster.  I'd make sure your homeowner's insurance covers it, and I'd have the fire department on speed dial.  If you do it, make sure you're plenty drunk so you can blame it on the alcohol.  ;)

When you read Terry's post, note that he used etching primer, acrylic lacquer in a can with a 2 part clear coat, not just krylon or rustoleum.  I'd guess it wasn't a cheap rattle can job.
1977 CB750

okie

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Re: New paint... for the tank
« Reply #4 on: May 11, 2008, 02:57:18 PM »
I'm really tired of seeing all of the negative attitudes about rattle can paint jobs.   Obviously, Terry did a good job.  The attached photo is a T-Bucket I did with rattle-can paint at home in my dirty old garage.  Yes, it was DupliColor and yes, it has a LOT of clearcoat.  Obviously, I didn't bake it in n oven.  :)  This car was in a show with more than 1200 other cars and I still have the Top-10 trophy it was awarded.  Daryl Starbird thinks rattle-can paint is good enough for a trophy in his show so I don't think I(or anyone else) need(s) to apologize for using rattle-can on a motorcycle.   :D :D :D

Offline Johnie

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Re: New paint... for the tank
« Reply #5 on: May 11, 2008, 03:18:04 PM »
Very nice Okie...I like the rod!!!
1970 CB750K0 - Candy Ruby Red
1973 CB750K3 - Candy Bacchus Olive or Sunflake Orange
1970 Chevy Chevelle SS396 - Cortez Silver
1976 GL1000 Sulphur Yellow

Oshkosh, WI  USA

okie

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Re: New paint... for the tank
« Reply #6 on: May 11, 2008, 04:17:14 PM »
Thanks, Johnie.  Lemme' tell you, you can have a several very nice bikes for the cost of building the simplest of street rods.  Street rods used to be fun, but they have become a contest of who can spend the most money.  And, I sometimes don't loose money on motorcycles. ;) ;)  The only toy I've had that was a worse 'investment' than street rods was a boat. 

Back on topic, rattle-can painters of the world, UNITE!!!!!  Don't let anybody tell you it can't be done, and done well.  Anyone who knows will tell you, the secret is in the preparation.  And MY secret is in letting it cure well and then buffing it out with a foam pad on a drill.  Instead of regular compound, use 3M Fiberglass Restorer from the sporting goods department at WalMart.  It's MAGIC.

Offline TwoTired

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Re: New paint... for the tank
« Reply #7 on: May 11, 2008, 05:31:11 PM »
Unless you have a rattle can that is a two part catalysed paint, (We won't talk about those in this discussion.) they all cure by out-gassing the solvents that make the paint fluid enough for spraying/atomizing.  This leaves a layer of "solids" behind that we see as a painted surface.
Drying paint does so from the outside in.  The film can be thin and dry to touch on the outside yet be uncured inside.  It is still out-gassing through the thin outer "dry" layer and does so ever more slowly as the paint dries than as the outer layer gets thicker, making it more difficult to release the innermost solvents.  The thicker the paint , the longer the process takes. The out-gassing process is accelerated with heat.  This reduces the time for a more complete solidifying of the paint layers, as the solvents become more volatile and apt to migrate through the outer layers of drying paint.

Fuel is a solvent.  So, if you soften that outer layer while the inner still has trapped solvents, large amounts of paint can be wiped off in panic.  So, don't panic and wipe off spilled gas.  Let it evaporate and allow the paint to re-harden. (assumes an advanced state of paint "dryness".

Still, some paint "solids" are less apt to suspend in a gasoline solvent than others.  The EPA is on a mission to deprive the average consumer of any solvent that is very aggressive. (These can travel through skin and alveoli more readily and put toxins into the bloodstream).  Paint blended with very aggressive solvents, is much tougher after the cure than those with weak solvents, because it takes aggressive solvents to suspend these solids.  Many modern rattle can paints are blended with mild solvents.  And, this makes the solidified paint more easily attacked by whatever solvents it comes in contact with, after the cure.

Using a kitchen oven that will later be used for food, is blatantly stupid and irresponsible.  The out-gassed paint solvents deposit onto oven walls, and later become incorporated into the food prepared in there.  If you wish to ingest these known carcinogens, make that decision for yourself.  But, don't foist your decision onto those around you without their expressed agreement.  If you wish to poison or induce cancer in those you reside with, then don't expect any sympathy or remorse from others when you are found with a hatchet lodged in your forehead.  I would accept the self defense plea as justified, from the hatchet wielder.

I rattle canned a full sized airplane many years ago in a beautiful Metallic Blue. Few believed it was done in such a way by the look of the finished product.  It really looked great for about 6 Months.  After that, the California sun began breaking down the solid binders. It began to chalk and a year later you could literally wipe the paint off as a blue powder in all but the places where the the sun couldn't reach.  This was rattle can paint I found in auto stores intended for touch ups.  If I had kept the plane in a hangar out of the sun, I expect it would still be beautiful to this day.  I don't know of any auto touch up rattle can paints that have the UV blockers needed to withstand the sun and elements for any length of time.

Terry's 2 part catalyzed clear coat is a good protecting outer layer for such paint.  But, that wasn't from a rattle can, either.  And, 2 part paints have personal safety issues that should be studied and addressed before implementation.

Cheers,

Lloyd... (SOHC4 #11 Original Mail List)
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