Topic: Rattlecanned Rustoleum Paint Job (Update with Pics of my 750 K4)

[wildcatmahone]

Hey Whatsup all just finished my brand new paint job on my fuel tank using gloss black Rustoleum Professional. I've been following the Rustoleum Moparts thread for awhile and decided it was time to have a go and try it for myself. I worked really hard on it and it come out pretty good!
The method I used is as follows:
-Stripped the f!ck out the old paint
-Applied two light coats of Rustoleum Auto Primer
-Two coats gloss black
-Sanded down with 400 grit wet and dry
-Two coats gloss black
-Sanded with 600 grit wet and dry
-One coat gloss black
-Sanded with 1500 wet and dry
-Buffed out remaining scratches with 3M Rubbing Compound
-Buffed to a high gloss with NuFinish Scratch Doctor
-Applied NuFinish Polish

I wish I started taking some pics from the beginning but here's some after the 2nd coat...



And here's the finished gem





And some close ups

[mlinder]

Looks great!

May want to get a bit of clear, slightly sticky plastic to put on top in the center, so if you spill a little fuel while filling, it won't screw up that really nice job.

Again, looks really great!

[Dave-and-his-550]

VERY nice job! Show us some photos of it on your bike! My tank is the orange that came on the 76 550F and it is now nothing more then a faded flourecent like flat orange  

SO, I might soon try a rattle can job on my tank, I'm thinking a dark silver metallic perhaps  

[Chris Liston]

Looks great, but definitely needs some automotive grade clear cote or the first gas splatter is going to wreck it.  Don't want to see all of your hard work washed away with gas.

[Bob Wessner]

Wildcat, when I think Rustoleum, I think garden chairs and railings. Does the Rustoleum brand also produce fuel resistant auto body paints?

[rbmgf7]

i've seen a few threads of people using the pints and quarts of rustoleum for auto paint jobs. they mix in various thinners and retarders and apply it with a paint roller. when the paint settles, it levels itself into a smooth finish. then, of course comes the sanding and polishing.

i used the professional on my KZ chassis and it's held up to gas and carb cleaner but not so much battery acid (duh). it's been on it for a couple years and held up fine. yeah, i don't knock the rustoleum brand however it is pricey at $4 for a can of primer and nearly the same for the paint. the hammer stuff is quite cool too.

good job on the tank!

[Geeto67]

for some reason the rustoleum "stops rust" paints are more fuel resistant than most of the standard rattle can jobs out there. I wouldn't go dousing the thing in gas but a few drops will not cause it to run or immediatly discolor like other paints. I have used krylon and seen it run like melting snow under fuel - rustoleum doesn't do that.

[wildcatmahone]

Hey thx for the nice comments yeh all in all I'm fairly pleased with the way it turned out.
I was planning to thin it and roll it on like in the Moparts thread but got bored of that idea quick and since I have previous experience in spraying I decided to rattlecan it. I initially was worried that fuel might mess the paint up but found people who have done spot tests with fuel and they concluded that the Rustoleum Stops Rust was fuel-proof. The only one that wasn't was the Rustoleum clear for some reason. The only thing to make sure is that the paint is fully cured or it's gonna give you problems. And that's the only downside is that this stuff takes ages to cure. I eventually went out and got a heat gun and baked the sucker three times at 400 degrees F and now she's tough as nails Guys have painted they're hot rods with this stuff and still holding up after 6+ years which is a good sign though. I also sprayed the Honda emblems which came out great but were a son of a #$%* to get back on flush
That aside I would fully recommend this method if you want to repaint your tank it's cheap with good results just be prepared to do a wee bit of wetsanding to get the paint smooth as butter...
Cheers

wildcat

[Geeto67]

it is a really nice job Jim....now you have an old school paint finish for your old school bike

really however you get the paint on there, the post application work (wetsanding, recoating, wetsanding, etc) is 90% of making it look good.

[Terry in Australia]

I can't see the pics (damn Defence Department Computer doesn't like pic hosting sites) but your avatar pic looks good, so well done!

Some paints are a lot more fuel resistant than others. Back in 1972 I worked at a gas station after school and on weekends, and a guy rode in one day on a brand new Norton Commando 850 he'd just bought, with a glossy black tank.

Being a kid, he wasn't gonna risk letting me fill it, so I handed him the pump and as he was withdrawing the nozzle, he managed to spill a little "super" on his tank, and the paint around the filler immediately crinkled! We both looked at it, in disbelief!

Last time I saw him, he was heading back towards the Norton dealers............... 

[wildcatmahone]

it is a really nice job Jim....now you have an old school paint finish for your old school bike

really however you get the paint on there, the post application work (wetsanding, recoating, wetsanding, etc) is 90% of making it look good.

+1 on the wetsanding part Geeto

Yeh making sure you get a good smooth surface with the wet and dry is very important. I was able to tell how smooth it was because the low spots were a darker shade of black from the rest of the sanded area.  True you can roll it on but spraying you get a smoother finish straight off the bat which means alot less wetsanding  No matter how the rustoleum is applied, the most important thing to remember is to wipe the surface with acetone to get any greasy residue off and use a tack cloth to soak up any remaining dust, cat hairs, dead bugs etc

[Honda!]

I painted my '66 VW bus with tractor enamel(just like rustoleum).  I rolled the top and sprayed the bottom:

Unfortunately, I didn't thin it right, and it still hasn't dried completely almost a year later (disregard the date on the picture)
I am now painting my '71 VW Super Beetle "Kubota Orange" with tractor enamel, and I've spent $10 on paint, and nearly have the whole car painted

Great job man, your tank looks beautiful!

[vrrvroom]

that paint job looks great!  going to do the same to my 78k tank and was just about sold on duplicolor w/spraymax clear but i might give rustoleum a second look for the base.  take a look at spray max 2-part clear to protect that sexy paint job you just did.

www.spraymax.de (there's a link to the english version somewhere on that site)

i've seen some different suggestions of using engine/wheel/hobby clearcoats, but the spraymax product actually sounds like the real deal.

[Bob Wessner]

Unfortunately, I didn't thin it right, and it still hasn't dried completely almost a year later

But it will flex with the body panels. Looks good!

[mystic_1]

that paint job looks great!  going to do the same to my 78k tank and was just about sold on duplicolor w/spraymax clear but i might give rustoleum a second look for the base.  take a look at spray max 2-part clear to protect that sexy paint job you just did.

www.spraymax.de (there's a link to the english version somewhere on that site)

i've seen some different suggestions of using engine/wheel/hobby clearcoats, but the spraymax product actually sounds like the real deal.

Do let us know how it turns out, I'm waiting to hear from someone who has actually used spraymax over other paints before I commit to that path myself.

cheers
mystic_1

[bunghole]

Be very proud of that paintjob.  Looks fantastic for rattle can.  I think I'll follow your technique myself.

[Terry in Australia]

Unfortunately, I didn't thin it right, and it still hasn't dried completely almost a year later

But it will flex with the body panels. Looks good!

And keep the flies off your food! 

[mustangcar]

you can get great results from spraycan paint ,you can clear that enamal paint with urethane + activator clearcoat,you need the clear for even a deeper shine and to protect from fading/gas spills,  uncoated it may resist fuel (which i doubt) but you need the clear for uv protection and better wetsanding results,, looks like you did a great job wetsanding  nice shine ,,if you do decide to clearcoat you need to sand away the gloss with maybe 800 grit for better adhesion

[wildcatmahone]

Ok so I went and got a fill up last weekend for the first time with the new paint job, popped the cap put the pump nozzle (carefully) into the tank and filled her up. While I was taking the nozzle out I spilled about 3-4 drops around the filler cap and to my relief NO shrinking or orange peel and definetely no loss of shine!! Seriously. you really can't mess with Rustoleum it's well tough!! Anyway might do a clear later on down the road but for now as you can imagine I'm very pleased with my job. Just need to find a clear coat that's chemically compatible with the Rustoleum Professional. Cheers for the positive comments!

-Wildcat

P.S. M3 socket head cap screws make excellent replacements to the fuel cap pins just order a little oversize and chop them down and use an acorn nut on the end looks sweet!!

[bunghole]

P.S. M3 socket head cap screws make excellent replacements to the fuel cap pins just order a little oversize and chop them down and use an acorn nut on the end looks sweet!!

Wildcat,

You have a picture of what you are talking about?  Thanks!

[dustyc]

Glad to hear the positive gas report.  Looks good.  More pics. More pics.  I like the look of a buffed single stage.  It's got a vintage look to it.  Not right for our vintage of bikes, but rules are meant to be broken. 

[Honda!]

Unfortunately, I didn't thin it right, and it still hasn't dried completely almost a year later

But it will flex with the body panels. Looks good!

And keep the flies off your food! 

 

[pbbraun]

Great paint job Wildcatmahone.

You said you used a heat gun.  How long did you use it and how do you know it baked at 400 degrees?  Wonder if baking the tank in an oven would work?  I have sealed my tank with Caswell Expoxy Tank Sealer and will check with them on the effect of heat on the sealer.

[Sporkfly]

Really nice job. I think I'll be redoing my tank as soon as I have some cash. For now the paint is just protecting it from rust

[HondaMan]

I can't see the pics (damn Defence Department Computer doesn't like pic hosting sites) but your avatar pic looks good, so well done!

Some paints are a lot more fuel resistant than others. Back in 1972 I worked at a gas station after school and on weekends, and a guy rode in one day on a brand new Norton Commando 850 he'd just bought, with a glossy black tank.

Being a kid, he wasn't gonna risk letting me fill it, so I handed him the pump and as he was withdrawing the nozzle, he managed to spill a little "super" on his tank, and the paint around the filler immediately crinkled! We both looked at it, in disbelief!

Last time I saw him, he was heading back towards the Norton dealers............... 

After I did that same paint (lacquer) with my Superhawk, and made dribbly little green racing stripes in the 4 coats of Sapphire Blue, I learned about the clear coat that would protect it from the gas. Just learned about it in the wrong order.