Topic: Interlux Boat paint- nice!

[Magpie]

Hi guys!
There was a thread about frame prep and painting using Interlux boat paint. Since I'm about to do my frame I thought I'd try it - it's very good! I experimented on a oil tank and swing arm, very liitle prep, a slap dash job with a foam brush and it came out SHINY BLACK. There's a bunch of dust particles etc but the finish is something else. it says to sand with 320 between coats, use 2-3 coats. I'm sold. I don't have anywhere to do good spray jobs on large pieces so it's brush and Interlux time. Here's some pics. What looks like a run on the left part of the oil tank is the reflection of the npower wires to my house.
Cliff.

[fuzzybutt]

wow, i'm impressed. wonder if i can paint my tins with the stuff? how expensive was it?

[BeSeeingYou]

Did you use Brightside, Toplac , or the two part Interthane?  I have used all of these on boats over the years.  You can also add a flattening agent to get varying degrees of a satin or flat finish that gives a much nicer finish than your typical flat paint.  Interthane is the most durable, hardest finish and will retain it's gloss the longest but requires a bit more finesse when applying.  They are all self leveling and can be brushed on with good results.  They can also be sprayed.  It is easier to touch up the one part paints Brightside and Toplac.  Given that they  are intended for marine use where they are exposed to the elements 24/7 365 days a year the less durable one part paints should provide long service life in a more sheltered application.  If using Interthane you do not sand between coats but have to apply the second coat within a certain time window as it relies on a chemical reaction for curing.  The others you sand between coats.

[Magpie]

I used the Brightside, about $13. for 1/2 pint to experiment with. it seems to go a long way. Very little odour too. I like it.
Cliff.

[BeSeeingYou]

I should also add that for best results each paint has it's own brushing/thinning agent and they can be thinned slightly for best layout according to temp. and humidity.  This takes a little experience but you can get very good results just out of the can too.  This is more critical for the two part Interthane.

[fuzzybutt]

i think i might try it, dont suppose you know if it's fuel resistant? thats the problem with the automotive paint on my tank and side covers now, it's sold as an automotive paint but it resists fuel like melted butter resists a hot knife 

[BeSeeingYou]

It is a little vague  on the one part paint Brightside.  It lists it as resistant to chemicals.  The two part paint, now called Perfection, Interthane being the old name, is listed as being resistant to chemicals and fuel.

[hymodyne]

I use brightside  on my boat and am very pleased with the results. I do however, also wonder about the fuelproof characteristics of such a paint since it is designed to be used in a setting where fuel, while not absent is less of a concern than on our bikes.

hym

[Magpie]

I also painted an old swing arm so I'll dump some gas on it today, see what happens and report back.
Cheers,
Cliff.

[Geeto67]

I love interlux brightside (I think I was the one who recommended it in the frame post). Between that and Rustoleum out of the brush on can they are awesome.

Forget the 320 grit sandpaper. Start with 600 between coats wetsanding and move to 800. Your last coat use 1000-1200 wet and polish - it will be like glass. Best part? if you chip it or scratch it, sand and reapply, sand polish and it will be like nothing ever happened.

The Rustoleum "Stops Rust" is EXTREEMELY fuel resistant (not totally proof but I have yet to have anything hurt it). Mix it in an 80%/20% ratio (80% paint, 20% mineral spirits thinner) and brush on. Takes three times as many coats as the interlux and twice as much sanding but it works and looks great. Really you need to put on like 6 coats when you thin it like this but it is the only way to get it to self level. I have had good success with laying the first coat on straight out of the can with a fine foam trim roller, sanding with a block and then putting the rest of the coats on thinned out but you have to be careful not to sand too much and break through the paint, otherwise it will show up in later coats.

There are people that paint their whole cars like this BTW.

[Magpie]

GeeTo67,
Yes it was you that posted about the Interlux and that's what got me started on it. Thanks for the tip about the 600 grit to start the sanding with! I may also have to do my boat hull now.
Cheers,
Cliff.

[jumpjg]

Fine results on your oil tank Cliff! Was that one coat? Did you use any thinner or was that straight out of the can? Please let us know about the fuel susceptibility test on your swingarm.

Geeto67, do you have a feel for what sort of drying time is required prior to wet sanding between coats?

Any thoughts on  painted stripes vice oem-style decals ('77 CB750F)? 

I'm at the point in my rebuild that I need to start planning for paint - I hate this part. I always find myself looking for somebody to paint my stuff & it ends up costing too much, taking too long, and lots of times I'm not totally satisfied. This looks like an option that puts me in control, that is not too difficult, and doesn't require a "Moon Suit" to prevent neurological damage. Thanks for your help.

Joe in St Louis

[cb750fbomb]

I wonder how this would work out on a gas tank with my no paint skills having @ss? That glassy finish is NICE.

[Geeto67]

Drying time depends. Curing time is also important.

For the brightside I usually give it 24 hours. When my garage was actually part of my house, I used to get up super early in the am, wetsand, roll on the paint, then take a shower and go to work. Repeat the next day. Start on a monday and for about an hour and a half extra time in the morning by friday I would have nicely painted parts. Now that I live in brooklyn and the garage with my painting supplies is in Queens I have to wait till the weekends to do it. Curing takes about a month (rustoleum takes about a month and a half) so after your final polish you can use the parts but no waxing for at least 30 days. this is pretty much true of professionally painted parts also so it is not a big deal.

For the rustolem, when I lay on that first thick coat I give it about a week and then back to the 24 hour rule for the thinned rollered paint coats. Since I usualy do about 8 coats of the rustoleum I end up going up to 1500 or 2000 grit sand paper (usually just to take the dust and junk out at the end - by the 4th coat if you have been sanding between coats the paint should be fairly orange peel free).
Rustoleum makes a clear you can use over their paints but you must scuff you top layer and then spray on a good 3-4 coats sanding in between. I know this sounds like a lot of coats but really the paint is so thin that you can see the base coat through the first three. If you have a tank with a lot of body filler in spots and you are using a color like black you may even want to do more coats than 8 (you have to play it by feel and ear - remember the more prep work you put in the better it comes out, the paint is just a covering).

The final thing I learned is that while brightside is tons easier to work with and requires less coats to produce an even shine - it prefers to be rolled over a coating or primer than bare metal. Even the old paint is preferable. Freshly blasted pieces you may want to consider laying down a primer coat. If you have a a tank with old paint and scratches you are good to go, if 50% of the bare metal is exposed then you should to primer.

With rustoleum, the stuff loves bare metal. It is a rust paint so it lives for bare metal. It doesn't really care what it is put on top of however and is really really fuel resistant.

[Magpie]

I think I'm going to thin the Brightside a bit, it's cooler in my garage and it's not flowing to an even surface that I like. It sure is glossy though! I wanted to improve the finish on the oil tank. It should look spectacular on my frame. I'm trying an expensive 1" brush rather than the foam brush. I'll report back with that.

Gas test. I poured a bunch of gas on a swingarm with one coat of Brightside black and left it outside for a couple of hours then wiped it with a white microfibre cloth - no paint transfer or paint deterioration that I saw. Looks good!

Cheers,
Cliff.

[Flying J]

Where do you buy it? WestMarine?

[Magpie]

Yes, but it more $'s there than a local hardware store, Capital Iron, however the clerk at WestMarine knew more about it.
Cliff.

[Accolay]

Do you think you'll bother with some type of clear coat? I'm looking at the Interlux web site and it doesn't look like they sell a clear coat. Unnecessary?

[Magpie]

The black is so glossy and deep I think a clear coat is unnecessary.
Cliff.

[Geeto67]

the brightside paint is a single stage polyeurthane paint. It does not require a clear coat.

If you have ever had a car painted by MAACO or Earl Scheib, the Supreme Service at Macco (second highest finish in quality) or the Gold Package at Earl Scheib is a single stage Poly, not all that much different from the Brightside (I think the MAACO paint is actually a cheaper made paint and not as durable).

Interestingly enough the lesser paint services use a single stage enamel, which is basically what rattle can paint is. The Rustoleum "Stops Rust" paint is probably leaps and bounds better.

[jumpjg]

Where do you buy it? WestMarine?

The price I saw for Interlux Brightside black at West Marine was upwards of $42/qt. I ordered a quart of from Jamestown Distributors (http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=64&familyName=Interlux+-+Brightside+Polyurethane), along with a pint of the special 216 thinner and some fine line 1/4" masking tape. Paint = $26.99; thinner = $11.85; tape = $13.02; shipping = $11.00; total = $62.86.

A half pint of paint might have been enough but I'm thinking I might play around with spraying, and I have other bikes to do.

[Johnny5]

I had to repaint my tank a couple months ago cause I dropped a wrench on the new paint job. I didnt have enough money to buy the PPG paint so I ended up using Interlux brightside. I applied three medium coats with my paint gun, then wetsanded with 2000 grit, buffed and polished. It takes a while to cure. But just this morning I dropped a key from about 2 feet (not on purpose) onto the tank. I thought for sure there'd be a scratch or ding. Nothing. Paint is hard as nails. I also did a fuel test on a seperate painted piece. I let the gas sit on the paint for about a half hour. I then wiped it off with a paper towel. No effects.




Can you tell the difference from the sidecovers (PPG) and the tank (Interlux) ?

[IHWillys]

...
Can you tell the difference from the sidecovers (PPG) and the tank (Interlux) ?

Not from where I'm standing.  Good looking paint, good looking bike. 

Ken