Topic: rattlecanning my project, please review my plan and comment

[drdreas]

Hi All,

I've been working on my cafe project for some time, and have been scouring posts on tips for my up coming rattlecan paint job. I've got the tank all stripped and cleaned, here's a pic near the end of the cleaning progress:


I've decided to rattlecan tank, cafe seat and side covers in gloss black and do a racing stripe/pinstripes in cream/off-white. I'll then clear the whole thing in Spraymax 2 part urethane clear.  Here's the paint I've picked up in the order I'll apply them:

Rustoleum Etching Primer
Rustoleum Sandable primer
Duplicolor SUV/Truck Lacquer paint - Wimbledon White for the racing stripe
Rustoleum General Purpose enamel - Gloss Black
Spraymax 2k Urethane Clearcoat

All spray cans.

I've never painted stripes, so my plan was after priming, to lay the white down in the center of the tank only, let the lacquer cure, then mask off the center stripe and the two pinstripes on either side. Then apply the gloss black enamel over this in several coats, remove masking tape, let cure. Wetsand, then apply clearcoat, let cure. Polish.


Please let me know how this plan sounds. I know It would be better to use Rustoleum enamel for the white, but I couldnt find the color I wanted, and I read that enamel over lacquer should be fine. Also, am I painting the stripes correctly? I could shoot the entire tank/seat black, then mask and spray an enamel white, but it seems to make sense to pain the black over the white.

Comments/feedback appreciated.


Thanks 

[Juice!]

Sounds like a good plan. I'd be interested to see what the final product turns out like.

[ekpent]

I am not a rattlecan fan but the one thing I could suggest would be to  test on an item other than your tank ?  and make sure that all of the products you use are compatable with each other and they do not react upon each other. Also you may experience what they call "fish-eye" which is silicone on the metal,which is hard to eliminate, in a spray can  it is hard to deal with,but can be dealt with with additives from a spray gun..Good Luck with it.

[drdreas]

Thanks for the feedback. Does the proposed plan for doing the racing stripe sound reasonable? Is this the common way to paint a white stripe on black base?

Thanks

[DavePhipps]

Don't use the Rustoleum with the Duplicolor. I did that and my paint started cracking after 6 months. Use the same brand primer as paint to insure compatability. Also get a buffer. It does wonders for polishing the clear coat.
Alternately go a cheap auto parts store and get sprayer and use some polyurethane paint. That's what I'm going to do with my next paint job. I already have access to an aircompressor so it should be easy.

[736cc]

Rattlecan flat black always comes out perfect

[jamesb]

if your going to do a spray bomb job make sure you stick with the same product. duplicolor will not get along with most other paints. i know this fist hand especialy the clear coat.if your going to spend the money on spray can you might want to look into single stage enamel i have 30.00 in my paint and it is very easy to spray. but then this tank was sprayed with duplicolor. my son did this for his cb350 bobber i'm building him

[Ernest]

I think your plan sounds good but IMO you need a spray gun to at least do the clear.  I've used an inexpensive gun at my local harbor freight and put a dozen or more clear coats inbetween wet sanding.  I've never seen a rattlecan job that didn't have that orange peel texture, you need a gun to lay on more paint.

the etching and primer sound good, I think the appliance black paint goes on thick enough to prevent some orange peel, then wet sand the hell out of each layer starting mostly at the priming stage.  the spray gun clear coats go on much thicker and consistent.  Wet sand between each clear coat and put on at least a dozen.  Your local auto parts carries clear in a larger can with lid.

if you do enough clear coats over actual pin striping tape you could make it all seamless and a much cleaner line than masking.

[Achmed]

if your going to do a spray bomb job make sure you stick with the same product. duplicolor will not get along with most other paints. i know this fist hand especialy the clear coat.if your going to spend the money on spray can you might want to look into single stage enamel i have 30.00 in my paint and it is very easy to spray. but then this tank was sprayed with duplicolor. my son did this for his cb350 bobber i'm building him

Is he gay or what? Wait am I not supposed to talk like that? Seriously, that looks pretty cool, except for the flowers and #$%*. Skulls, swords, flames, destruction, arrrrrrgggghhhhh!

[B.O.X.N.I.F.E.]

if your going to do a spray bomb job make sure you stick with the same product. duplicolor will not get along with most other paints. i know this fist hand especialy the clear coat.if your going to spend the money on spray can you might want to look into single stage enamel i have 30.00 in my paint and it is very easy to spray. but then this tank was sprayed with duplicolor. my son did this for his cb350 bobber i'm building him

Is he gay or what? Wait am I not supposed to talk like that? Seriously, that looks pretty cool, except for the flowers and #$%*. Skulls, swords, flames, destruction, arrrrrrgggghhhhh!

Yeah, paint something more masculine on there. Maybe a beautiful mountain goat with a flowing mane...

Looks like a 70's chopper to me. Nice.

[Frankenkit]

just bear in mind that rattlecan paint isn't gas resistant so you'll have to be really careful about drips.

[mlinder]

just bear in mind that rattlecan paint isn't gas resistant so you'll have to be really careful about drips.

The two part spraymax clear he's putting on is fuel resistant, from what I gather, Kit. How was your 4th?

[Johnny5]

If the paint is not a metallic, you can always wetsand to knock down any orange peel. Same goes for the clear coat. Put on a couple extra coats to give some "play room" to wetsand smooth. Then polish to a nice shine. I highly recommend Meg's Diamond Cut 2.0.

[Alan F.]

If the paint is not a metallic, you can always wetsand to knock down any orange peel. Same goes for the clear coat. Put on a couple extra coats to give some "play room" to wetsand smooth. Then polish to a nice shine. I highly recommend Meg's Diamond Cut 2.0.

Yeah if you wetsand metallic colors you risk exposing the next layer, and they won't blend at all, there will be a 'ring' where you've broken through to the next layer...
I've read a little about the Spraymax paint, but that member was somewhere east of the atlantic. 

Would you mind sharing where you found Spraymax in the Boston area?
-Alan

[cafe2be]

I agree with 754. Flat or satin is easy to do and comes out great. Just did mine with Rustoleum fuel resitant paint. I layed my gold leaf stripe ontop of my satin black.

[jcslocum]

Check out this info here:  http://www.thegsresources.com/garage/gs_repaint.htm

I have no idea about the strip. It seems like the right way to go.

[IHWillys]

I can't speak as to the compatibility of the paint types but your plan for the stripes is fine.  Just keep in mind that you'll want to do as thin a layer as possible of the black where the stripe masking is in place.  The paint will "stack up" right next to the tape and you'll end up with ridges there.  I've rattle canned a three stripe job on a seat cowl using red on white and it turned out good and it's been there for about 15 years now.  I also rattle canned the tank/seat/side covers/fender on my XS650 over ten years ago and it's all still in good condition.  Just basic Rustoleum black from the hardware store.  But these were not my first attempts either.

You'll get some conflicting advice and opinions on paint.  

I do good base prep and for color I spray just a few coats with no wet sending between, following the specs on the can as to how long to wait between coats(can should have "respray within X minutes or wait X hours" type language on it, try to respray at the 'X minutes' point but no big deal if you have to wait).  

My experience with rattle cans is that a good coat is a heavy one.  It needs to be just shy of sags/runs to have it flow out smoothly.  Even then, when it's all nice and dry(like weeks later minimum) I do a pretty thorough polishing job to get a better smooth appearance and shine.  It's not knock-your-socks-off greatness here but a good solid job that does last.

Unfortunately for your plan, thick coats conflicts with the desire to make the masked stripe area as thin as you can.  Make some test pieces and spend some time figuring out what works for you.  Also, get actual paint masking tape not the usual masking tape.  However, I have had good luck with the black "electrician's" tape that has been allowed to relax before application.  Also experiment on when to pull the tape off and how.  The thin stripes don't let you pull the tape off to the  "inside" because the paint lines on either side of the tape.

I'ts been a few years since I've done one of these but I did many of them in the past using rattlecans.  Also, while I have no experience with it, I think your plan for using the 2-part urethane from the rattle can is excellent .  I intend to use this stuff the next time I do this as I think it'll allow for a better end product in both appearance and durability.

Last, not a great pic to show the paint but here's the XS650 job I did back in 1997 which still looks good today.  A good friend is currently using this bike as his commuter down in Denver.


Ken

[captaincrash80]

Here's another link that may be helpful:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/harley_paintin.htm

[Johnny5]

Just out of curiousity, how are you planning on prepping the paint for the clearcoat?

[greenjeans]

For your striping plan....   I'd paint the whole thing black, and then tape off for the racing stripes.
If you are near a sign shop, stop by and see if they have any "low-tack" vinyl - it's made for paint masking.
A good vinyl tape will get you a much cleaner line than a masking tape.

Not sure about the different paints and compatability, BUT, I'd do all the priming, let that dry for a while and wet sand for a smooth finish, then I'd do the entire tank black and let that sit as long as your patience will hold up so that it is good and cured. (Rustoleum is pretty good stuff if cured thoroughly)  Then scuff the entire surface with some 600 and lay out your stripes.

[jamesb]

Is he gay or what? Wait am I not supposed to talk like that? Seriously, that looks pretty cool, except for the flowers and #$%*. Skulls, swords, flames, destruction, arrrrrrgggghhhhh!
[/quote] 

nah definetly not gay. heck we think the swords,skulls,and flames are gay to many people conform to the everyday ritual of what should be, so why not be different plus it gives it that old school 70's look that we wanted.

[shizzomynizzo]

you will not likely get a perfect edge on the stripes. I would use vinyl and clear over that.

Just my 2 cents

[Frankenkit]

I think it's really hot. 

[drdreas]

Thanks for the comments. I ordered the SprayMax from an online distributor http://www.repaintsupply.com

It's fuel resistant, so I'll be applying it over the basecoats. I planned on letting the black and white cure fully, wetsanding it, then applying the clear.

It seems there is some uncertainty as to the best procedure for applying the white striping. Should this be applied under the black or over? There must be a superior method in order to achieve a clean and sharp stripe. Any more comments?

Thanks

[NickC]

here's my rattlecan job



It probably would have came out much nicer if i really took my time on it. I hurried through it though, because I'm impatient and nothing close to a perfectionist.