Topic: PAINTING WITH AEROSOL CANS 101

[bjb87gta]

I have seen a few posts on the board about painting, usually with spray cans. I am not an expert, but I have painted everything from model cars when I was 8 with a spray can, to spending over 25 years in the body shop business, painting cars and selling paint. I too have used a few rattle cans, and have made similar mistakes and have had the same issuses as some of you have posted here. Hopefully some of these tips will make things go a bit smoother for those who attempt some painting.

Most aerosol paints work OK, but a couple of things to look for when picking out your paint:

1 - Look at the directions. If you need to do all your painting within a certian amount of time, or wait to recoat, find something else. These are enamel type paints, and can have wrinkling issues when you apply your clear, and ruin all you efforts. If you are painting a kickstand, this type of paint will work fine.

2 - When looking for your paint, go to an automotive or auto body supply store and go for the actual "color of the car" paint in a spray can. These are usually a lacquer base type of paint, and dry fast, and can be sanded easily if you have a boo-boo.

3 - Some auto body supply stores also have the ability to custom make spray cans for you. This method is the most expensive, but will give you the best results. Pick out your color, and have them make it in a basecoat form, and put it in the spray can for you. This is just like the body shops spray, but now you have it in a spray can.
 
4 - If you want to go one step further, use a Preval Sprayer. It is basically a disposable spray gun. www.preval.com  You can use about any product through them and get very nice results. You may however, need to thin some paints more than the instructions say. The nice thing about these, is it gives you the ability to use any 2 part clear or color that is fuel and scratch resistant.

5 - If you do the spray can method, ALWAYS DO A TEST PANEL OF EXACTLY WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING ON YOUR BIKE! It is better to screw up a old piece of tin and toss it in the trash instead of stripping the paint off of your tank and covers.

Hope this helps someone out there.

[Alan F.]

Good tips, maybe place this in the FAQ?

[Stev-o]

I've also read to use lacquer paint, I bought some from the big box orange store. Plan to use it on my kickstand! [Why would you want to use enamel on that?]

[phrige]

That Preval Sprayer looks really interesting.. Definitely a great solution to get higher end results.

[bjb87gta]

Some spray paints that have a rust inhibitor are enamel base, so it might be best to use it on a rusty battery box, kick stand, etc. They also have better adhesion than a lacquer based paint.

[paulages]

i've had great luck with the Preval sprayer. unless i'm spraying a car or something else really large, i'll likely not use my spray gun ever again. for motorcycle body work, one aerosol top works for the whole project.

[grumburg]

Have had very professional results with aerosol sprays. Have learned several things:

1) Have an auto paint shop mix professional paint. I usually use DuPont Chroma base with their recommend clear. A pint of paint will make 4 cans for about $70, including the aerosol. Enough to paint 2 bikes.  Since there is no waste, that more than offsets the price of the cans. You always have to mix more than you need when using a gun.

2) Aerosols don't spray as heavy as a gun, so you will need more coats.

3) Aerosols are more apt to blush, so be sure humidity is under 60-65%

4) Use a full, or nearly full, can for the final coat. Near empty cans cause splattery spray and orange peel.