Topic: Rattlecan Spray Job

[quidger]

I am spraying tank, side covers and head lamp clam shell with Rustoleum. I am going to bake the paint on with a heat gun. How much heat do you think that the plastic side covers and head lamp shell can take before they would melt or distort.

I'm thinking that I would have to keep the heat under 300 degrees to be on the safe side.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

[Alan F.]

I'd say temps inside the headlight shell and or side covers with the bike warmed up and idling, with the headlight on, in direct sunlight, on a hot day.......could possibly reach 130 degrees F momentarily until the bike gets moving again, then things quickly cool back down to ambient or below.  I'd say 100F would be fine for plastic parts, and 200F for metal parts would be fine to bake the paint on.

300F would probably begin to distort the plastic.

Personally I've had good results  curing painted parts closed up in a carboard box with a 150 watt spotlight bulb in a drop-light dangling inside a 4 inch round openning at the top of the box.
-Alan

[Honda_Nut]

When it looks like what you want, go to a good paint shop and get one of those aerosol kits and mix up some 2-part clear ureathane (sp). No paint is really gas resistant unless it cures via a 2 part chemical reaction. Baking it on really won't do anything more than letting it dry in the sun for a week.

[Terry in Australia]

If I was an argumentative type, I'd remind the previous poster that 2 part urethane paints are relatively new, and laquer based paint was used from the 1920's to the 1990's with excellent "fuel resistant" properties, and are far less harmful to your health than 2 pack paints which contain some serious carcinogens, that will kill you dead, if you don't wear not only a good quality mask, but head to toe protection, as this stuff can also be absorbed into your skin. Also, 2 pack is a thick heavy bodied paint, and those little aerosol kits wouldn't have enough pressure (50 plus PSI) to adequately atomize it. 

I don't know how good (or how safe) Rustoleum paint is, but unless it's an automotive paint, I'd recommend against it, unless you've seen some really good results with it. I've got a big compressor and every type of gun imaginable, but I've had really good results (like my June BOTM winning K2) with automotive laquer rattle cans. Don't heat anything more than room temps, it won't help, but it will hurt. Most paint needs to "flow out" and it can't do that if you're applying heat, especially with a (cringe) heat gun. Cheers, Terry.  

[hondaface75]

Yes, auto sprays cans and not the rustoleum. It holds up for a while, but the finish isnt as good, you cant wet sand it to save your life, and it chips way easy. Trust me I know. Spring for the more expensive auto paint, in the end youll be happier

This is auto,


Rusto,


These are both painted in a less than desirable garage, and the best prep I could do at the time. I dont have a picture of all the chips in the red one or the way the paint peeled right off not too long afterwards.