Topic: Handlebar switch painting question

[jsaab2748]

I discovered  paint in a rattle can called "Trim Black" that body shops use. It's a nearly dead on match to the finish of a factory new switch. I scuffed the switch housing halves with a red scotchbrite pad and painted. Let em dry for a month. Noticed yesterday that they are flaking after handling. Problem has to be in the prep. Didn't have a magnet to see if they're aluminum, and that may matter, but any suggestions? I'm lost when painting   Thanks ...jim

[mrbreeze]

Thats one of my ongoing projects right now so I'm glad you posted.I have a total of 3 right hand controls right now 2 left handers. Out of the right handers,I only have one functionable starter button. I gutted it out and am in the process of getting it bead blasted so I can polish it.These pieces are in fact aluminum and look killer all polished up! From Carpy's site, I gathered that they are factory anodized, look like #$%* after 30-35 yrs.,and the way to go is bead blast,sand,&polish. I'm going to give the dude one of the right control casings that I'm not using for a guinea pig. This guy does powder coating but I just want mine stripped for polishing.If you want yours painted,I would at least have it stripped first. Then you could decide where to go from there (Paint,powdercoat,polish, or probably even chrome). Whatever ya' do,keep us all posted.

[Teach]

I had my switch housings powdercoated.  They've held up extremely well and look great.

[scondon]

I discovered  paint in a rattle can called "Trim Black" that body shops use.

   If it's SEM "trim black" in the white and lavender rattle can then I used the same stuff on my tripple trees and handlebar clamps. Pretty close to original paint. Here's what I did with good results:

Supplies: SEM "self etching primer"(black)

             SEM "trim black"

             "Prep Wash"(rattle can)

              400grit wet/dry sandpaper

              tack cloth

Method:

    1)   wet sand the area until your tired of sanding, then sand a bit more

     2) clean surface completely using Prep Wash. Wipe and let dry. Oil from your fingers is reason enough to repeat this process     so use gloves

     3) blot area with tack cloth to remove any lint or dirt

     4) Spray a few light coats of "Self Etching Primer". Let dry a few hours.

     5) Spray 4 or 5 coats of "trim black" and leave in a warm area for a few days.

I tend to spray lightly so modify # of coats to satisfy your taste.

[jsaab2748]

Thanks for the replies folks. I didn't use the S E M brand (had the chance to get it tho, dammit )
but got "Medallion" european trim black from an auto body supply guy, so I'll ask him about some prep
stuff for this particular brand. I've used this brand in the past with good results on my 750, but it was on surfaces that already had paint and not anadized, so all i did was sand lightly and spray. I'll keep this post alive when I get  the results

[Dennis]

Paint will not adhere to aluminum. Always check with your supplier for the correct primer when painting aluminum.
I have a GM car that was built with a little factory installed cast aluminum spoiler. When I bought the car used (a few years old) the paint was falling off the spoiler. (I primed it and painted it black with good results.) I have since noticed that most of these cars that I see have problems with the paint in that area. Interesting, even General Motors screwed it up.

[theunrulychef]

Before I built my sandblaster, I was using heavyduty oven cleaner to remove anodizing.  Spray the piece w/ the cleaner & let it sit for 20 minutes or so.  Then you can sand it down to a polish finish easily.  I used this technique on my Master Cylinder caps & they came out like chrome.  I then waxed them & they've held their shine really well for months & months.

[SteveD CB500F]

My handlebar controls were blasted, powdercoated and then touched in with red paint for the lettering.  They look new.

[jsaab2748]

Paint will not adhere to aluminum. Always check with your supplier for the correct primer when painting aluminum

This is what I suspected. The powdercoating option is probably best but isn't quite in the budget (going with NOS OEM 4 into 4's) so I gotta save where I can. What exactly is "anodizing"? A coating or a type of stain?
Along with oven cleaner, are there any other redily available chemicals to remove it, or is blasting the only other option?

[mrbreeze]

So you're saying that oven cleaner will take the stock anodized off down to bare cast? I tried some spray-on paint sripper but it didn't git er! What specific brand does this job?

[Old_Beater]

Well I've got an aluminum polishing kit..........



Hmmmmmmm...............I think I'll polish them up then.

[paulages]

anodizing isn't a coating, but rather a quickly forced oxidation of the aluminum surface (nature's aluminum protectant). protective coatings are probably what are being removed with the oven cleaner...then it's just a matter of removing the layer that has been color anodized to hit the bare aluminum layer. i have used a brass brush on a dremel or drill, and it comes off pretty quickly.

[mrbreeze]

Well I guess I will give the oven cleaner- brass wire brush treatment. If that don't do it....off to the powder coater I go(for beadblasting).

[ttr400]

Why not just have them re-anodised.  Some motorcylce cast parts will not anodise to a nice finish because of the high silicone content of the alloy but if they were anodised originally by Honda then it should not be a problem.

Kevin.

[theunrulychef]

Not sure if the oven cleaner takes off a protective coating or the anodizing itself, but I know that the surface I was trying to sand before using the oven cleaner was rock hard, semi-opaque black, and impervious to laquer thinner & acetone (makes me think that it was anodizing).  After putting the cleaner on, The black started to run off & it sanded like normal soft aluminum.  The oven cleaner is just a really powerful "base" if that helps any of the more science blessed figure out why it might do something other solvents wouldn't.  Another thing about the oven cleaner - it doesn't work for engine parts very well (the black F engines).  Laquer thinner & patience or sandblasting are the route to go on those.

Re-anodizing would be another decent option - there's quite a few decent home kits & I don't think it's as expensive as plating.  The thing I personally don't like about anodizing is that it gives off an almost "fake" sheen to it.  Not only that, like ttr400 said, you have to make certain that what you're anodizing will work right.  The artist I work with & I had some aluminum pieces for an outdoor sculpture clear anodized & we didn't realize that the welds would come out a very dull grey (even though the weld wire & sheet aluminum were both labeled as 6061).

[ttr400]

Just a bit of info that might be of use for your project.  When welding aluminium lets say 6061 or 6082, the common filer material (rod) should be 4043, if the part is to be anodised then you must use rod grade 5356 to get an all over colour match.  As the chef said if the correct welding rod is not used,the weld will be a light grey colour.
There are differant types of anodising matt, satin and bright, the normal finish of anodising is natural, colour is done after anodising and then sealed. interior anodising is about 5-10 microns, exterior is about 15-25 microns, hard anodising is a differant process and is normally 50-75 microns, finish is a sort of grey/bronze colour depending on the grade of alloy, decorative colours are not an option with hard anodising.

Kevin.

[TwoTired]

The pH scale goes from basic (High pH, 14) to acidic (low pH, 0).  Milk being neutral and the center of the scale (7).  Bases can be just as caustic or reactive as acids.  Oven cleaners are often made with Lye (pH13), a very strong alkaline base.  Battery acid is about pH 1
  The oven cleaner is actually disolving the aluminum and/or the aluminum oxide (anodizing coating, tinted or not).

With a sufficient supply of oven cleaner, ALL the aluminum of the bar control will be converted.

 It will also easily dissolve all inventory of the human anatomy, bones and teeth too, on contact.

"-the gas evolved in the alkaline dissolution of aluminum is
hydrogen.  However, any time a reaction makes bubbles, their popping will
create an aerosol, that is, a fine dispersion of the liquid solution in the
air.  As you know, sodium hydroxide solution is corrosive to human tissue,
so you do not really want to breathe the gases coming off this reaction."
-Richard E. Barrans Jr., Ph.D.

Be safe, cammers.

[theunrulychef]

Good info to know, thanks.

I'll watch my anatomy a little better the next time I'm using oven cleaner, although it sounds perfect if you're trying to get rid of a body.   

[DCopp]

Paint will not adhere to aluminum.

WOW, I've painted many triple trees and fork lowers that are aluminum with a simple scuff and spray that have lasted for years...

[Dennis]

Paint will not adhere to aluminum.

WOW, I've painted many triple trees and fork lowers that are aluminum with a simple scuff and spray that have lasted for years...

There are specialty primers which work very well for aluminum. That is what I had to use on the aluminum parts on the car.
If you did a simple scuff and spray, I'm guessing that you painted over an existing coating which was still adhering well to the part. Nothing wrong with that. Just not the same as painting bare aluminum.

[mrbreeze]

I'll be damned! The oven cleaner worked great. I followed up with a stainless wire wheel for the Dremel (they didn't have a brass one). Then a small polishing wheel on the Dremel with Mother's polish and they look good. I'm sure that if I used a jeweler's rouge or something like that,it could be even better. I've done the top right one so now on to the left upper and both bottoms.

[jsaab2748]

I'll be damned! The oven cleaner worked great.

How much cleaner and how long did you allow them to soak? I'm thinking of trying this, in a safe area of course....

[mrbreeze]

Just regular old Easy Off oven cleaner(heavy duty). Sprayed it on and let sit for half hour.Don't get it on your hands. Rinse with water and wire wheel away. I just wiped out my new wheel so I can tell you be careful around the edges and tight spots. I was using a stainless wheel from Walmart ($3) but will now go try to find a brass one somewhere else. The stainless worked good though.

[paulages]

if you want it to look really good, hit it with some wet/dry sandpaper before using the polish. start with a 320 or 400 grit, depending on how deep any grooves or cast marks are, and move up to a 600 then a 1500. then when you get to that buffing compound it will really shine!