Topic: Painting!

[MILO]

Hi,

I had the impulse decision to strip down my 1971 Kawasaki G4TR last sunday.

I just got just about everything sandblasted.

Now, I'm wondering what should I paint it in? I know I don't want to powder coat it. 

If I wait a week or so, I could get it done in a 2 pack paint by a friend, but I'm not sure about leaving the bare frame sit in my shed for that long.

I've never had any real success with spray paints, as once fuel gets on it the paint softens up.

What do you guys reckon I should do, leave the bare frame for a week and get 2 pack, or spray it with something from home?

-Liam

[BeSeeingYou]

I would go with the two part paint.  You may have jumped the gun by blasting it.  Some two part paints may recommend an etching liquid on bare metal before primer and this may take care of any minor oxidation. I think this is often phosphoric acid with leaves a protective coating on the bare metal.   I have a swing arm stripped bare in my basement for a month now with no visible sign of corrosion.  Not to say something is not happening at a microscopic level.  I think it will need some type of treatment before painting but check with your painter and the paint manufacturer instructions.  Could you find a compatible primer in a can and hit it with a light coat?

Spay can paint just won't hold up long term.

[faux fiddy]

I've never had any real success with spray paints, as once fuel gets on it the paint softens up.


-Liam

Use the two part, keep it warm and dry, I figure two weeks isn't significnt. Wipe it down with steel acetone or maybe alcohol.  Kong used to have some good advice, but now I worry about him, his last posts said something about cancer, been afraid to ask but I have a feeling he knows some good things.

I seem to remember he said the ring around the tank is a problem area, clean it up and fill it with epoxy before you spray. Tape off the hole, and pull the tape off while the paint is still wet, I think is what he suggested, but there was a couple of options. Search it and find it, buttheads or not, I think his info made sense.

Hope he's okay, been afraid to ask.

[faux fiddy]

Search 'kong' and 'paint.'  You'll find good reading.

Your concern is justified.  Don't use some sort of two-tube-epoxy crap to try and seal the tank.

It would have been best if you had masked to the inside centers of the screw holes that hold the hold-downs and gasket in place.  With what you have now you should be in pretty good shape with a little sanding though.  Here's how I'd address it from where you are.  First I'd tape and mask the tank from the mounting holes out.  Then I'd sand from the mounting holes in but only be concerned about having bare metal exposed for about 1/2" out from the filler hole.   Next mask the inside of the filler hole.  Then I'd get an airbrush and spray a good epoxy primer all the way up to the hole.  Let it set up for 24 hours and then mount the base for your cap.

The thing here is you don't really need bare metal as you would with many other styles of caps.  With other caps you have a gasket of some sort in the cap and that gasket has to contact bare metal.  In your case you don't have that problem but what you do have is the possibility of an exposed edge.  You are certainly right that if its not sealed where gas fumes can get to it the paint will lift but it normally happens when there is a pathway between the coats of paint.  Epoxy primer is impervious to gas (but not acetone) and if you have it in direct contact with prepped (scratched and cleaned)  bare metal there should be no lifting.  So the gas/fumes should not be able to reach out to your gasketed area and if your actual paint begins on the outside half if it you should be well protected.

On Edit:  I just went back and looked close and hard at your photos.  You are more right than you thought, you need to take care of that before you fill the tank or its a sure thing that your paint will lift within a couple of weeks.  The way it is, painted all the way to the hole, its going to fail.