New Rattle-Can Paint Job

[frijoles-and-beans]

Look guys,

Yesterday I finished repainting my tank. It's a spray-can application, but I think it came out pretty nicely. I'm still going to use a bit of rubbing compound yet, but it's nice and solid, and I'm pretty happy with the results.

Am I kewl yet?

[Erki]

looks cool

[Sci85]

Nicely done.

[IanDMacDonald]

Did you use a sponge for the other colors?

[oldpara]

That looks nice !

[bakirkwold]

Did you clear coat it?

[frijoles-and-beans]

Did you use a sponge for the other colors?

Yes, I went to the local department store and got one of those natural sea-sponges. It was in the beauty section.

Did you clear coat it?

Yes, I put 3 coats of clear on it. It's Rustoleum brand paint, but I've found that as far as spray-can paint goes, it is the best kind to use.

[TheCafeKid]

With as much work as you put into that I'd order a can or two of that catalyzing clear that comes in a rattle bomb to finish it off. Gasoline will eat that rustoleum clear in a second. I don't remember the name of it, but colorite sells it, as well as probably a local auto paint shop. It was covered in a very recent thread as well. Has a plunger you smack on the bottom to release the catalyst and works as well as a true spray gun clear. I've got a couple sets of bodywork I'll be painting in the spring I'm gonna try it on.

[ddaniels]

If I were going to paint just the side panels of my tank, do you guys think I should use that Spraymax 2K Urethane?

Nice paintjob by the way there F&B.

[frijoles-and-beans]

With as much work as you put into that I'd order a can or two of that catalyzing clear that comes in a rattle bomb to finish it off. Gasoline will eat that rustoleum clear in a second. I don't remember the name of it, but colorite sells it, as well as probably a local auto paint shop. It was covered in a very recent thread as well. Has a plunger you smack on the bottom to release the catalyst and works as well as a true spray gun clear. I've got a couple sets of bodywork I'll be painting in the spring I'm gonna try it on.

I thought about that before spraying it, and I looked and found this-



All the paint, including the clear-coat is this stuff. The only exception is the gold, but that is coated in a protective layer of clear.

It is supposed to be gas-resistant-



-and it seems to be.

Earlier this year, I painted this tank black with the same type of paint, and it appears to perform well. I think it's a good paint. Only time will tell, of course.

I think I'm going to buy a can of that spraymax sealant just in case. I wonder if that sealant would be compatible with the paint that I used? The information doesn't really specify. Is it an acrylic enamel?

[TheCafeKid]

I dunno about compatability issues. I do know that rustoleum and krylon will curl and wrinkle when laid over duplicolor or vice versa. So I'd check with someone who knows paint for sure. I will tell you from experience, while the can says gas and oil resistant, it will not hold up it's colour or shine if exposed to gasoline. It won't necessarily strip it off, but it will leave a "stain" that you won't be able to buff out.

But, if you find that your pain job isn't compatable with that spraymax stuff, maybe leave it be for now, and when it comes time to repaint, use a duplicolor product that's auto grade. They're compatable with most clearcoat urethanes, and they have a crazy amount of colours available.

[Testarossa]

Just adding my two cents here. I have an acquaintance from another MC forum who painted his bike using Duplicolor rattle cans and then topcoated it with an acrylic urethane clear coat similar to the spraymax product. He waited two weeks after painting the last coat of enamel (so it can fully cure) before spraying the clear, and it has worked well for about three years now.

Even if the Rustoleum is gasoline resistant, it isn't nearly as tough as a 2K clear coat such as the Spraymax. Using a 2K acrylic urethane will allow you to wet sand out all the the orange peel with 1500 grit and then buff out the paint to an extremely high shine with a high speed buffer, which you cannot hope to do with the Rustoleum.

By the way, your paint job looks really good to me, and I fully support the idea of topcoating it with an automotive quality 2K acrylic urethane clear such as the spraymax product. It will make that paint job last for many years and achieve a level of shine that is not attainable with un-catalyzed paint.

[Testarossa]

Here's a link to purchase some Spaymax clear coat: http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_2_part_2k_aerosol.cfm

It says on their site that it is compatible with enamel and lacquer base coats. It seems that it should work fine over your Rustoleum enamel clear.

No excuses, finish that job the right way and enjoy it for years to come. It will save you money in the long run from buying more rattle cans and spending more time prepping and painting in the future.

[frijoles-and-beans]

Just adding my two cents here. I have an acquaintance from another MC forum who painted his bike using Duplicolor rattle cans and then topcoated it with an acrylic urethane clear coat similar to the spraymax product. He waited two weeks after painting the last coat of enamel (so it can fully cure) before spraying the clear, and it has worked well for about three years now.

I went to the link and ordered a can. I'm going to do what you said and wait until it fully cures first, and then sand that top coat and get it on!

[DrImodium]

What product did you use for the gold and how did you do you layer the paint ?