a few questions on painting small things

[Super]

So when it comes to painting small things... like brake calipers, starter covers, etc. And people say to bake them in an old toaster oven. My questions are.... when you put on the primer or paint, do you let it dry to the touch before you move them to the toaster oven? Do you need to "bake" the primer coat? How long and at what temperature should the painted parts bake? When you put on multiple coats of paint, do you need to bake each coat or do you lay on a coat, wait till it dries, lay on another coat, etc.. and then bake the part one time?


I am rebuilding my calipers on the project bike and thought I might as well repaint them. Thanks

[nvr2old]

I can understand baking engine parts, but paint specifically for calipers is available. No need to bake. Just get them surgically clean first and you should have no problems.

[geol]

VHT caliper paint does require curing in an oven for an hour at 200 degrees.

http://www.vhtpaint.com/high-heat/vht-caliper-paint

You can get by with plain old rattle can black paint if you don't get any brake fluid on it after re-assembly and bleeding. I have never been too successful at this so I use real purpose specific caliper paint..

Dupli-Color also makes a caliper paint that doesn't need to be cured but air dries.

http://duplicolor.com/product/caliper-paint

I haven't used the Dupli-Color product so can't say how durable it is.

[Super]

Great! Thanks for the info. I had heard about caliper paint but thought that it would still need to be "baked". I will begin my search....

[Phred]

Caliper paint still needs to be baked. I did mine five years ago and hung them from the top rack on the BBQ with the lid propped open a bit to get the right temperature. Cleaned the BBQ before doing them and set it on high to burn off any residual oils. Turned out like they came from the factory.