Custom Painting Question(s)

[Schweisshund]

[Schweisshund]

Dang Reno - that spray booth you installed is way cleaner than my garage :-D

[Schweisshund]

Ok Ok, I can take constructive criticism .... did it look crappy?

[Schweisshund]

Pinstriping (or beginning to)




I wll buff this stuff when its completely dried and cured. I kind of like the results - gonna pinstripe all curves on side covers, rear cowling, headlight faring, and gas tank with design of dragon top dead center on tank

[txironhead]

I think when it's done it's going to look great, it doesn't overpower the paint job, subtle but noticeable and definitely not run-of-the-mill. If you had a really steady hand with a paintbrush, it would really pop with a fine black outline. Would almost give it a raised look. Maybe a fine-tip Testors paint pen? Even just as it is it looks good.

[Nessism]

I also did some shopping for clear. I went to an automotive paint supply store by NAPA. According to these guys, their gas resistant clear coat - top of the line stuff, is $58 per quart and the hardener you absolutely have to mix it with is also $58 per quart. :?

Those prices are a little high but not that far off from my experince. You might be able to find a place that will package a smaller quantity of clear but the hardner typically comes in a sealed container and is not cheap. I’ve been told that the hardner ages relatively quickly so you need to be careful purchasing the stuff from an open container – if you can find someone to sell it that way. Figure on one year for the hardners useful life after you open the top and longer for the paint – you may have to thin more as it ages.

[Dave8338]

Those prices are a little high but not that far off from my experince. You might be able to find a place that will package a smaller quantity of clear but the hardner typically comes in a sealed container and is not cheap. I’ve been told that the hardner ages relatively quickly so you need to be careful purchasing the stuff from an open container – if you can find someone to sell it that way. Figure on one year for the hardners useful life after you open the top and longer for the paint – you may have to thin more as it ages.

Though there is some truth in the "fresher is better" idea, I've used reducer/hardener that has been open for months (diff. temp combo) and have seen no ill effects from them, at the time of application to several years down the road. I must note, that I did have on quart of hardener/reducer go bad on me, though I attribute it more to the fact that it froze and not as much to the length of time it sat on the shelf, opened but then resealed tightly. It turns a cloudy color instead of clear. .02 cents

[rickt]

Catalyzed Clear

The prices for clear and hardener are not out of line. I pay at least this for top of the line PPG products and the jobber gives me a "paint shop" discount. The hardener (catalyst) is the weak link - once the can is opened the shelf-life is very short due primarily to oxygen destroying the active ingredients. One easy way around this is to flush the can with an inert gas after each use and then seal it tightly. I use my MIG welder tank (mixture of carbon dioxide and argon) to flush the hardener cans after every use. I have used hardener that was opened three years ago and it works fine. At that cost you want to use every drop. You can also buy aerosol cans filled with nitrogen. They work just as well.

rickt

[Nessism]

The prices for clear and hardener are not out of line. I pay at least this for top of the line PPG products and the jobber gives me a "paint shop" discount. The hardener (catalyst) is the weak link - once the can is opened the shelf-life is very short due primarily to oxygen destroying the active ingredients. One easy way around this is to flush the can with an inert gas after each use and then seal it tightly. I use my MIG welder tank (mixture of carbon dioxide and argon) to flush the hardener cans after every use. I have used hardener that was opened three years ago and it works fine. At that cost you want to use every drop. You can also buy aerosol cans filled with nitrogen. They work just as well.
rickt

GREAT tip! Thanks! \\/

[txironhead]

http://www.por15.com/s.nl/it.A/id.1435/.f?sc=2&category=234

Anyone use Glisten PC from POR-15? Takes a while to completely cure, but looks like great stuff. $31.25 a pint, looks like it comes with hardener. All of their other products I've tried have been top-notch.

[Schweisshund]

A Better deal on HoK

The Walmart I bought Hok Planet Green from ran out of this color :? I made some calls and found North Georgia Collision Supply and they carry 4 oz. airbrush bottles for $14.95 - went and picked it up. They also told me that you can use ANY urethane clear coat but the surface around the gas tank should be treated with something - he wasn't very clear about this. Any ideas?

[txironhead]

If you need more, the Wal-Mart here has a lot of it.

If ANY urethane clear will work, then a rattle-can urethane should, right?

Make sure that the airbrush bottle is the same consistency you're used to. A lot of airbrush paint comes pre-thinned, ready to paint, so you might have bought an ounce or two of paint and the rest thinner.

I'm seriously considering painting my bike with Dupli-Color Engine Enamel (they make the color I want) and then buying some "professional" clear to finish it.

I was just reading up on the POR-15 clear I mentioned, apparently it's ideal for bare metal, doesn't say anything about painted parts. I'll keep researching. It takes 3-4 DAYS for complete curing, and it's moisture activated, humidity actually makes it stronger! If I actually get industrious enough to polish a lot of parts, I might just use that and forget about keeping it polished.

[t3rmin]

I'm seriously considering painting my bike with Dupli-Color Engine Enamel (they make the color I want) and then buying some "professional" clear to finish it.

The high heat enamel stuff is impervious to gas after curing in an oven. I've thought it'd be awesome to do a tank with the stuff, if a matte finish is what you're going for.

[renobruce]

The high heat enamel stuff is impervious to gas after curing in an oven. I've thought it'd be awesome to do a tank with the stuff, if a matte finish is what you're going for.

They make it in high gloss, too.

[Billy Ricks]

I just tried a test spot on a headlight bucket I painted with Dupli-color acrylic lacquer and the gas gets to it. It's not even worth testing on a tank. You do need a real pro grade clear to keep your hard work looking good.