I wrote the following letter to Duplicolor Paints yesterday, and they wrote me back today:
"I have an old bike that the aluminum has become severely oxidized on. Originally from the factory it had a laquer coat over these parts, but over the years it's yellowed or been wore off. I have sanded the parts down to good aluminum again and got them polished with a final 3000gr wet-sand.
A simple wax on the parts that don't get hot let's them last a month or two before having to polish again, but I am tired of that. Do you recommend your clear-coat paint for these applications on bare aluminum, or can you suggest something else clear to help keep the restored finish looking good? It looks close to chrome when done, but I want it to last longer. It will obviously be in the rain and sun.
Just to throw another curve to you, anything that could be applied to the same bare aluminum that gets very hot such as engine cooling fins would be a tremendous added plus! Mine are all polished up, but they take a lot of work to keep that way. Any help would be greatly appreciated."
And here was their reply:
"Hi Tod,
Thank you for your inquiry. For this application I would suggest using our Engine Enamel, Clear # DE1636 for all of these applications. The product can withstand temperatures up to 500F and is an enamel based clear so it will not amber like a lacquer will. It will be necessary to apply this to clean metal, so be sure to completely remove all of the wax you have used.
You can read more about this product at this link to our website:
http://www.duplicolor.com/products/engine.html
If you have any additional questions, please ask.
Thank you,
Jared
If you click on the link, the things that sell me on it are,
*Oil and gas resistant
*Will not blister, flake, crack or peel
Has anybody else tried it?
Tod
"I have an old bike that the aluminum has become severely oxidized on. Originally from the factory it had a laquer coat over these parts, but over the years it's yellowed or been wore off. I have sanded the parts down to good aluminum again and got them polished with a final 3000gr wet-sand.
A simple wax on the parts that don't get hot let's them last a month or two before having to polish again, but I am tired of that. Do you recommend your clear-coat paint for these applications on bare aluminum, or can you suggest something else clear to help keep the restored finish looking good? It looks close to chrome when done, but I want it to last longer. It will obviously be in the rain and sun.
Just to throw another curve to you, anything that could be applied to the same bare aluminum that gets very hot such as engine cooling fins would be a tremendous added plus! Mine are all polished up, but they take a lot of work to keep that way. Any help would be greatly appreciated."
And here was their reply:
"Hi Tod,
Thank you for your inquiry. For this application I would suggest using our Engine Enamel, Clear # DE1636 for all of these applications. The product can withstand temperatures up to 500F and is an enamel based clear so it will not amber like a lacquer will. It will be necessary to apply this to clean metal, so be sure to completely remove all of the wax you have used.
You can read more about this product at this link to our website:
http://www.duplicolor.com/products/engine.html
If you have any additional questions, please ask.
Thank you,
Jared
If you click on the link, the things that sell me on it are,
*Oil and gas resistant
*Will not blister, flake, crack or peel
Has anybody else tried it?
Tod
Comment