Paint

[Ryan Stanley]

One of the projects I have in mind (most likely over the Winter) is painting the bike. Does anyone have experience painting these babies? Particularly the gas tank?

I don't have an air compressor, so I'm really wondering if aerosol *gasp* will possibly give me a decent paint job. I've heard that a combination of many coats and 2000 grit sandpaper can do a good job. Has anyone tried this? Any tips?

[Axel]

Easy to screw up

I think it can be done . BUT. I took mine to a guy with a spray booth that was soo dirty when we turned on the exhaust fan and sprayed the paint ,it got all full of chunks . He did some great bodyfilling but never pulled out the dent . I did the sanding but he had me stop at 360 grit . Needless to say it was an abortion .
I could have done better with google and a rattle can .

[Ryan Stanley]

with a....?

[fredintoon]

Preval

Hi Ryan,
you should really get an air compressor, they ain't just for spraying paint. Mind you, air tool collecting can become an obsession. But if that's not in your budget,
try the Preval system
http://www.prevalspraygun.com/
You get cans of propellant gas, a spray head and a few empty jars to put your own paint in. This means you can mix & spray a 2-part paint that won't dissolve in gasoline like the rattlecan paint will.
If you've never painted stuff before, practice on something you are not fond of.

[Ryan Stanley]

Yeah, I'm on quite a limited budget at the moment. I will definitely look into the pre-vals, though.

[fredintoon]

Paint ain't cheap

Hi Ryan,
I've never used a Preval paint gun and have no idea what they cost but they were highly recommended on this very list. Also, the last gas tank I spray-painted cost me over $100 in 2-part paint, primer, solvents etc. and that was with an allegedly low cost single color, no metallic, nothing fancy.
OTOH if you are totally strapped for cash you can do a rattlecan job on a gas tank for $50 total that'll look OK if you are careful. But the single part chemistry of rattlecan paint means it cannot stand up to being soaked in gasoline so you have to be insanely careful not to spill when you fill.

[dbeardslee]

Ryan - I've been looking into Rust Bullet as a primer coat for my next project. One of my concerns on these old gas tanks is being able to completely arrest the rust, and the tunnel is a real bugger to get clean to begin with. The tank mounting bracket has some spots in it that are nearly impossible to get to with sandpaper or a wire brush but you can get paint in there, so a coating that can be applied directly to a rusted surface is a plus. I haven't used this stuff before, but it looks like a pretty tough coating. They claim it is very resistant to acids and a wide range of chemicals. They warn not to get it on you as it has to wear off - my kind of paint . Should provide some protection for the parts as well as making it asthetically more pleasing. Later, when you have the resources you could always go over the top of it with some decent automotive paint.

As far as application is concerned it can be brushed, rolled, or sprayed on. My preference would be to spray, but with no compressor a very small short-nap roller may yield acceptable results. You can get them at ACE Hardware - only about 3-4" in width, and maybe 1.25" in diameter. You might be able to paint the filler neck area with a brush where the marks won't show, and then use a roller on the flat surfaces. A brush would work fine on the tunnel as you don't see it anyway.

I'm thinking of doing some experiments with an airbrush for tanks and side panels. You can get an airbrush for $20, and an airbrush compressor for about $85 at harbor freight. That's about the cheapest setup I can think of for spraying paint. A decent full size gun will cost more than that. I just bought an airbrush from them but haven't used it yet. The other thing an airbrush is good for is hitting small spots without the need for a big masking task. Small spots like the little rust spots on a frame. The thing about an airbrush is that the nozzles tend to be much smaller than on a full size gun - maybe .35-.5mm. On a full size gun you would normally use about a 1.8mm for a high solids primer, and about a 1.4mm for the finish coats. Means you would have to thin the material considerably to get it to flow right, which means more coats.

I do my painting outside, and with the weather getting colder, the window of opportunity for acceptable days is closing. Whatever you use, make sure you apply it within' the correct temperature range. Trying to paint when it's too cold is not a good idea. It'll take forever to cure, and you can have other problems as well - paint can be a pretty picky chemical.

I just did a tank that immediately developed a pinhole leak. Luckily it was in the tunnel area, so I was able to fix it without destroying the visible paint job. If you sand the tank down to bare metal (recommended), look very closely for any little black marks - that's what a pinhole looks like. Scratch at them with a fingernail, and if you feel it catching on your nail - that's what a pinhole feels like. (If you find any they can be fixed with JB Weld.

Just some ideas for you to think about.

[dbeardslee]

Ryan - Or you could just snap this one up.

[psycoreefer]

You can make it look nice with a rattle can paint job - the problem is most rattle can paint isn't fuel proof so the first time you spill a little gas your nice shiny paint job gets ruined, ask me how I know .

That said there are some fancy rattle can paints coming on the market now that are fuel proof but they will cost you significantly more then the stuff you can pick up at the auto parts store. Most likely have to go to a real auto-paint shop. They may even be able to mix a "custom" color of your choice and fill a can with it.

If I were going to paint it again, and I probably will this winter, I'd spend the 30 or 40 bucks on a cheap paint gun and spray a real 2 part automotive paint that will last.

Just remember how the finished job looks has a lot more to do with the prep work then it does with the type or application of the final color/clear coats. Spend your time and money making sure the primer and filler/tank below are absolutely clean, smooth, and blemish free.

It really depends on what you want, if your tight on cash and your ok with a paint job that will look "ok" but probably only last one summer then go for the rattle cans. If you want something thats going to last a few summers then step up to the newer/more expensive two part rattle can paint. If you want a paint job that looks great and lasts a long time take it to someone else.

[psycoreefer]

Just another thought, you might call up some of the "cheap" paint places near you and find out what they would charge to paint the tank and side covers.

I mean like Earl Scheib or Maaco. If they only charge 200 or 300 for a whole car the price for a tank should be pretty low, do all the prep yourself and let them spray a fuel proof coat of paint over it.

[webbcraft2150]

I have used Dupli-color rattle can and there clear coat on tanks. Once it sets up, I have not had any fuel spill issues. There was someone here that did some research on a high heat Dupli-color clear coat (trbig?) that was fuel proof. The Macco/Earl Shieb/Economy paint thing might work to.

[psycoreefer]

thats strange, I used Dupli-color on my tank and you can easily tell where the fuel spill happened, took all the "gloss" away. I think I could buff it back to glossy again but I'd rather re-paint with fuel proof stuff.

Maybe it depends on the "additives" in the gas that was spilled?

[Ryan Stanley]

Well thanks. I will definitely look into all of this a bit more. You've at least given me some food for thought.

[fredintoon]

Hi psycho,
I doubt it's the additives. 50 years ago there weren't any additives, just lead.
That there leaded gas sure took the brush-finished Valspar clean off my Royal Enfield's gas tank.

[DiverRay]

Ryan,
One last though is paint it with the rattle cans the color you want, and THEN take it to a "cheap" or better yet "local" shop with a 12 pack of choice, and have them just spray a two part clear coat over your paint. Most of the clears will NOT react with base paints, and it WILL make the tank "fuel proof". If you get to know one of your local painters, he can probably shoot the tank and covers as he is doing a car for real money. He would only use what would be lost in cleaning anyway. JAT