Another Paint Question

[Bigge_al]

Well I have decide that during the winter I am going to paint the tank on Echoes. The tank has splits in the paint from what I am guessing is the that the tank expanded in the past. My question is this, can I sand down the splits and then rattle can the entire tank with about 3 coats then clear coat it again or do I need to use an automotive paint. I am trying to do this the cheat way. I also want to clean the engine and was looking into some kinda acid cleaning from what I have heard it will require more polishing after taking off the coating.

[furious4]

paint

If the paint is spliting you will need to strip the tank either by sanding or using a stripper (paint stripper) From there you would need to prime the tank self etching primer works good on large bare metal areas. Sand that down not to sand to the metal then you can paint with what ever paint you want. Best would be an automotive paint system but you can get by with rattle cans but the quality will be lesser and most spray cans are laquer based. So extra care will be needed when filling up because gas makes the laquer paint unhappy. You might want to talk to a local painter at a body shop he may be willing to do it for a fair price I know I always help out other mc owners when they come to me. good luck and pm me if you have any other paint or body questions

[Incubus]

If you take the tank down to bare metal and prime it you can paint with rattle can paint, but the clear coat should be automotive two-part urethane clear coat. Urethane will coat anything without ruining the color coat, so you shouldn't have an issue of incompatibility. Rattle can clear will be ruined if you splash gas on it. I've never found rattle can clear coat, lacquer or enamel, that will hold up to gas. And it doesn't take much to make your tank look bad. Save the rattle can clear for the side covers and tail section. If you ever get gas on those you probably should work on your filling technique.

If you don't have the equipment to paint automotive paint you might want to talk to a local body shop. They may be able to do a cheap clear coat for you after you paint.

Patrick

[rman]

Did the rattle can paint job on my tank and side covers. Use a self etching primer like stated above. I also used 2 part (2K) Urethane Aerosol Clear Coat. It resists gas very well. It will not hold up against constant long term direct contact, but resists the splashing when filling the tank very well.
You can see the results in my members photo album.

http://www.xs11.com/members/member-p...g2_itemId=8304


Link to 2 part (2K) Urethane Aerosol Clear Coat
http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_2_part_2k_aerosol.cfm

[DGXSER]

strip the tank either by sanding or using a stripper (paint stripper)

Hey, if the stripper works.... Reminds me of an old joke about a guy stopping at a redlight and a lady comes up and says "I'll do anything you ask in three words or less for $50." The guy responds " Paint My House".

[fredintoon]

Well I have decide that during the winter I am going to paint the tank on Echoes. The tank has splits in the paint from what I am guessing is the that the tank expanded in the past. My question is this, can I sand down the splits and then rattle can the entire tank with about 3 coats then clear coat it again or do I need to use an automotive paint. I am trying to do this the cheat way. I also want to clean the engine and was looking into some kinda acid cleaning from what I have heard it will require more polishing after taking off the coating.

Hi Bigge_al,
complete strip & automotive paint is best. Patch sand & rattlecan still needs automotive 2-part clearcoat atop or gas will wash it off.
Acids and aluminum get on really well together, like; FIZZZ and watch the crystals form. Don't do that.

[edgo]

this looks like a good product. I'm going to try it with my next tank.

http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_2_part_2k_aerosol.cfm

[Incubus]

I've heard from folks you used that stuff and they said it was OK. It's a reasonable substitute if you don't have the equipment to spray automotive paint. Better move fats. The ad says it is only on sale for the next 1137 days....

Still, it's hard to beat the finish you get with automotive clear. Thus tank is rattle can color with two part urethane clear:



Patrick

[fredintoon]

I've heard from folks you used that stuff and they said it was OK. It's a reasonable substitute if you don't have the equipment to spray automotive paint. - - -
Still, it's hard to beat the finish you get with automotive clear. - - -
Patrick

Hi Patrick,
that's a nicely painted tank. I do have a compressor and a paint gun and do my own paintwork.
My paintspraying mantra?
"If it looks OK from a yard away that's good enough."
But I have to rely on the fuel resistance of 2-part pigments because I can't work with clearcoat.
It's not that the stuff is NFG, I'm sure it does the job just fine.
It's that my aging eyes can't see it going on until it's so thick that it runs down in curtains.
Then it has to be left to dry and wet-sanded off again which is NOT my idea of a quick painless fizzover.

[Incubus]

Sadly, Fred, my eyes also have "seen" better days. That, however, actually can have benefits. Kinda smooths out the lines in SWMBO's contenance. Helps me to see that really hot 21-year-old Asian chick I married 30 years ago. I also prefer not to put on my glasses until I have left any area with mirrors. Helps me imagine that I am still that 24-year-old stud that really hot Asian chick found attractive.

Sigh.

But, the trick to a clean clear coat is not what you see. You mix it a bit thin and mist it on. You put on about six coats and then one more light-medium coat to smooth it out. "Thin" can vary according to the temperature. Here in Austin this summer, for example, our roads are black with the residue of melted radials, so I can pretty much shoot clear straight. In your neck of the woods, where you hope for daytime highs that are equivalent to our night time lows, you probably should be a bit more liberal with the thinner. Clear coat is remarkable, I have found, for its ability to find its own level and smooth itself out. The tank pictured above, for example, was not wet sanded when I finished. That is the finish the clear left.

Go slow and light and it can come out real nice.

Patrick

[fredintoon]

Not the vision but the mindset?

Hi Patrick,
so you are saying it's not my eyesight that makes clearcoating a chore for me, it's my impatience?
Alas that you have found me out and worse, that you have said it on a public forum.
I writhe with shame and embarrassment.
But you are right about beauty being in the eye of the beholder.
My own blonde blue-eyed French-Canadian girl has taken the 20 years of our marriage to achieve
the full maturity of her beauty while I have just gotten grayer and fatter.

[bgrubb7]

That 2 part clear is the first catalyzed rattle can I have seen. Pricey, but cool if you don't have a compressor or gun.

That catalyst or lack thereof is really the issue. You need a 2 part Paint & hardener in order for the finish to be fuel resistant. Any rattle can paint I have ever tried simply would not hold up to fuel dribbles, because there is no hardener.

[fredintoon]

One-shot deal

That 2 part clear is the first catalyzed rattle can I have seen. Pricey, but cool if you don't have a compressor or gun. - - -

Hi bgrubb,
yeah, I looked it up. Thing is, once the two components have done the initial mix there's just a 24 hour window to use the contents.
After that, whatever is left unused turns into a lump of plastic.
OK, 24 hours is more leeway than the ~4-hour pot life of normal 2-part paint but with that you only mix the needed amount, not the entire canfull.
I'd suggest that for those who do not have access to paint spraying gear a Preval system
http://www.prevalspraygun.com/
is a better deal as with it you only mix what you need.