Best Rattle Can Paint I Have Found Yet!

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BarelyAWake

New Member
Jul 21, 2009
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Maine
Worked in a wooden boat shop, lived on a sloop - then worked at a plasti... *cough* fiberglass boat marina and dealt w/all their hull and brightwork repairs... so yeah, a lil boat in my background lol
 

mdlee1958

Member
Feb 22, 2009
204
1
18
Fort Collins, Colorado
Yeah, my dad was a "zoomhead" so we did a lot of aerospace and aviation work. He would always start whining when we would the weekly calls for "Hey, can you guys fix my Glastron boat?"...... LOL
 

TheBeak

New Member
Feb 25, 2009
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Blue Hill Maine/ California
Barely Awake
i see you worked on wooden boats and you are in maine
i too worked at a boatyard, I'm in Brooklin boat building capital of the world, on the Blue Hill Peninsula. WoodenBoat School and Magazine are in the town, Where are you? there a probably 8 or so motorized bikes around here
 

exavid

New Member
Dec 12, 2009
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Medford, OR
If you need rust protection there's few paints that work as well as Cold Galvanizing Paint. It's available in various places in rattle cans. It gives a finish that looks like the silver gray painted pick up bumpers. I've used it under a finish coat on a some motorcycle parts as a primer which gives the advantage of preventing minor scratches from rusting.
 

Easy Rider

Santa Cruz Scooter Works
Jan 15, 2008
2,145
7
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Nor*Cal
The best paint I like is Tamiya Paint. A guy at the r/c track gave me some pointers in rattle can spray painting. I think it might work for other brands as well. He told me to shake the can up pretty good then put it in a bowl of hot water and shake the can in the water. I first thought he was pulling my leg but when I tried it, the mist was stronger and finer. The end result was a much cleaner finish without orange peel. I finished it off with a clear coat using the same procedure. The clear coat helps with chipping and gives it a super finish.
 

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
8,325
670
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northeastern Minnesota
The best paint I like is Tamiya Paint. A guy at the r/c track gave me some pointers in rattle can spray painting. I think it might work for other brands as well. He told me to shake the can up pretty good then put it in a bowl of hot water and shake the can in the water. I first thought he was pulling my leg but when I tried it, the mist was stronger and finer. The end result was a much cleaner finish without orange peel. I finished it off with a clear coat using the same procedure. The clear coat helps with chipping and gives it a super finish.
That's interesting and I think come warm weather I'll give it a try with my own paint of choice, Dupli-color. Thanks for the tip.
SB
 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
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Littleton, Colorado
Warming the spray can increases the pressure of whatever propellant it uses. The best was the old fluorocarbon propellants which had a higher temperature/pressure relationship. Nevertheless any propellant will be effected by the higher temp. Just a word of caution, ( I'm employed in the areosol industry) don't allow your paint to remain in hot water above 125 degrees for more than a couple of minutes. The excess pressure can compromise the integrity of the container. Just imagine what a mess, not to mention the hazard that it could be if the can ruptures. Heed the warnings on any aerosol spray container. I always warm my rattle cans, even in summer to give it that little extra boost of pressure that makes for a better application.
Tom
 

exavid

New Member
Dec 12, 2009
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Medford, OR
One benefit of warming the paint is you get a more rapid 'flash off' so it's less likely to run or get bugs stuck in the paint.
 

Easy Rider

Santa Cruz Scooter Works
Jan 15, 2008
2,145
7
38
Nor*Cal
Just a word of caution, ( I'm employed in the areosol industry) don't allow your paint to remain in hot water above 125 degrees for more than a couple of minutes. The excess pressure can compromise the integrity of the container. Just imagine what a mess, not to mention the hazard that it could be if the can ruptures. Heed the warnings on any aerosol spray container.
Tom
Thanks for the warning Tom. I'm glad you told me because the H2O temp in my bathroom is 140* and I've been heating up my cans a little longer than a couple of minutes. That's good advice I'll be using. Man! If I would have exploded one of those cans in my downstair's bathroom, my wife would have been one pissed off woman!
Ken
 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
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Littleton, Colorado
Thanks for the warning Tom. I'm glad you told me because the H2O temp in my bathroom is 140* and I've been heating up my cans a little longer than a couple of minutes. That's good advice I'll be using. Man! If I would have exploded one of those cans in my downstair's bathroom, my wife would have been one pissed off woman!
Ken
Ken,
You're welcome. I just hope everyone who reads this heeds my advice.
Tom
 

Easy Rider

Santa Cruz Scooter Works
Jan 15, 2008
2,145
7
38
Nor*Cal
I took the rat rod out today and it rained on me. When I got home, I dried off the bike and tried to spray the bike down with WD-40. The can was barely sprutting out oil with very little pressure. I did the hot h2o technique and it also worked on the WD-40. I mean this can was dead and by putting it in hot h2o for a couple of minutes it brought the can back to life better than new. This got me thinking that if this can was dead, I can see why 2Door said cans were exploding at the plant. I know I'm alot more cautious back of this.
 

bluenosegoat

New Member
Dec 29, 2009
259
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arizona
I just painted my first bike the other day and I'm getting back together now. I see alot of people like the duplicolor paints and thats what i used. I used the laquer paint did all the prep work used the correct primmer and finished off with the top coat (all duplicolor laquer's) and this paint sucks! Just touching the frame with the chain chipped it! The finish is beautiful but after 2 coats primer, 3 color and 3 clear I am very disapointed. Do you think its beacause I used the laquer? Is the enamel any stronger? I put in a lot of work getting this bike prepped and Talked to my GM painter buddy so I know I did it right but the paint job is very weak. I see in this thread that most are using the engine enamel, any one have experience with the duplicolor automotive laquers? Maybe it just needs more time to cure? I was surprised how fast the paint was dry to the touch and the can says you can recoat after just 10 minutes so I did, nice thin coats and like I said it looks wonderful but dont expect it to last to well. Stripping my next build today so I have to find a "good" durable paint.
 
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bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
i feel for ya, bluenosegoat. i've repainted my new bike parts a few times, because of crappy paints.

I haven't had any good results at all with Duplicolor Clear. it's supposed to be fuel and oil resistant, but it's not. I painted a tank, and any little bit of fuel that gets on it will discolor it, and if you try to wipe the fuel off when it's wet, it takes the paint off with it, and leaves a gummy messed up spot.

I use Crown Klear Kote I bought from Mcfadden-Dale Industrial Hardware, and it seems to work pretty good.

overall, i don't really like duplicolor paint. i used their Metalcast fake annodizing paint, which is supposed to stick to chrome, and it would just scratch right off. I ended up clear coating the chrome first, painting it, then clear coating it again and it seems to be working.

also, some paints don't seem to work together. i used brown rustolium primer for rusty stuff, then a cheap gloss from ACE, and the paint never hardened. you could scratch it off with your fingernail, and it was gummy, too.

i do have one cool tip, though. Plasti-dip makes a spray paint that works awesome on stuff like fender struts, or drop-outs, and places where your cables rub, etc. it also works great for nuts and bolts, and places on your bike that things clamp to, like your coaster brake arm, or on the frame under the motor mounts.

it's the same stuff that comes in a can for dipping tools in to make rubbery handles.

the black spray matches Krylon black gloss, and when hit with Kleer Kote, there's no noticable difference in color or texture.

it 's great for the underside of fenders, chainguards, and inside your clutch cover to dampen the noise. the more coats you use, the thicker the coating, and it's not that gooey, oily brown like undercoating.

so far, it's holding up good.
 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
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Littleton, Colorado
Back on page three of this thread I warned against using Dupli Color clear. It is not fuel proof. As for being easily scratched, chipped, I have not had that experience but I've been shooting a model airplane clear over it. Not plastic models but the flying kind. Top Flight makes a great paint/clear called LusterKote, which will stand up to gasoline, alcohol, nitro methane, or whatever fuels you'd use in a model airplane. Maybe that's why the Dupli Color I've used doesn't scratch or nick easily.
Tom