Just painted a frame 2011 corvette cyber grey metallic. Looks great, but now i'm wondering if I should clearcoat it. Just used rattle can custom mixed paint from O'reilly's (my son works there & got me a heck of a deal!) I thought some you veteran bike builders could share the pros & cons of clearcoat. Any input is appreciated! :?: :?: :?:
I'm generally of the mindset that a clearcoat is a great idea. However, today I'm a little jaded. The rustoleum clear I tried to shoot a coat on over my rutoleum painted rims caused puckerign and bubbling of the paint, and I think I'll need to sand them back down and start most of the way over :x :x :x This may have something to do with humidity here, but Ive been monitering it on the days I paint and I dont know what was different about today.
In any case, I'm usually a clear coat advocate. I have found (using rustoleum or krylon) that you should use a clear coat by the company who made the undercoat when rattle-canning. I had issues mixing krylon over rustoleum before.
The only other thing to consider is that, in my experience, if you are thinking a clear coat will be good 'protection' for the paint underneith, it's not be all-end all insurance. Every thing Ive ever clearcoated has wound up dinged and chipped eventually.
I would wait a week till its really dry and then compound it. If it dosen't shine like you want than clear it. I too have had bad experiences with clear. Sometimes it will cause a pretty color to dim down. If that makes sense. I shot a bright copper on a frame and then the clear made it a muddled color. Several shades darker than it was.
I've never cleared rattle can unless it was flat and I wanted a gloss. One of my last bike paint jobs I did flat, wanted protection from fingerprints and oil spots that show up on flat, so I did clear coat. Ended up way too shiny, so I went over the clear with 0000 steel wool and dulled it down some, but the finish is still protected well.
After the guys from the local shop saw my Iron Horse that I stripped and refinished they wanted me to paint a couple of bikes for them. I have the Schwinn frame here and I've started cleaning it up. Going to lay down primer, a base for the candy, orange candy, then a layer of silver flake, more orange candy, then 2-3 coats of clear. I use HVLP on the frames and I usually rattle can the rims and hubs.
The way I see it, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right.
Normally if I am going for a show quality finish and not a ratty one or a quicky re-spray, I go with 5 coats of color and 3 clear. that way should I ever get a light scratch you can buff it out. One word of advice though use the same brand of clear-coat and paint, they are formulated to work together and normally won't react badly. Sometimes when using one brand of paint then a different brand of clear-coat it will cause fish eyes, orange peel, chipping, flaking, bubbling, and god knows what else.
Just painted a frame 2011 corvette cyber grey metallic. Looks great, but now i'm wondering if I should clearcoat it. Just used rattle can custom mixed paint from O'reilly's (my son works there & got me a heck of a deal!) I thought some you veteran bike builders could share the pros & cons of clearcoat. Any input is appreciated! :?: :?: :?:
The key word I see here is "metallic" as far as I know all metallics should be clearcoated.
Their are a couple of reasons for this... one is it protects the metallic particles from oxidizing in the air. Two it gives you something to polish..... if you cut and polish (different from just waxing) you can disturb the lay of the metallic particles.
I would put the metallic down just until the colour and the lay of the metallic particles is how you want them, then a couple of passes of a compatible clear coat so you have something to cut and polish then wax.
I might be a professional spray painter, but I have little experience with rattle cans so please take that into account when reading my answer.
The only way I would clear coat it is with a 2 part urethane type clear, without the hardener theres really no extra protection. (I've been a master auto paint tech for the last 6 years) you can actually mix what is called clear base, its a completely transparent basecoat with your clear then mix it with hardener to give it a flat cleared look.
Hi guys I am new to the RRB, but this subject is right up my alley. OK here goes agree or disagree this information is correct. The reason that some rattle cans react with each other has nothing to with brands a everything to do with the chemical make up. You can spray enamel paint over laquer paints but not the other way around. having made your paint a custom mix I am 95% sure they used an enamel paint because there are only a small handful of jobbers that carry laquer anymore due to VOC regs, which rattle cans are exempt from. Now the laquer in the cans is very diluted with laquer thinner and this makes for alot of solvent going over the enamel causing it to soften the ename and wrinkle. Solution: use all laquer based cans or find an enamel clearcoat. If it where me I only use urethane paints. All these automotive urethane paints need to be sprayed out of a paint gun. So if you dont have access to or dont want to buy the equipment. i would use laquer. Its old school technology but you can get it to shine up like a freaking mirror. I am sure anyone who has been around the bodyshop biz for a while has heard someone talking about an old paint job with "12 coats hand rubbed laquer" or how ever many coats they used. The laquer clearcoats will never come out with high gloss. It has to much solvent in it an not enough resin but waiting patiently between coats and appying several 4-5 and then waiting a few days (depending on temp) then coming back with a compound and polish will make that puppy shine like diamond in a goats a_ _! But the shine will last a while then it will slowly dull. This is because laquer is always drying/shrinking (thus the term laquer checking, when paint sperates from itself causing what looks to be cracks on the finish seen on older cars that where left in the sun for years) but compound and polish and you are good to go again. With urethane paint, base then clear coat done! Problem with urethane is that it is expensive. Any questions about paint just ask. I use and sell PPG Dupont Omni BASF automotive finishes.
Hi guys I am new to the RRB, but this subject is right up my alley. OK here goes agree or disagree this information is correct. The reason that some rattle cans react with each other has nothing to with brands a everything to do with the chemical make up. You can spray enamel paint over laquer paints but not the other way around. having made your paint a custom mix I am 95% sure they used an enamel paint because there are only a small handful of jobbers that carry laquer anymore due to VOC regs, which rattle cans are exempt from. Now the laquer in the cans is very diluted with laquer thinner and this makes for alot of solvent going over the enamel causing it to soften the ename and wrinkle. Solution: use all laquer based cans or find an enamel clearcoat. If it where me I only use urethane paints. All these automotive urethane paints need to be sprayed out of a paint gun. So if you dont have access to or dont want to buy the equipment. i would use laquer. Its old school technology but you can get it to shine up like a freaking mirror. I am sure anyone who has been around the bodyshop biz for a while has heard someone talking about an old paint job with "12 coats hand rubbed laquer" or how ever many coats they used. The laquer clearcoats will never come out with high gloss. It has to much solvent in it an not enough resin but waiting patiently between coats and appying several 4-5 and then waiting a few days (depending on temp) then coming back with a compound and polish will make that puppy shine like diamond in a goats a_ _! But the shine will last a while then it will slowly dull. This is because laquer is always drying/shrinking (thus the term laquer checking, when paint sperates from itself causing what looks to be cracks on the finish seen on older cars that where left in the sun for years) but compound and polish and you are good to go again. With urethane paint, base then clear coat done! Problem with urethane is that it is expensive. Any questions about paint just ask. I use and sell PPG Dupont Omni BASF automotive finishes.
