painting 62 pan frame

[sailfish]

what type of black paint should i use on the frame? also what color primer and is thier a company out thier that has a black to match HD factor specs, Thanks for all the help much needed

[Robert Luland]

If your frame is blasted? Shot it with any good self edging primer. This stuff eats in to the steel even over light surface rust. I use Dupont Vari-Prim but every maker has one. Top coat, hands down single stage Dupont Chroma-One in gloss black or whatever would be the equal to Centarie 99S. If you shoot the top coat over the primer within an hour, you'll have a paint job that's tough as nails. If not your going to have to take a stay-Bright pad to id before shooting the top coat. The Chroma-One is incredible paint with a price tag to go along with it. Bob L

[mark]

hey robert i also have some painting i want to do .what do you think about painting parts like hubs and brake drums basically all the black parts for my sportster project. would the paint you describe for sailfishs frame be good for other parts also mark amca#8993

[Robert Luland]

Mark, it would be and excellent choice but first it's got to be clean. If you have the option, glass bead the parts. If all ya can do is just sand blast? Take the time to wipe the part down with lacquer thinner. Lacquer thinner leaves no residue when it evaporates. There is nothing more depressing than shooting paint and having fisheyes popping up all over the place because you didn't clean the impurities off. Another note on the clean thing. Harley BT frames have a special place for grease and dirt to hide. It's the pocket at the bottom of the seat post tube just below the front tranny plate mount. It never falls that every time I get a frame in here that has been blasted that that area is filled with crap. Back to the paint. All newer paints are urethanes. This is great since it is a plastic and will absorb impact instead of chipping such as Lacquers and enamels did in the past. These newer paint are astronomically expensive when you add in the activator and reducer. So if you're going to paint small parts such as drums etc. Get your hands on a spot gun. It's a little guy but you'll get 85% of the paint your shooting on the part instead of the rest of the room. Bob L

[exeric]

Use a gravity feed gun too, as they aren't as wasteful of paint as the conventional cup on the bottom gun.

[Kansasplowboy]

Bob,
I'm rebuilding my 59 at the time and wondered about powdercoating the frame. I'm not all that concerned about ever having the bike judged and it'll always be just a rider as I have four miles of gravel to commute to get to the pavement, so is the powder better or should I go the urethane? Thanks in advance.
AMCA #19727

[harleytoprock]

Robert, Do you shoot the Chroma one right over the Variprime? Thanks

[Robert Luland]

On frames and small parts I do. On panels after a couple of long talks with John Pierce, I now shoot a workable primer over it. You’re never too old to learn. I never had a problem with working with Vari-Prim directly. If you have any application problems with Dupont products. Give a call to John. He used to work for them. Bob L
PS: I don't care what the purist think. Keven Valentine turned me on to powder coating, semi-black. Did my wheels on my 48 with it and they look fantastic.

[harleytoprock]

Robert, Thanks for the info. I also shoot topcoats right over self etch primers. Although its not recommended, I've never had a problem or do I know what problem could happen.

[Robert Luland]

I wanted to add something to the conversation last night but the pillow won. In my talk with John Pierce we hit upon self etching primers. As I mentioned earlier on, I now shoot a workable primer over the self etching primer. The reason for this is that self etching primers are not waterproof. The workable primer acts as a sealer. No, I’m not nuts! I have a set of fenders and a gas tank for my Sportster that I shot with Vari-Prim in 1993. They were stored in my motorcycle room which is temperature and humidity controlled. When I pulled them off the shelf last year, they had rust all over them. So John’s assertion was point on. The self etching primers will allow moisture to leach through. Another cool thing he pointed out when I called him about shooting my JD cases and should I prime them first, his answer was yes. He went on to tell me that the self etching primers were designed for the aerospace industry originally and were for aluminum not automotive at first. Bob L

[harleytoprock]

I agree that self etch primers and also the old lacquer base primers are not moisture proof. I also had some things with just self etch rust up on me. But if you top coat the self etch with a centari or a chroma one shouldn't that seal them up against future corrosion?

[sailfish]

so you mean 1 hour after the primer is sprayed hit it with the top coat? That is long enought for the primer to dry

[Robert Luland]

Within that time frame the top coat will adhere its self to the primer. Anything after that you will have to rough up the primer surface to gain proper adhesion. Bob L

[sailfish]

thanks for all your help i will be naging you so more as time goes on thanks again leonard

[mark]

Ok went to the local auto paint store .the guy said he didn't think he could get centuries 99s .then he said he would used power coat .i said that I wanted to do the painting myself .then he said por-15 .apparently they have a new top coat that goes over the first coat so it is not affected by sun light. They had some samples of metal painted and they looked pretty good.just wanted to know what some of you guys thought about this. Mark amca#8993