rust stain in new paint

Arrrgh. Double-clutch.

...but an opportunity...

CT: if you have a good digital camera, take a couple of close shots of the tank, and if possible, zoom in on the stain, then put 'em up here...

Post edited by: Pterosaur, at: 2006/05/22 15:52

one thing that noone has brought up: you have rust in the tank.
if theres enought to turn your gas red then theres enough to clog filters bowls and jets.
alot of people knock the kreem treatment but i used it on mine and it was done in a day and i havnt had a problem since.

mykznme wrote:

one thing that noone has brought up: you have rust in the tank.
if theres enought to turn your gas red then theres enough to clog filters bowls and jets.

Perhaps - perhaps not.

I've got a tank that's uber-squeaky-clean, and when I fill it to beyond the "serving line" and go boating down the street, at times I'll see a red-tinged streak creeping from the vent. And the cap (screw on-type) is in peachy shape as well.

It's just been an observation of mine that a little bit of rust goes a long way mixed with gas...

And CT: from it's years of service, my C1A has a very faint reddish streak in the paint to the left side from being filled to the geeks and left on the sidestand, so I know where you're at...

Which led me to another thought - are you *sure* that tank was cleared?

I pulled in your gallery shots and blew them all out of propotion, but they just don't have the rez to tell.

The reason for that is twofold: I have a factory-painted tank - un-cleared enamel - that stained, and from staring at your pics, those parts just seem to be missing a certain *gloss* that I'd expect from a cleared job...

Post edited by: Pterosaur, at: 2006/05/22 17:37

tanks are tricky when it comes to rust because the level of gas in the tank is not constant so a tank might appear squeaky clean but the parts above the highest level of gas could be 'et ta shet.
how often do you leave a bike parked with a completely full tank?

mykznme wrote:

tanks are tricky when it comes to rust because the level of gas in the tank is not constant so a tank might appear squeaky clean but the parts above the highest level of gas could be 'et ta shet.

True enough, but I re-discovered a neat little trick the Egyptians used to throw light down dark holes - it's called a *mirror*... Y'see, y'get a wee itty-bitty round one on a stick...

Nope, mine's clean. Bet on it.

...how often do you leave a bike parked with a completely full tank?

That's not as big a deal in the summer - but in winter? ALWAYS.

know it all:angry:

Let's see, Tank is clean as a whistle now, prior to painting it I used a Kreem kit on it and it is beautiful, even passes the mirror test. The interior of the filler cap is a different matter. That is most definitely where the rust came from,.... really,.....I promise.

I didn't get off cheap with the paint job, but that doesn't mean I didn't get a cheap paint job. (What's cheap, by the way?) It does look good in person, if you like yellow. In fairness to the painter the pictures I took are in the shadow of the garage on a cloudy day. So that may account for its lack of gloss. It has good depth at least to my prejudiced eyes. But the answer is that I do not know for sure that it was clear coated. It was supposed to be.

I was told not to wax it for about three months. By the way the paint is actually 6 months old, not 2, I was using couple/few months loosely. I have waxed it twice, once because of the spill, but with a non cleaner wax.

The guy that painted it is a motorcycle guy and enjoys painting them so I hope he understands the parameters of mc tank use.

Oh yeah, the tank sat inside the house about 2 months before I put it on the bike. When a put it on I bumped the steering head a couple of times and the paint on the seam of the tank chipped easily. They were small chips, but still made me pull some of my hair out.

One other thing the painter said that he "baked", my word not his, under some lights.

I'll try to get a couple of pictures tomorrow and post them here. I don't know how well the stain will show. To the naked eye it looks like a shadow.

Thanks folks.

CTSZ1 wrote:

Let's see, Tank is clean as a whistle now, prior to painting it I used a Kreem kit on it and it is beautiful, even passes the mirror test. The interior of the filler cap is a different matter. That is most definitely where the rust came from,.... really,.....I promise.

Y'know, there's another possible source of reddish gook to color gas that CRS prevented me from considering earlier - and that's fossilized...err..oxidized gas. Guess what color it is... Mix in a wee bit 'o rust, and viola.

I didn't get off cheap with the paint job, but that doesn't mean I didn't get a cheap paint job. (What's cheap, by the way?) It does look good in person, if you like yellow. In fairness to the painter the pictures I took are in the shadow of the garage on a cloudy day. So that may account for its lack of gloss. It has good depth at least to my prejudiced eyes.

Cheep? What's CHEEP? Whatever's up on the wall that ain't been used up yet.

Here's a shot of a recent rattlecan job I did for less than $20 in materials, minus the decals...



Some kind of scrap rattlecan red, and PJ1 Epoxy clear.

But the answer is that I do not know for sure that it was clear coated. It was supposed to be.

The uploaded pix will give me a better idea...

I was told not to wax it for about three months. By the way the paint is actually 6 months old, not 2, I was using couple/few months loosely. I have waxed it twice, once because of the spill, but with a non cleaner wax.

So far, so good.

The guy that painted it is a motorcycle guy and enjoys painting them so I hope he understands the parameters of mc tank use.

One would hope.

Oh yeah, the tank sat inside the house about 2 months before I put it on the bike. When a put it on I bumped the steering head a couple of times and the paint on the seam of the tank chipped easily. They were small chips, but still made me pull some of my hair out.

Okay. Now you're scaring me. Edges are the most delicate parts of a paint job, but merely *bumping* it shouldn't cause chips to fall out "easily" . That indicates $hitty prep work.

What's worse, if the tank was cleared, a "bump" may have damaged the clear, but should have protected the paint. That's what it's FOR. If you dropped the tank from waist-high, perhaps. But not a "bump". No bloody way.

Another thing - take a mag glass and take a *close* look at the chipped edge. Do you see a defined layer between the colorcoat and the clear?

One other thing the painter said that he "baked", my word not his, under some lights.

Okay. That was nice of him. Infared lamps. Nothing wrong with it, required about 25 cent's worth of juice and no labor. But all the baking in the world ain't gonna make up for $hitty prep, and that's what I'm smelling here.

I'll try to get a couple of pictures tomorrow and post them here. I don't know how well the stain will show. To the naked eye it looks like a shadow.

Thanks folks.

Okie doke, I'll hold for the pics. My fingertips ain't bled this much since I tried learning Hendrix riffs as a kid anyways..

Post edited by: Pterosaur, at: 2006/05/22 19:34

Okay this is my first try at attaching an image here. The stain is bounded by the superimposed lines.


Post edited by: CTSZ1, at: 2006/05/23 08:59

One more view.

been there done that,but my clear cracked on me, lessend learned the hard way. How many coats of clear did you put on? If you got at least 2-3 you can wet sand it with 1600 grit, ( Just keep it good and wet so it dont burn the clear ) and buff it with 3-m buffing compound. thats how I got the big skeeter out of my fresh clear coat.

CTSZ1 wrote:

Okay this is my first try at attaching an image here. The stain is bounded by the superimposed lines.

Okay, the closer shots give me a better view...

Yep, it's enamel, and yep, it was cleared. And it's a nice finish job at that; yellow is a funny color for albedo/reflectivity.

When the pics first came up, I thunk the outline was a weird stripe job. Always pays to read the directions, I guess...

Rust really isn't an issue in this stain; it's C24H17...yadda-yadda, the molecular formula for petrol.

And there's another item I forgot to mention yesterday; leaving a gas spill sit on (relatively) fresh paint for "several hours" isn't a particularly good thing to do to a new finish.

The bigger issue in whether this stain is removeable is just how deep the clear is on the tank. I'm not certain, but it may not have reached the clear - which would be good news. I'd tend to think if it had, the stain would be darker. If such is the case, the previous poster might have touched on the right idea, a *very* judicious sand-job with something upwards of 1500 grit may just do it best, then light compound/glazing...

If it did reach the paint, bigger problems arise. Then it becomes an issue of just how deep the paint is....

If such is the case, the only potential fix is to feather both the clear and the colorcoat until the stain is gone, then entirely re-shoot the clear. Even in that case, it's likely that there's always gonna be a faint shadow in that spot. But let's not dwell on that just yet.

This fix is

NO

job for someone that isn't *very* familiar with pulling his chestnuts out of a paint fire. We're talking sanding coatings that average in the .0001's (10 thousands) thickness here, so it takes a light touch and a keen eye.

Myself, I'd say take it back to the guy that did the job, explain the situation and see if he can pull it off. He did it, he knows best what he can get away with. It's like asking a different doctor to fix anoher's ticker-sugery. If his rep as an MC guy that enjoys doing paint for bikes, he might even do it gratis, though I'd be prepared for a short lecture on leaving gas on paint jobs...

And then, there's another idea worth considering:

Gloss and depth wise, it's a pretty spiffy job.

Non-metallic base colors (red-white-blue-green-yellow) being what they are, from any distance at all, they pretty well hide a multitude of sins. You had to suck in pretty well with that lens to get the stain in the picture, and I'd bet that standing around in sunshine, pretty much nobody but you notices it anyways. We're always our own worst critics, and we always spot points for style on our toys that other people miss entirely.

You could always just wax the livin' $hit out of it until it glows like Cancun beach sunshine off a Playmate's a$$ and just let everybody marvel about how glossy it is...B}

If you'd like to, go ahead and print this out and show it to the guy that did the job - see if he agrees...

Post edited by: Pterosaur, at: 2006/05/23 15:20