Need Frame Painting Advice

I screwed up and painted my nice sandblasted frame with PJ1 engine paint. I bought a bunch of cans thinking this was the right stuff, only it went on real thin and doesn't really build up at all. After spraying 8 rattle cans on all the parts and frame, you can still see the grey metal bleeding through the PJ1. I want to use an acrylic urethane enamel, somehting real durable, like I've read suggested on a post, but do I need to sand blast back to bare metal? Could this PJ1 just be left as a primer? I'm not even sure if PJ1 is an acrylic enamel or what exactly it is. Does anyone know? If I can't cover it with acrylic urethane enamel, what could I do so I don't have to hire a sandblaster again, It was like $100 to blast everything. I need some advice.

eek!:ohmy: wait for it to dry really good for a few days then sand it all down to where its nice and dull then prime it really good and let it dry before you try it again.

I agree with wireman. Just let it dry for at least 7 days then sand it and prime it. The primer will cover the old paint so you should be able to use any kind of paint. As for the paint, acrylic urethane enamel is three totally different paints. I used a laquer spray paint on my fram and it was surprisingly tuff for a rattle can. It was an Ace brand but other brands should work just as good. It might be hard to find but its really shiney and tuff.

Whoa there, folks. Hold the bus.

mountain wrote:

I screwed up and painted my nice sandblasted frame with PJ1 engine paint.

First off, there's nothing wrong with PJ1 paints. They're one of the better rattlecan types available.

Second, they're intended to be shot on ALUMINUM motor parts, and cure with heat. Aluminum is porus, so the paint seeps in and binds with the pores.

After spraying 8 rattle cans on all the parts and frame, you can still see the grey metal bleeding through the PJ1.

Third, it sounds like you shot the paint on raw blasted steel. That just isn't done. At the very least, raw steel needs hit with 220 sandpaper, dusted off, tacked and then shot - and that's just to shoot $1.98 WalMart engine enamel on a Ford block. A raw blasted surface doesn't qualify as *prepped* metal.

Fourth, something doesn't sound right with your shooting - sounds like you shot it WAY too wet. 8 cans of motor paint should cover a barn door if it's shot right - but we're a long ways from dealing with that problem.

Could this PJ1 just be left as a primer?

Honestly don't know. Not sure how the earlier paint is gonna stick in the long haul - my guess is that it won't stick well at all, so anything you put over it will have the same problem - kind of like painting over jello.

I'm not even sure if PJ1 is an acrylic enamel or what exactly it is. Does anyone know?

Yes, it is enamel.

If I can't cover it with acrylic urethane enamel, what could I do so I don't have to hire a sandblaster again, It was like $100 to blast everything. I need some advice.

Prayer would be a good option.

If you're into quick fixes, let that frame sit in the sun for at least a week to set. Then get yourself a couple of cans of PJ1 EPOXY enamel, sand the frame with 400 wet and try re-shooting.

If you want honesty, I'd say bite the bullet and get that goo blasted off the frame. There's just no telling how that crap is gonna stick over time. It may even seem like it's holding at the moment - but 6 months from now it's anybody's guess.

As soon as you get the frame from the blaster, shoot the bejesus out of it with an enamel based primer. Then get yourself a hunk of 220 paper and start sanding. Sand until the primer's pretty much gone and then re-prime it.

It's a bit premature to talk about paint.

Nurse!

Post edited by: Pterosaur, at: 2007/03/14 00:44

atlast,the painting gods have spoken!

Should have saved up cans and had it powder coated.

Mmmmm freshly beaded and textured flat black pcoated hubs....


Project home -> www.jasonfagan.com/motorsport/motorcycles/kz1000/index.html

Tasty!

sheik*yerbouti wrote:

Mmmmm freshly beaded and textured flat black pcoated hubs....


Project home -> www.jasonfagan.com/motorsport/motorcycles/kz1000/index.html

that cafe bike of yours is looking pretty good!

donthekawguy wrote:

Should have saved up cans and had it powder coated.

Yeah, that's a thought.

With all due respect, Mountain, it really sounds like this was planned as an afternoon frame job that's turned into what most afternoon frame jobs turn into - fly paper...

It's hard to tell what kind of results you're after, and hey - we've all started someplace on the road to getting a bike up and running, but there's really no getting around the old adage:

Good - fast - cheap: pick two.

The trouble with trying to pass advice at this stage is trying to figure out what's GOOD advice - if somebody tells you that it's okay to proceed as-is, and you wake up to find your frame paint all over the driveway and blowing off in a stiff breeze in six months, who's at fault?

Ultimately, Don's got the best answer: find a reputable powder coater, drop it off and let them handle it - it's what they do. And the results will be far better than anything you can get with PJ1 and OJT...

I agree, pterosaur, but what exactly is a powder coat? I am not to upset in making mistakes, I just want to do it right. This is the first time for me. I'm a begginer. At least I didn't think of this after I reassembled the whole bike! Check out this link on acrylic urethane enamel. Kl250, a profile member swears by this stuff. If I'm going to coat my frame, why not make it bomber so it lasts:
www.envirolinegroup.com/pdf/535.pdf