Quote: adam, what kind of paint did you use? Im wondering what else works because of the limited color selection of rustoleum..
i used a paint called xo rust. i picked it up at my local hardware store (venice hardware). it seems to be about the same as rustoleum and there was a better selection of colors. i painted this section probably around 3 weeks ago or so and then i got busy with a bunch of personal and work stuff, so i let it sit since then. the paint is pretty hard and it seems to hold up well to scratches. i CAN scratch it with my fingernail but it's nothing i wouldn't expect from any 2k paint after only 3 weeks of curing (plus, as you know, it's been raining in our area and kinda humid and chilly.)
it's pretty positive so far, i think my only concern for it is its resistance to gasoline. krylon looks like absolute hell when gas gets on it. so for the tank i might end up buying a clear coat product called "lustrekote" that's used for model planes. it's supposedly very gas resistent and comes in a rattle can. if it works well and doesn't react strangely to this paint, i might paint all the bike in it. but it doesn't seem to be necessary right now since the paint is getting enough shine just on its own. if i can paint the whole bike without exposure to isocyanites because i can paint straight over body filler without having to use a 2k primer, then i'll be very happy. plus, it's a track bike and will likely need a repaint before i suffer any ill effects of the elements. haha.
what's interesting is that my paint looked awful after a few coats because i was really rushing and not sanding well between coats. so i got bad orange peel:
and some weird "checking" where veins of paint would crumple up. this is likely due to not sanding the previous coats and giving the new coats any "tooth".
however, after wetsanding these areas smooth with 800, 1000, and 1500 grit it comes out nice and smooth. here's that same section with a bit of waxy goodness on it. it's important to notice the sharpness of the reflections. that's a sure sign that this paint is "shiny". i think the haziness in this picture is because the window is dirty. the window bars are pretty distinct.
it's very slick to the touch now and the polymer sealant i use on it (as opposed to straight carnauba wax) should offer some uv protection so hopefully it won't fade as badly. tomorrow i'm going to pick up all the colors i need for the track plastics and start on it.
i did paint a bike tank with krylon years ago and it looked great for a while after i colorsanded it. but i also rushed all the painting steps and laid too heavy coats on. plus, as soon as the krylon got hit by gas it turned milky. i'm hoping that this stuff doesn't suffer from that.
