Spray clear coat WITH HARDENER!

Hi everyone. I've seen numerous questions posted about what kind of clear coat to apply to a rattle can job that has good gas resistance. Well, I think I may have found a solution!

I was in a local auto supply store, and one of the salesguys showed me this product. It's an aerosol clear, but has a hardener in it that you activate by punctering a nozzle at the bottom of the can. Here is a link to a PDF on the product:

http://www.uschem.com/products/docs/Spr ... 20(English).pdf

If anyone uses the product or has used it in the past, please let everyone know how it worked!

Muttly

 

ive been looking for this?? what store did you go to?

 

Hey TJDUDE--I found the stuff at a local auto supply store that kind of specializes in car restoration. It's a place here in Minneapolis called Welle Auto Supply. If you google it i'm sure they have a website. Let everyone know if you try it and how it works!

Muttly

 

I picked a couple cans up from a local auto body supply store ($17.65 each). I'll report my results when I'm done painting the wife's tank and side covers.

 

Sounds good Gamuru. I hope the results are as good as advertised with this stuff. It could really make the rattle can paint job a viable long lasting option for us painter wannabe's!

 

Sounds good Gamuru. I hope the results are as good as advertised with this stuff. It could really make the rattle can paint job a viable long lasting option for us painter wannabe's!

 

Any reports on this stuff?

 

Holy moly. 17$ bucks a pop, that stuff had better work!

 

$17 a can! Thats almost as much as the 2 part automotive clear coat I get at NAPA runs me.

 

It IS a 2 part automotive grade clear coat also.

 

Wow, January 14 was my last post! No wonder the wife is getting irritated that her bike's paint job isn't done. Where the heck does the time go? I'm actually planning on shooting the tank and side covers weekend after next (March 8th). I'm still planning on reporting my results. Sorry about taking forever to get back to you on this.

 

Gamuru,
Ya I was kinda waiting for someone to make the plung and see how it actually works. I put my bike back together yesterday incase the weather changes for the better (it'll get up to 40 by the weekend) so I can get it out for a ride!
Once I can find a good clearcoat with hardener in it, I can do almost any kind of graphics under it, so the possibilities are endless! PD

 

Here's my report. The clear with hardener seems to be a good product for what it is and what it does. Understand this: there is no substitute for using a spray gun. This is close, but not quite.

After sanding, more sanding, sanding again, and, finally, one last sanding, I laid on the paint. I used a Plasticoat color CC9099 which is a Toyota Camry dark emerald green if memory serves. Once I had that looking good, on went to clear. The first shot went on really good and used about half the can. After about 8 hours of drying, I hit it again. Here's where I ran into my first problem. I started getting blobules on the paint job. The only thing I can think is that either the paint started going off in the can or the nozzle was beginning to clog.



After that dried over night, I wet sanded it down and went at it again. I should have stopped right there as this coat looked really pretty good. But, no. I still had half a can to go and didn't want to waste it. I shot the covers and tank and ended up with what looks like orange peal on the tank. I think it's because the can began to loose pressure and wouldn't mist the paint correctly. Arrrgggghhh!!!!

So, I have a slight run from the aforementioned pressure problem and some orange pealing. Here's my recommendation: use the product, but only expect one shot from each can. Once you're done with that shot, throw the damned can away. I don't care if the can is half full. Throw it away or prepare to swear, cuss, and sand.



Does anyone know if I can wet sand this clear down with 2000 grit to ease the run and orange peal then maybe wax it to a mirror finish?

P.S. The wife says she really likes how the paint job turned out. Seeing as how it's her tank and covers, I guess that's all that really matters.

 

You should be able to wetsand, buff, and then final wax your orange peel woes away. But for those of you who want a few tips always, ALWAYS, use a paint reducer on a rag to wipe down parts in between coats and before paint begins. Soap and water is ok, but it still doesn't clean as well as the reducer. As for the clear I agree it's the worst part of painting, its all at once or not at all. Then you can virtually avoid orange peel. The paint looks amazing judging by the pics though!

 

Gamuru,
I feel your pain. I think I see the problem. You waited too long to add the second coat. Most clearcoats are applied first with a fine mist, and let set for about 15 minutes, or just get tacky. Then you add a heavier second coat to get it covered good and the third coat (if you decide to go with another one) should be done the same way. You can't wait over night to add more coats. That's what causes the orange peel in the paint.
And being this stuff has a hardener in it, you can't use the same can the next day anyway. You have to use the paint while the catalyst (hardener) is going thru it's chemical reaction with the paint.
Maybe someone else will chime in on this subject, but I think I'm on the right track here. Good luck. PD

 

Good to know. Should I wait a certain amount of time before doing this? I don't want to get into the paint too soon.

Did this. And you're right on the money.

Thanks.

Ah, see, I didn't know that. My results may have been different if I had approached it under your recommended timeframe.

But, the can said it had a 24-hour pot life. :roll:

Thanks for the comments, guys.

 

Ya, that 24 hour pot life is kinda decieving. The next day is too long to wait to use the same can after it's mixed in my opinion. I'd try using the activated can only for one day and switch to a new one if I needed to do any added coats the next day. You should be able to do all the clear coats in one day, even if you have to sand out any runs or bad spots. You should be able to wet sand any bad spots out 1000 - 1500 grit) and start the clearcoat again with a mist coat first, then a heavier coat just like when you started. The misting coat will seal the paint under it so the next coat won't react like it did for you. I've always wet sanded with 1500 grit between coats and every added coat will have a better shine to it. Works for me! >PD<

 

A final update on this thread. I'm officially finished with the tank and side covers. Yeah!!!

After consulting PainterD and others on how to correctly apply the clear coat, I sanded off and reapplied another couple of layers of clear. As suggested, I started with a light mist of clear which I allowed to set for about 10 minutes. To this, I applied a heavier coat and then another allowing about 15 minutes between applications. As it happens, several pet hairs found their way into my paint job which required some sanding to remove. A hit it with 1000 grit, followed by 1500, and finished with 2000. All done wet, of course.

I then hit it with 3M's Rubbing Compound (PN:39002),



followed by their Cleaner Wax (PN:39006).



After I was done with that I decided to apply a coat of Meguiar's Gold Class Clear Coat Liquid Car Wax (PN:G-7016).



All were applied with an electric buffer.

And here is how the tank turned out...



I tried to get two reflections in this photo. One from the camera's flash to show the color and one from an overhead light to show the mirror-like finish. I must say that I'm pretty happy with the way the tank and side covers came out. More importantly, the wife is very happy with how they look.

Thanks to all for your input on this project. I'm definitely recommending this product.

 

Gamuru,
Yes, very nice!!
I can't emphasize the need for doing the sanding part. The paint only shows what is underneath, in fact it exagerates the surface and shows every imperfection, so it's vitally important. When clear coating you work, sanding between coats only makes every coat smoother.
Your paint job only shows what can be accomplished with patience and the right proceedures. Well done Gamuru!! >PD<

 

Nice job indeed !

Your making me want to go back home and start cleaning up the fairings on the turbo for paint !