Gas Tank Painting Question

[arveejay]

I've searched and can't find exactly what I am looking for. I have just finished painting the gas tank on my 2nd 850 and am preparing the tank on my sons 650 for painting and I'm being told that gas will eat up the paint. I have way too much time sanding, painting, sanding, painting and polishing invested to have the paint dissolve so I need to know. Will clear coat protect the paint from gas or do I need something else? I will buy what ever is needed to save doing the job a 2nd time. As a last resort I could bribe the wife to let me bake it but there will be Hell here if the oven takes on a paint smell. I had enough trouble getting her to let me paint in the house with a fan in the window. It's been sitting for about a month and I'm pretty sure the paint is hard but I am not a gambler and don't want to take a chance.

 

[dgeorge]

I'm not an expert on painting so if I'm wrong someone please correct me. I am fixing to paint my bike GS1100GK and I'm sanding everything down to bare plastic or metal. What the guys at the paint store have told me is not to use aresol (sp?) paint. They say it is like the difference between mud and concret, like mud they will never truly get hard the way that concret will. So I guess my question for you arveejay is are you using aresol or are you using regular automotive paint? If you are using the canned spray paint, I think that gas would take it off, even the clear coat, because it never really dries. To get it so that gas and stuff will not affect it you need to use the profesional stuff with hardners in it. It is a lot more costly, and harder to apply ie. compressor and spray gun, but well worth the extra effort in my humble opinion. Like I said I'm far from being an expert on this, but have been doing some research, I don't want to have to resand everything and repaint it any time soon, it is a whole lot of work with the GK because of the faring, trunk, and saddle bags. Well that's my two cents worth, and I hope it helps.

 

[Anonymous]

If I can stick my nose in here really quick.

dgeorge,
What kind of paint are you going to use? I've been researching this also and to say there's a ton of information available would be an major understatement.
Acrylic, enamel, acrylic enamel?, polyurathane, etching primer, wash primer..., the list never seems to end.
From what I've seen Imron sounds some great stuff but very pricey and pretty toxic to boot.
Have you decided on a type/brand yet?

 

[dgeorge]

I haven't finalized yet exactly what kind of paint yet, but I'm leaning toward acrylic enamel, they say that it is easy to work with, especially with this being my first time doing this type of painting. I used to paint houses for a living, but never messed with automotive type paints. The auto paint store where I live sells mostly ppg stuff and ppg has a web site that helps with the color matching part of it with a lot of info http://autocolorlibrary.com/scripts/depot.exe?pgm=aclgate.bbx The guys that work at the paint store are being very helpful and have told be they will make sure that I get everything that I need to do the job right ie the right primer, paint, reducer, hardner and clear coat that will work together. I'm only about a quarter way thru sanding, I can only do it on nice days, tried it inside the house and it was just way to dusty. I'm using my orbital sander with 220 paper to take off most of the old paint then I'm wet sanding with 220 wet to get where the orbial can't get. Then I will use 320 and 400 grit wet to take out the minor scratches from the plastic. I'll probably use two coats of etch primer for adhesion to the plastic then I plan on putting about three to four coats of color and then about two coats of clear. I'm going to use a HVLP detail gun to shoot it with, so I've got a lot of work ahead of me on this project.

 

[Billy Ricks]

Most good grades of aerosol paint intended as auto paint is fine as long as you use clear over the top and keep a good coat of wax on it. You have to make sure you allow the right amount of time before waxing. Just be sure to use clear that is compatible with the paint you used.

Acrylic enamel is the way to go. It isn't as brittle as lacquer, although acrylic lacquer is tough as well and dries in a hurry. PPG is great paint as is DuPont. I don't know if it is sold everywhere, but I wasn't happy with Acme automotive finishes.

 

[TheNose]

I called Dupli-Color because the clear coat I used on my tank was ruined when I spilled gasoline on it. They told me to use the Clear Engine Enamel Ceramic, Duplicolor #DE1636. I have not used it yet, but am about to paint another tank and will use it on it. I can't guarantee it, but they told me it would resist gasoline.

Terry

 

[earlfor]

Any single part paint or clear coat whether it is in a spray can or just a can will (no matter how long it has dried) dissolve or turn into sludge if exposed or saturated with solvents such as gasoline. Some will take longer than others, but it will happen. The paint/coatings used in the auto/marine/aircraft industry are primarily alcohol derivatives and can be applied over common petroleum based paints. However, the oil in those paints is incompatible with the alcohol based top coats, so the spray can paint must be thoroughly dry and clean before it can be clear coated with a synthetic. Usually, the clear coat would be sprayed with a few light tack coats to seal the surface without leaving a heavy enough layer to cause dissolving of the previous paint surface. Once dry, you can clear coat as you normally would. The drawback to this approach is that if you ever scratch through the clearcoat, any solvent will have access to the susceptable undercoat and the paint job will be ruined. I stay away from lacquer primers because they do not resist solvents. I prefer two part catalyzed epoxy primers that are impervious to solvents once cured. Dupont Corlar is my preference in primers. It is not considered a sandable primer and must be sprayed to achieve a smooth surface. Though it is difficult to sand, it can be sanded. I usually sand it with a pliable closed cell foam pad and #320 wet/dry paper. Similiar to using a soft sanding block. Just keep a bucket of water handy with a cap full of liquid joy in the water. Keep the sanding surface wet and the paper clean and it will sand quite nicely. Forget using an electric sander as it will cause bare spots and flat spots on a rounded surface such as a tank or side panels. Orbital sanders will also leave swirl marks. I try to keep all my sanding strokes in one direction. After may years of working with various paint systems, I have found three that I now use almost exclusively. U.S Paint Awlgrip is the hardest, most chemically impervious and most abrasion resistant, but the color choices are very limited (about 30) and no metallics. Dupont Imron is very close to the same qualities being only slightly softer and it comes in any color imaginable including metallics. PPG Concept is a close 3rd being slightly less abrasive, and chemical resistant. It too comes in about any color you would ask for.
All of the must be sprayed. All of them have additives you can use to modify their characteristics and their application temperature ranges and tack times. All of these companies make a clear coat for their product.
Though there is a clearcoat for Awlgrip, the paint itself is so high gloss and hard, it adds nothing in durability, so I usually dont bother.
My GS750 is painted in Imron and nothing has any effect on the paint. I could wipe it down with a mixture of gasoline, acetone, lacquer thinner and acid and it would have no effect at all. (NO, do not mix those chemicals together)

Earl

 

[Anonymous]

Take it from someone who painted his bike with aeresol cans. Use an automotive lacquer and it will be gas resistant. Cool?

 

[wrench]

On the GS Resources homepage under "In The Garage" Frank has pretty detailed article on repainting, you may find that of some help?
Wrench.

 

[Jay B]

I called Dupli-Color because the clear coat I used on my tank was ruined when I spilled gasoline on it. They told me to use the Clear Engine Enamel Ceramic, Duplicolor #DE1636. I have not used it yet, but am about to paint another tank and will use it on it. I can't guarantee it, but they told me it would resist gasoline.

Terry

Thats the same thing they told me. I dont have that on my tank but I did put it on the fairing when I painted it match the bike. I never did test to see if it was resistant or not but I never figure to get gas on the fairing anyhow. The engine clear coat that they talked about is alot harder than the regular clear coat that they sell. I talked to a couple of guys that used Dupli Color and then the Engine enamel and they say they havent any problems. Course a couple more said that it peeled right off the motors. I guees the best thing to say is to try it and see.

 

[arveejay]

Ok, thanks guys, I was going to use duplicolor. I have already bought it but with all this info I think I will take my neighbor up on his offer. He suggested imron and said if I bought it he would spray everything for me. I didn't want to spend that much money as he talked of buying hardener and such. I figured I could use spray paint and he warned me it wouldn't hold up. I don't want to take a chance so I will do it right the first time and forget it. Again, thanks for all the experienced advice, it is priceless.

 

[Billy Ricks]

Bob,
One other option is to have the paint store fill aerosol cans with the paint you choose. They can't do it for paints that have a catalyst, but they can with the acrylic auto paints. Saves the cost of buying thinners and the rest. If you want to go with Imron then you'll have to spray.

 

[earlfor]

The most common reason for paint peeling or flaking off is improper preparation of the surface. The hardware store petroleum based spray can paints are very tolerant of oily or contaminated surfaces. The catalyzed acrylics, acrylic urethanes, linear polyurethanes and epoxy based coatings are absolutely intolerant of contamination. For all of those types of paint, the final cleaning and wipedown before spraying requires that you do not handle the parts with bare hands. Even a fingerprint left from freshly washed hands will cause a "fisheye" and a blemish. Once the parts are final sanded and ready to be painted, they should be rinsed thoroughly with plain water and left to air dry. Then a minute before actually spraying paint, they should be VERY lightly rubbed down with a tack cloth. As soon as the part is coated, it should be covered up. The dust normally in the air will cause imperfections. You can cover the part with nothing more than a big cardboard box.

Earl



[quote="Jay B
Course a couple more said that it peeled right off the motors. I guees the best thing to say is to try it and see.[/quote]

 

[arveejay]

The most common reason for paint peeling or flaking off is improper preparation of the surface. The hardware store petroleum based spray can paints are very tolerant of oily or contaminated surfaces. The catalyzed acrylics, acrylic urethanes, linear polyurethanes and epoxy based coatings are absolutely intolerant of contamination. For all of those types of paint, the final cleaning and wipedown before spraying requires that you do not handle the parts with bare hands. Even a fingerprint left from freshly washed hands will cause a "fisheye" and a blemish. Once the parts are final sanded and ready to be painted, they should be rinsed thoroughly with plain water and left to air dry. Then a minute before actually spraying paint, they should be VERY lightly rubbed down with a tack cloth. As soon as the part is coated, it should be covered up. The dust normally in the air will cause imperfections. You can cover the part with nothing more than a big cardboard box.

Earl



[quote="Jay B
Course a couple more said that it peeled right off the motors. I guees the best thing to say is to try it and see.

[/quote]


I didn't know about the fingerprints but considering the natural oils it make sense. I like the cardboard box idea, I've lack an idea and this sounds great. Thanks again.

 

[Anonymous]

Had the same problem with my gas tank. Used Duplicolor for the color and clear, gas ate right into the paint. Experimented and found that the clear engine paint is not affected by a gas spill (at least not yet). You're right, its way too much work getting it right to have to do it twice.

 

[rustybronco]

Mr. earlfor i have a question.
do you use a hvlp or a suction cup gun and why? and what pressure at the gun? i'm trying to use a hvlp (snap-on bf700) but may have to revert to my cup gun (devilbiss mbc) to paint my tank and covers with imron. i cant seem to get the gun adjusted properly YET! and don't want to ruin a good paint job.

 

[Evil Hobbit]

Ok here is my 2 cents. I have painted my tank twice in 3 years myself. I thought I knew what I was doing, wrong. So I stripped it and took it down the street to the local body shop and paid him $125 to do it and that is that, done, done right and a garrantee to boot.