What Is The Best Clearcoat?

Yellowhand

Yellowhand

#1
#1
I need an extremely durable clearcoat to protect a gun-blued minibike frame/fork setup...

I blued some sample pieces of steel tubing and shot them with rattle can Rustoleum clear to see how they looked...

I like the end result (versus paint or powdercoat), so I need some input on the best type of clearcoat to protect against rust...

My brother has a cheapie gun setup I can use to shoot it, so I'm not looking for the can brands...

Your opinion?
 
G

GTO

#2
#2
Auto paint but an easy way without a gun is to go to Napa auto and get a two part spray can. It's a can that you press the bottom button and it injects the "part II" in the clear and then you shake it then use it up in so much time. I think it's $20 .
 
Strigoi

Strigoi

#4
#4
clear powder coat?

Can parts be coated with clear Powder Coating?
Yes! We offer clear powder coatings that can be applied over polished brass, aluminum and stainless – such as wheels, plumbing fixtures and lighting fixtures! We also offer an industrial strength clear powder coating that can withstand very harsh cleaning solvents (such as Methyl Ethyl Ketone ‘MEK’ and acetone). These types of clear coatings can be applied over silk screened/pad printed parts or panels to protect the graphics.
Many of the motorcycle enthusiasts polish the lip of their rims and powder the centers one color, and clear the entire rim for that eternal polished look!
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----- ANDREWS POWDER COATING ----- faq, powder coating, powder, coat, resin, resins, oven, cure, environmentally friendly, Powder Coating information, Powder Coating questions, how to Powder Coat, powder coating help, Powder Coating technique, Powder
 
nostrixoxide

nostrixoxide

New Member
#6
#6
Diamont, Transtar, Dupont, Spieshecker, PPG. Really any clear that requires a reducer & a hardener will do just fine. But you should probably get a quick cure type clear unless you got a heated booth. Transtar makes a decent quick clear & the yellowing factor is pretty good also.
 
george3

george3

Active Member
#8
#8
what is wrong with the Rustoleum clear? do you really want to spend well over 100.00 for dupont, ppg ? clear is not really desinged to paint bare metal and un sanded as well. go with your first idea if it doesent work out in the long run, little money wasted.
 
G

GTO

#9
#9
george3 said:
what is wrong with the Rustoleum clear? do you really want to spend well over 100.00 for dupont, ppg ? clear is not really desinged to paint bare metal and un sanded as well. go with your first idea if it doesent work out in the long run, little money wasted.
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Clear is used on lots of stuff like brass, metal and so on. A two part will be the toughest, that's why I suggested the can.
 
delray

delray

Well-Known Member
#10
#10
nostrixoxide said it:thumbsup: automotive paint is your best choice for clear. when you get into paints that require harders,now you are talking about some tuff stuff that won't peel,fade,turn yellow,gas stain,etc....:thumbsup:
urethane clears..........very good....dupont imron....excellent:thumbsup:but don't breath it:doah:
 
nostrixoxide

nostrixoxide

New Member
#11
#11
I'd be willing to bet if you went to your local autobody & paint shop they would throw your parts in the booth when they are in the process of clearing an automobile & charge you minimal dough for the material since they already have it in the gun? You should see the amount of wasted materials the paint shop goes through. Keep in mind that they can't do anything with the material once it has been mixed other then spray it or discard it...
 
spacecoast

spacecoast

Member
#12
#12
Been using the Nason line by Dupont. It's not as pricey as others, but lays down nice and seems just fine. Florida can be brutal for clearcoats, no issues yet. Base coat/ clear coat is what I've been shooting. Here is a poll on it for your reading pleasure- Once and for all, Nason paint - yes or no. . I would do some research on clear coating blued parts to be sure, have know idea on that. Can you hit that surface with a light grit for bite or "tooth"? I wet sand with 1000 - or higher, before shooting clear. I don't think you can do this though with blued parts. Try a scrap piece before you go for it I guess. Seen too many clear coats flaking off, looks crappy. There are adhesion additives, like for plastic parts, if you have problems getting it to "stick". Please post your results, failure or hopefully success. I'm very curious about this.
 
spacecoast

spacecoast

Member
#13
#13
Did a little research, discovered that blueing is typically no thicker than 0.0001 inches. So no wet sanding! It's a treatment not a coating. That's what I thought. No info on clear coating that I found. Still curious about this.
 
Yellowhand

Yellowhand

#14
#14
george3 said:
what is wrong with the Rustoleum clear? do you really want to spend well over 100.00 for dupont, ppg ? clear is not really desinged to paint bare metal and un sanded as well. go with your first idea if it doesent work out in the long run, little money wasted.
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I know next to nothing about paint, but the frame and forks I'm referring to are very high-dollar already, so another hundred or so spent on clearcoat will be protecting several hundred worth of steel.

I don't know whether or not Rustoleum rattlecan would do the job, but for $3 per can I'm guessing that there are much higher-quality choices available.
 
Yellowhand

Yellowhand

#15
#15
nostrixoxide said:
I'd be willing to bet if you went to your local autobody & paint shop they would throw your parts in the booth when they are in the process of clearing an automobile & charge you minimal dough for the material since they already have it in the gun? You should see the amount of wasted materials the paint shop goes through. Keep in mind that they can't do anything with the material once it has been mixed other then spray it or discard it...
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Excellent suggestion...my borrowed gun is a cheapie, and I'm not a very good painter.
 
Yellowhand

Yellowhand

#16
#16
spacecoastz said:
Been using the Nason line by Dupont. It's not as pricey as others, but lays down nice and seems just fine. Florida can be brutal for clearcoats, no issues yet. Base coat/ clear coat is what I've been shooting. Here is a poll on it for your reading pleasure- Once and for all, Nason paint - yes or no. . I would do some research on clear coating blued parts to be sure, have know idea on that. Can you hit that surface with a light grit for bite or "tooth"? I wet sand with 1000 - or higher, before shooting clear. I don't think you can do this though with blued parts. Try a scrap piece before you go for it I guess. Seen too many clear coats flaking off, looks crappy. There are adhesion additives, like for plastic parts, if you have problems getting it to "stick". Please post your results, failure or hopefully success. I'm very curious about this.
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I am worried about adhesion...the samples were polished before bluing to get the depth and translucency that I was looking for...almost like a blue mirror.

If I have to rough up the steel, I'll be pretty upset...the minibike frame is actually a test piece for some blued steel/brass/blown glass/exotic wood high-end furniture I'm collaborating on with a custom woodworker and a glass-blower.
 
COOP1418

COOP1418

New Member
#17
#17
I don't think you will have any problems as long as you use a urethane clear-2 part with a hardener.they have it in cans like GTO said or you can get it in quart setups at your local auto paint jobber.The regular spray clears wont hold up to any fuel or solvents if they contact it.Nason,Trans star,PPG all have good stuff.Harley has custom paint jobs from the factory over bare metal.Look at some youll see flames with light grind marks that have been candied over or still raw metal than cleared.The only thing is if you bang it it will chip,must be touched up before moisture attacks.:thumbsup:
 
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