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nick_ander

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I have painted one of my wheels.

1 I sanded it
2 I primed it
3 I painted a white layer
4 I painted the final coates red

I am able to scratch the paint off with my fingernail. I can scratch the red and have the white show and the if I do it real hard I can get down to the primer. I am using rustoleum and I have allowed for a week for it to cure. I handled the clean metal with gloves and the whole nine yards. Any one know how to get a nice hard paint. This seems so soft. Any help would be great. Thank you.

Nicholas
 
thick paint stays soft for a long time. next time spray thin coats. and id also spray a clear in the end if your worried about scratches.
 
Did you let the primer dry and scuff it before you painted it white? If you let the stuff dry more then just the flash time needed you will need to lightly scuff each layer to get them to bond to each other. If you do wet on wet. paint wait till tacky, not dry but enough to not run it on the next coat it will chemically bond each layer together.

My 2 cents is....
the only one I would let dry completely is the primer. Then lightly scuff and wipe down. Don't really need the white paint if your having coverage issues use a red oxide primer so it don't take a hundred coats of red to cover it because it has a red tint.

Hope this helps
 
Ive had this problem a couple of times.Both times is because I sprayed the coats on too thick and didnt allow the last coat to dry completely.I also had problems with putting a different color underneath with chipping and it looks horrible!!Now my process is I sand blast the frame to bare metal,or orbital sand it but make sure to resand with like a 220 or you could see swirls some times.I dont use primer!!I use rustoleum that is made to not need a primer,its for direct metal bonding.Paint first coat very thin,let dry totally,then shoot it 2 more times.Let those dry and then wet sand the whole bike till paint is totally smooth,then reshoot the entire bike,let dry and clear.Use rub wax on dry clear,rub kinda hard and it will make your paint smooth as a babys butt!Thats the only way Ive made my paint hard.I transport my bikes on a bike rack and my old paint jobs used to chip where the frame came in contact with the rack.But with my newer process it stays pretty good.Not 1/4 as good as powder coat but if your on the cheap side like me,it works great!My latest project that Im doing is my wifes Schwinn Breeze is coming out great with this process!
 
finally a paint question. that is what i do for a living. okay first rough the surface to be coated then clean with mineral sprits so there is no crap then spray two thin coats of primer about 15 min apart wait full cure time then two base coats same thing wait 15 mins. wait for cure then top coat three times same way. then finish with two to three coats of clear. this will be very durable and will have the most uniform look.
 
Thanx for all the GREAT info. I find it quite hard to get a thin coat with rattle cans. I think maybe some more self control I might be able to get thinner coats. I get real excited when painting so maybe I rushed things.

As far as the wheel goes it wasn't chrome.

Nicholas
 
Heres another factor that was not put into the mix. All the advice you received was good but, you will never acheive a truly hard end result from a spray can.There are chemicals in the can to make sure the paint stays liquified, and as such it will never harden as much as you would like. Automotive paints are thinned "reduced" and then a chemical hardener is added so that the end result is much more durable.Automotive paints are considerably higher priced and there is much more involvement with the process i.e. spray guns, filters, "dry" compressed air, etc. but the end result is far superior! :wink: Later & PEACE!!!!
 
so what is my cheaper option pro paint at a shop or powder coat. I know Im building rats but I still like my stuff to look nice.
 
ETCHING PRIMER! Best stuff to paint wheels. Go to your local auto paint supply place and pick up a can. Yes, they sell it in large spray cans. It's brand called SEM. They make various colors, too. It will etch itself into aluminum or chrome, then you can do extremely light coats of the red topcoat Rust-Oleum. I did this on my motorcycle wheels using black SEM etching primer and semi-gloss black Rust-Oleum, and it's been 3 years. Aside from the usual rock chips, the rims look great, and the stuff is hard as nails.
 
Also good advice, I would have to agree. I have used SEM primers with awesome results.I have also heard of using an automotive grade clear coat over color coats. I would think compatability of paint and c.c. would be of primary concern in this situation.But if all products were purchased at the same paint store, I am sure the staff could help you out there.And yes, powder coat seems to keep getting cheaper, better, and more available in both color and people who apply it!The upside to powder coat is you take in a frame and fork, wheels, etc. that have been de-greased. And you get back a ready to build project! Nice hard durable finish as well! :mrgreen:
 
I'm going to simply state that most rattle cans, Rustoleum, I'm looking at YOU, do not dry fast enough, hard enough for our needs. They take forever to reach full hardness. You can bake them to accelerate it but that's about it.

I've gotten MUCH better results with the brush-mineral-spirits-thinned-rustoleum approach. http://carpainting.wetpaint.com/page/Roller+Method You'll find a lot of guys have done great looking cars and motorcycles this way.

You can use a roller or a brush. You can even spray with a Preval.

The mojo here is that the mineral spirits turns it into a fast hardening paint that you can wet sand without waiting days or weeks. This lets you build coats lots of very thin coats quickly and get a great finish. Rustoleum lays down nicely without priming and when it dries, dries very hard. Most guys using this method lay down two coats, let dry, sand, rinse and repeat for a total of 6 coats or so.

It is more work than normally goes into "rat rod" but then if you just wanted that you'd have left it in primer.
 
I have a 77 Ford F100 truck that the previous owner sprayed with a paint gun and thinned rust oleum in the can. It looks surprisingly good! Would've looked even better if he sanded the surface rust and removed the vinyl decals! :roll: ~Adam
 
I degreased, sanded and applied adhesion promoter on my chrome wheels before painting, no problem at all with the paint. Where did you paint Nicholas? maybe high humidity and low temperature affected your paint job?

Hello Rick, where in Mesa are you? I just moved to Tempe near Baseline rd., are you riding in the Tour de Fat on Oct. 10? I'm just getting to know my local area for riding.
 
I have been reading a few post on the "$50 paint job" an I wonder if anyone who paints cars professionally could chime in on it.
 

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