Painting your frame with a brush lol

[buddy]

Hey folks.
So im restoring my old xj600.
Now i cant really pull the engine out because the exhaust studs look pretty corroded so i am reluctant to touch them. So the engines staying in, and everythings getting painted round it in situe.

So... can i paint it with a brush lol?
Me immediete thoughts are, am i going to get loads of brush marks?
Will it be hard enough? Might just get chipped off rather quickly.

Im thinking of just using some hammerite or smething.
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When this baby hits 88 miles per hour... you're gonna see some serious shit.

[Pete.]

You can paint with a brush lol but have some rag lol and thinners lol handy in case you get any on the engine.

Lol.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[doggone]

Modern paints seem to flow remarkably well so you might be surprised how well it works assuming you aren't a total novice brush painter.

[jeffyjeff]

Just as in painting with another application method, prep is the key. Your results, especially in the area of adhesion and chipping, are variable depending on the amount of effort you put into sanding, prepping, and priming. If the paint is mixed at the proper consistency, I doubt you will see the brush strokes. Good luck, and please post pix of your result.
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History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men - BOC

[stinkwheel]

People used to (and still do) brush paint paint bodywork to a high lusture.

Machine enamels are well suited to frame painting. As with all paint finishes, the end result is dependant on the time and effort devoted to prep, appropriately selected and thinned paint, the number and thickness of coats, the patience of the person painting and the quality of the brushes.

The latter is more important than most people allow for, you wont get a £500 finish with a 50p brush. You need a good quality one and you need to break it in.

EDIT: Also gloss red is the single worst paint finish it is possible to do in my experience. It's a total bastard. It uses a clear base with red pigment so it relies entirely on the pigment for colour density. It covers poorly and shows through any small defects from the preceeding coats. I'd recommend a tinted primer or you'll never get it to cover at all.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Ste]

Cool, today I learnt that breaking in paint brushes is a thing.

"Brush the bristles back and forth against your hand to loosen them. Slap the brush on a hard surface and then spin it around by the handle to ensure that any loose bristles are freed. Dip the brush into your paint and then paint an X shape on some sheets of newspaper, going over it until all the paint on the brush is used. Examine the brush and cut off any misshaped bristles. The best quality natural bristle brushes may then be conditioned by soaking in linseed oil for a few hours. Remove excess oil with kitchen paper before use."

https://www.hamiltondecoratingtools.co.uk/knowledge-room/guides/professionals-secrets-for-preparing-and-using-paint-rollers-and-brushes/30

That's correct?

[buddy]

Paint brush it is then.
Just need to find the best quality paint so it dries nice and hard.
Is hammerite still any good? I hear a lot about "rustoleum" but that seems to be a yank thing....
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When this baby hits 88 miles per hour... you're gonna see some serious shit.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

I posted this some time ago, and recently came across the link again.

https://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pattle/nacc/arc0078.htm
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Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[pepperami]

Mr Buddy.
I have been painting some stuff by hand just recently.
Because of lockdown, I’ve had had plenty of time to do the job at a nice slow pace.
I would also suggest that you get some small/artists brushes.
They will come in very handy for all those awkward little nooks & crannies that a bigger brush can’t get into.
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[stinkwheel]

[kramdra]

Hammerite is rubbish, unless you want a hammer look. The old stuff was better but even that flaked off my lathe bench, which was prepared well, while a tin of poundland black does not. Also contains silicone, which is bad for reactions with acrylic paints. I would avoid alkyd/enamels too.

2k is the best paint, but cant be safely sprayed by DIYer. However many say it can be safely brushed, using an A2P3 respirator and well away from other people. Do your own research. Spraying 2k requires an air fed mask and a proper spray room.

Even so, Ive had very good results with 1k rattle cans. Mask the area, key with 600 grit, clean and spray. My forks have done a lot of miles and only have minor stone chips. Areas on the frame held up very well. I used poundland silver spray which I expected would be much worse.

[Riejufixing]

[MCN]

Mask it very carefully and blast it with spray cans

By far the simplest.

Best done indoors to reduce dust and beasties sticking to the unhardened paint.
Build up thin coats of primer. Allow to dry tacky between coats.
When hard (next day), rub that down with flour grade wet or dry.
Then wash off with water. Rinse with distilled/RO/deionised water to avoid any chalky deposits as the water dries.
Build up thin coats of colour.
Allow to harden and rub down.
Finish with a couple of clear lacquer coats.
It will take about a week to fully harden unless you have a way to heat the shop and speed up evaporation.

Then a coat of polish.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[A100man]

I just painted the rocker cover and crank caps on teh FZ with smooth hammerite silver, by brush. My mistake may have been to use an old brush. I'm sure a newer finer bristled one would have done better. Any way it left annoying brush marks to I ended up getting a can of the spray stiff to go over the top.

BTW is hammerite good for anything these days? Used to be the 'go to' metal paint
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Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[Easy-X]

[Robby]

If you want to do it right, get the engine out. The worst part of a frame for corrosion is down around the swingarm pivot and rear engine mount, on the inside. You won't be able to have a good look at it unless you have it stripped back to a bare frame.

If it's anything like some of the frames I have seen, that is when you learn metalwork and welding.

[wr6133]

You can get an ok finish without too much effort.

Below was hammerite applied with a (cheap) brush. Done with engine in frame. Was either 2 or 3 coats.

It looked decent from about 5' away. Up close didn't look bad but was clearly DIY painted. Buyer actually liked the black frame when I sold it, so couldn't have been that bad.

Only ever had to touch it up once after crashing. Finish was pretty tough (2014 Hammerite if that matters).

On reflection if I did it again I'd drop the motor. Had to take the plastics off and once that was done dropping the engine is a simple task.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50007403123_7ee75b66a4_o.jpg

[MCN]

[wr6133]

[kramdra]

https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/mr4.pdf

Pdf details for safe brushing of 2k. Air fed mask not needed. I will probably get some and I will be using an A2P3 mask.

[Hong Kong Phooey]

Just a warning for anyone thinking of using 2k paint, exposure to the skin can lead to increased sensitivity when subsequently breathing in the vapours. Some people are more sensitive than others, and repeated exposure accumulates over time. This is an occupational hazard for car bodyshop workers but it's not unknown for home enthusiasts to be poisoned.

Also an organic particle mask may not be enough.

People who have been exposed to isocyanates sometimes don't show symptoms for years, and even when they do they don't necessarily make the link back to all those years ago when they took a seemingly small risk. This can manifest in more ways than just breathing issues.

https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/777847O/isocyanates-3m-techupdate.pdf

Once cured the risk is not completely diminished, welding or grinding 2k paint can aerate the particles once more.
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'81 CG125, '97 FZS600 : '99 CBR600F4, '09 KTM RC8

[stinkwheel]

[Robby]

[Tdibs]

Honestly.... Its best to just deal with the header bolts come what may than keep putting them off. The stock divvy exhausts rot like crazy, a lot of the aftermarket headers then block the oil drain, so some you have to slack off headers for oil changes.

Re the paint. You can at least strip all but the engine, then mask it off pretty well with having the majority of the frame exposed. If you are going to that trouble, I would be use spray cans for sure, the frame is pretty exposed on the bike, it will always be noticeable.

Its worth the effort to go for power coat too tbh. I use black hammerite to touch up bits of the frame, but to do the whole thing in red.... its not going to be pretty.
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Previous : 09 Vanvan 125| 02' Sv650s || Current: 1999 Xj600n | 1992 DR650 RSE | 2005 Fazer 1000

[buddy]

I wasnt even aware you could get 2pk as a brush on.

When you say 2pk you mean a paint where you mix in a hardener right?
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When this baby hits 88 miles per hour... you're gonna see some serious shit.