Quick clear coat options?
 

I have previously revitalized a bike by simply cleaning up the frame and shooting a couple coats of clear enamel over it, and would like to do something similar to this on a bike I've been riding through the winter and want going again ASAP. I didn't take into account drying time with the last bike, and even after letting it sit a month, it was still fairly easy to nick with a fingernail (although, a nice hard finish now that it has sat a year)

Is there a home remedy that allows me to get a decent looking clear coat with less than a month drying time? The clear coat is strictly to keep the paint in a condition it is already in, to stop any rust/corrosion. Ideally, I'd prefer in the week or less range. I have seen two different manners: a) using two part urethane spray (not sure if that'll go over existing decals decently enough or not, and carries hefty health warnings), or b) building a drying chamber and using the enamel (no real consensus on temp/time). Has anyone tried either of these, or have a third alternative I am missing? If I'm asking for something unrealistic, let me know that too.

I have used SprayMax 2K clear coat several times including over original finish and decals of my '68 Claud Butler. Worked great. One needs to use a proper respirator in a well ventilated area. If I remember correctly it was certainly very hard in a month.Though I was in no hurry, as all were winter projects. Very durable.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/767624...h/16975437406/

+1 on the SprayMax2. I would suggest two cans minimum for good coverage and thickness.

Awesome, I forgot to mention in my OP but the SprayMax 2k was the stuff I was specifically looking at. Did you guys find it locally, or buy it online? I prefer having a source for such stuff locally, if you obtained it at any sort of national chain type place.

[MENTION=302470]allend[/MENTION] - pretty bike too, I love the purple! Out of curiosity, did you apply it over the decals, and if so did you do any special prep?

How does the SprayMax do on decals ? I melted some Velocals with Krylon acrylic .

I bought SprayMax (2K in an aerosol can) here in Canada at Nappa, an auto parts and paint supply franchise. Perhaps you have same shop or another that would have or a similar product. Spray Max is a German product.

I had EvapoRusted and touched up frame before clear coating. I actually ruined the down tube decal with the EvapoRust and had to replace. I don't think original decals had much clear coat. No problem with Spray Max over the original seat tube decal or new replacement decals I bought. It is suggested that 1st coat of clear coat be very light over decals and to let dry before preceding with further coats.

Re Prep: If not doing any touch up probably should clean frame well and degrease. I can't remember if I did, but for better adhesion and if you are feeling obsessive might be wise to rub down frame very lightly with some 1000 or 2000 grit wet sandpaper.

Thanks.

It'll get a prep with sandpaper and cleaning/degreasing. I just have no desire to pay to repaint or PC the entire thing, I want to do something to preserve it in an "as-is" state while it is already ripped down to frame level.

Just out of curiosity, what did you guys use for PPE? The manufacturer's sheets and back of the can ranges basic half masks to full on hoods with fed air supply.

I bought Spray Max at a local Auto Paint supplier (since sold out and relocated) and was not impressed with the final results, mainly the finish not being as glossy-smooth as I like. I would not pay the approx. $20/can for it again, but YRMV.
At the other end of the spectrum is a wipe-on clear that can also be applied with brush, foam, roller or spray (but you need the spray gear) that I have used and been pretty pleased with called Everbrite. It's also some thing you NEED to test first to make sure the solvent doesn't attack your decals, but never had it attack any cured paint. AFAIK it's a nylon resin and you can apply fresh coating right over the old with minimal perp to renew it. Other weirdness is that it's sold by franchisees through regional sales so you have to find your local distributor and buy online. For ease and quick results (fast drying/curing) I liked it fine but doubt that it's the "ultimate in durability".
Check it out and decide for yourself:
https://www.everbritecoatings.com/ca...-only-c-6.html

I used a half-face respirator with twin cartridges.
I sprayed indoors and stepped outside between coats for fresh air.

Already in my possession, so I will have to see how it goes! I'm not under the illusion that it is going to give me professional results, I just want something that looks halfway good (i.e., a 5' paint job), that protects the areas where large bits of paint have disappeared. Like I said, I have used enamel rattle cans in the past, with acceptable results, just don't want to wait that long for it to dry!

I'll keep the Everbrite in mind for the future. It seems quite expensive itself, does the small can do an entire bike?

Thanks [MENTION=209379]tyler_fred[/MENTION], that was my plan, glad to hear you did it without dropping dead :)

How's the flow out for Spray Max? Does it self level pretty well? or do you choose between drips and orange peel? Are you guys leaving it off the gun, or rubbing it out?

If find some urethane formulations react unfavorably with sunscreen. They get soft and basically dissolve, which makes me wonder if anyone has had any problems with Spray Max 2K. In socal, this is an issue, as sunscreen is required most of the time.

Although it breaks all sorts of rules, if you know what you are doing sometimes lacquer can be sprayed over very well cured old paint. It dries very fast and levels out well. This was done sometimes in the old days. The danger is that it can crackle. Fat over lean and all. Using instrument makers lacquer might ameliorate this tendency somewhat.

I'm able to get the 2K to flow out with little to no orange peel, but I also know that I have to make the best use of the limited amount of clear in two cans. I spray twice: one light tack coat. wait 10-15 minutes. Spray the rest of the clear as wet as I can without it running. I've sprayed two bikes with no runs or sags. 2K is not as durable as a pro shop paint job, but for the fella with little $$ to invest, it's a good alternative. I suppose that I should also say I have some painting experience, having worked in a few body shops back in my 20's.

Having no amount of spray painting experience and just a humble tinkerer and DYI'r I have gotten runs and orange peel when using Spray Max products. I have been impressed with how easy each were to fix. So yes I did rub out with 2000 grit wet paper (coarser grit on a run) and used a hand glaze polish to boot. Here's a bit of peau d'orange I missed on Holdsworth Sirocco I did from scratch.

Wonder re wisdom and longevity of spraying clear coat over bare steel. Perhaps someone has experience with this.

I wholeheartedly agree with everyone who has said to use the SprayMax 2k product. I used to sell automotive paint, and one of the products we stocked (for those folks who came in and didn't have the whole set up) was the SprayMax. The jobber told me that what was in the can was actually Sikkens clear coat, but I was never able to truly find out.

It is simply a 2k urethane clear, just like any other automotive clear. It is reduced with a "normal reducer", so the dry times on the can are for a 70 degree basis. For every 10 degrees you go down in temp, those times should be doubled. For every ten degrees you go up in temp, those times should be halved. Want to get nice flow? Spray on a colder day, the clear won't flash as quickly, allowing it to flow out nicely.

+1 on the safety ideas, too. Mask up and try to have a fan pulling your overspray OUT of wherever you're spraying.

I've had great success going over decals by just shooting a dust coat (light coat) first, let it tack up, and then shoot a wet coat. You can shoot another wet coat after about 10-15 minutes, depending on temp.

When finished, you should be able to sand and polish it after about 7 days. The clear will be cured enough to polish at that point, but a complete "through cure" won't happen for about a month.

Spraying clear coat over bare steel is certainly possible, but don't expect the best adhesion or durability. Clear needs something to grab onto, something with "tooth" to it. Steel is usually pretty smooth. Plus, along with the mechanical adhesion offered by a base coat color, clear coat also needs chemical adhesion, where the solvents in the clear penetrate into the color coat below. Bare steel doesn't really offer either of these, but I've had surprisingly good luck clearing directly over bare steel, regardless of what I learned in school :)

The same thing happened to me the first time I used 2k. The reason being I put it on to thick. Better results can be had with multiple thin coats about an Hour and a half apart. No sanding in between and a light rubdown with a tack cloth between coats. You have to plan ahead with 2k as once the catalyst bladder is broken you only have 48 usable hours to use it.

As noted below Spray Max is a great option. I have used it as part of refinishing many frames. Two things to watch out for: make sure you comply with the safety recommendations regarding respirators!!! (This product has a catalyst which is what hardens the clear--not good for your lungs!), next they make two versions: one that cures quickly so if you make a mistake it is hard to fix, the other that can be worked for several days. OR, just prep the bike and let the local auto body shop clear it where they have the right folks and facilities to do a good job. Second warning: baking the clear at the body shop works well on cars and non-lugged frames. On lugged frames it can cause the clear to crack at the edge of the lug.

Yep, got mask and goggles, getting painting overalls, nitrile gloves, and perhaps full face shield. Was planning on clearing cars out of garage and parking far away, putting stand with frame near the front door (open), and putting a couple box fans I keep around for garage use pushing air out.

Just an update, I sprayed the bike last night. Bit of orange peel here and there, but this morning most of it looked smooth and glossy as heck. I ended up getting three coats out of the can, looks like it built up a decent thickness. Really brought the looks back to the bike, and sealing in the "patina" gives it an incredibly unique look! Completely dry to the touch after 10 hours, although I'll probably give it a week to fully cure before reassembling it.

I sprayed in temps around 40F, cured overnight around 50-55, I think the cooler temps gave it a bit more time to flow before setting. That said, I tried to clean up a drop I noticed on the fork (PITA to spray that) after about five min, but it was already the consistency of pine sap. I found the areas that seemed to be best are the areas I gave it a heavy spray, seemed to work best when it was applied thick right up to the point before it would start running.

a car in a nice sunny spot, out of the wind can substitute as a quick and easy "baking" oven if its large enough to accommodate hanging the frame. Works best during summer obviously but with things warming up in the midwest here, you may be able to get some good heating action hoing.

Of course, you will want to have the car well vented afterwards and the SO may not appreciate getting high off your bike, lol

jefnvk,

As per prior post, once paint (clear coat) is good and dry it is easy enough to rub out orange peel with 2000 grit wet paper and run with possibly (depending on severity) a careful coarser grit first working up to 2000. I rubbed on a hand glazing polish following to bring out a nice even sheen. Might be wise to avoid or use extreme caution around decals especially edges. (Perhaps you could try technique on a less conspicuous area first to get used to it.)

Doug

If you are talking really quick for touch up jobs, use clear nail polish. For bare metal spots, apply some rust stopping primer with a Q tip. Unless you put it on really thick, the primer will dry clear. If it goes on too thick it will dry black or gray. Then put the clear nail polish on top of the primer the same way. Done.

Pick a spot and give it a test try.

Yep, I may give it a try, depending on how it actually looks from a few feet in natural light (last nite/this morn, all I had was a bright shop light and close up views). Just wanted to report on the question about the flow.

As long as it doesn't look horrid, I'll probably just leave it. The areas that orange peeled noticeably will be covered with bottle holders and the bike itself is just an old MTB destined for a rough/off road touring machine, it isn't going to stay pretty for long anyhow!

Not at all, the bike was used in the woods and to take golf clubs to the driving range and as a college commuter and lately as a live in the back of my car as an after work bike since I got it as a teen nearly 20 years ago, I'd need bottles of nail polish to take care of all the dings and scratches!

The results so far are wonderful, though. Really made the original burgundy paint go from a dull faded look to shiny and brilliant and bright, and as I mentioned earlier I love retaining the "character" of the past two decades!