I'm doing a path racer inspired ss build for my friend right now. Its pretty much done but I realized I kind of got myself into a dilemma with the paint situation.

I painted the bike maroon with regular rustoleum rattlecan paint figuring I could just clear coat it later. Looking back I realize this was a terrible decision. I have read a couple old posts on clear coating and I'm not exactly sure what to do in my situation.

1) The paint is already on and relatively set.
2) There is no clear coat for the paint system I used.
3) When I went to buy rustoleum clear coat at home depot. i found that they really dont make any specific clear coat, they just have clear spray paint which has no particular protective qualities.

I saw on an old post that someone claimed that many paint shops will mix up a 2 part clear coat with a catalyzer in an aerosol can for you and that this was a good heavy duty option but every paint store I called had no idea what I was talking about when I said this. Does anyone know anything about this?

Also I have access to a hot air gun. Would heating the rattle can paint job I already did about week after make it harden better. Would doing a clear coat over the original coat and then heating the new coat to harden it produce a good result?

Any advice would be appreciated

pre edit: to anyone who saw the old thread: I got a new fork, and my headset and bb are not painted... the bike is still sitting in my basement fully taped ready to finish. Yeah I was an idiot for not spotting the bent fork but I really don't want to derail again

It really depends on your desired results. In most cases rattle can paint jobs, even with heavy clear coat, will simply chip off with any bump or scratch to the surface. I'm almost positive Rustoleum makes a clear coat. I know for sure Duplicolor does. If you have the money, most powder coat shops will paint a frame for under $100. As for the heat gun, I don't think it will do much of anything. After a week the paint should be fully cured.

Scuff the paint with a red Scotchbrite pad before spraying the clearcoat. It won't adhere properly if you don't and it will peel later. Use Duplicolor acrylic enamel clearcoat. Don't use the Duplicolor clearcoat from the auto touchup line because it's lacquer and will lift your paint. I painted my Raleigh Competition with acrylic enamel and it's holding up well so far. It takes months to fully cure enamel.

I refinished a cast aluminum mororcycle rear wheel using just rattlecan car paint, (most likely "Duplicolor") many years ago I was too poor then to afford having it repainted after a mechanic beat up the finish changing my tire, so I decided to go the rattlecan way, knowing that I had to be diligent in trying to acheive the best and most durable finish as the rear end of a motorcycle presents some of the harshest road envoriments on a vehicle. Made sure the original finish is nicely scuffed up with sandpaper all over and totally clean from oil and dirt (before first sanding so you do not work any dirt and oil into the existing finish). Did like seven or eightcoats of rattle can color finish, sanding between all coats making sure the layers are cured enough befor hitting it with the next coat ( I used halogen spot lights we had in the shop at work to cure the paint layers overnight.) sanded the final coat and then hit it with three coats of rattle can clear to seal and protect the finsh also curing the paintwith the hot lights overnight. The results look even better than the orignal finish that was on the wheel albeit, my color shade calculation was just a tad off. The finish looked perfect and stood up to all sorts of harch conditions on the road after the additional 23,000 mile i rode the bike before I sold it in 1995. The rear wheel finish actually looked much better than the original finshed front when I sold it.
Yes, a very good durable finish can be acheived with rattle can paint. all it takes is proper preparation of the surfaces. a clean work environment, numerous light coats of paint instead of a few heavy ones, sanding between coats, a means of curing the paint with heat/light and a lot of patience. I wouldn't hesitate using the same basic procedures if I ever paint a bike frame one day. Only thing that might be different is the possibility of the presence of corrosion on the bike frame which will have t=o be dealt with an additional step, I suspect.

Chombi

this gives you a good opportunity to get your paint perfect.

imo, wetsand with 2000 grit, wipe the frame, and use rustoleum enamel clear coat at home depot. 1-2 cans will do it.

like grand bois said above, it takes a long time for the clear to cure. after about 2 weeks you can ride it.

I use Scotch Brite pads instead of sandpaper because there is less tendency to sand through at sharp edges like lugs. It's cheap and available where paint is sold.

Don't even think about assembling the bike for a month if you put four heavy coats of clear on it like I did.

Just painted my Schwinn Prelude with the cherry red acrylic enamel from dupli-color topped off with their clear. Came out good and seems like decent paint for rattle can.

I forgot to mention,
Make sure you keep the spray heads clean of paint build up on your rattle cans between coats to avoid splatters and runs. I always have a thinner or mineral spirit soaked rag handy to wipe off the spray head regularly during use.

Chombi

I've never had that happen, but I invert the can and clear when I'm finished. I don't use the ones with the cheap spray heads.

never had that happen either, and i don't do anything special. you do have to pay special attention when the paint gets low. don't try to get out every drop...bad things happen.

I do the invert the can thing too. instructions to do so have been on most paint rattle cans since I can remember, but sometimes a little bit of paint does build up right at the nozzle opening and can eventually build up to a drop or run near the nozzle opening. It can then get pulled into the spray stream causing splatter.
Good rule to follow is to check often to see if any paint is building up at the sprayhead between coats. I have encountered many rattle spray cans in my time that had less than perfect plastic spray heads from the factory that were prone to this build up and splattering, and sometimes you only find out in the middle of putting down a coat.

Chombi

Hve you guys ever tried Eastwood products? This is some of the best clear on the market. Sprays great has hardener and sprays over any base paint. Note: once you activate the built in hardener you have close to 12 hours to use the clear. It's just like automtive paint and just as durable. Expensive but really good. Dries and hardness quickly, I let it sit for a couple of days and the bike is ready for assy.

Mike

https://www.eastwood.com/spray-max-ra...t-aerosol.html

It doesn't say that it can be sprayed over any base paint. It says over any basecoat. They mean as in a basecoat-clearcoat finish. That type of clear will definitely lift some paints.

The next time I use it I'll post pictures before and after, you may have a good point as I haven't used it on all paint types.

Mike

When I painted my Carlton, I thought that the top of the washing machine would be a good place to mix the paint because it was the cleanest spot in the garage and any spills would be easy to clean off of the porcelain. I stupidly used a styrofoam cup and it melted as soon as I added the reducer and hardener to the paint. The paint went down inside the washer which was full of clothes. Luckily, I only ruined one pair of jeans and I was able to clean up the mess before my wife saw it.

Dang, that is beautiful. Looks like you stole Eddy's fork though!