Rat Bike Tech: Paint

Paint Tips

Rustoleum rust reformer. Works great after stripping to bare steel and just spongeing on. Wear gloves unless you like permanent black hands. [Nathan - USA]
I stumbled on to this by accident, while painting my tank I screwed up most triomfantly by spraying heat resistant paint over not so dried up primer, the effect when I came back later to check out my paintwork was great, the black layer was cracked up completly like little thunderbolts. Just spray on a light layer of black to cover the white from the primer in the little cracks and it's good and ugly! [Roadkill - Holland]
I always leave whatever ugly stock paint is on as an undercoat and just poof over it. If it flakes/chips/scratches I poof it some more. I like Flat Black Krylon (or FB whatever) and that faux granate stuff can be cool too, though spendy. When you get tired of the rock just poof over it flat B and you get some serious ugly texture. Some of my bikes have gained 5 pounds. Haven't tried the high temp stuff, I kinda like SOME chrome to make the black look more blacker. [Tord RC - USA]
Hammerite BBQ black is a fantasic 'dusty' matt black-and its heat res. up to about 600deg i think. sticks to everything as well(even that nasty shiny stuff they call chrome [Matt - UK]
I have dripped green candle wax all over my bike. I then painted over it with Matt black. It gives the bike that melted look. Even better on hot days it melts, and green oozes from under the black paint, horrifing people. [Mad Dan - UK]
Badly rusty downpipe? Brush on some cooking oil before you go for a blat. Three or four coats bakes on for a nice finish that keeps further rust at bay. [Rex - UK]
want a real durable paint job? get spray on bed liner, in black , and has the texture of an armadillo, real damn tuff stuff, or my favourite spray on asphalt paint, normally used on rocker panels, its black lumpy and durable. [Hambone - Canada]
use some stuff called WINTAWAX, it is supposed to protect CHROME (sorry i used the C word!!) but it has an added advantage.........hee hee, it makes muck and shite STICK to your bike and gives it a lovely 'GRUNGY' look for about 6 quid. also the dogs kahunahs to make your rat look wellhard, is to "paint" it with evostick end then sprinkle on very dry sharp sand, (dry it in the microwave or a saucepan on a stove,,hell, you could even wait till summer).honest it looks horrible, just the thing to scratch the little toerags precious fingers as they attempt to 'play' with your bike! [Martyn - UK]
the best way to paint your machine is to do it in the rain. first get the paint, uhhh, black, and then some ruff sanding paper and scuff the surface very well. when it looks as if you've gone too far, go another 20 mins. in a haphazard fashion, apply many coats of primer. spray it untell it just begins to run. before that lot dries, hit it with a splash of kerosin. push the machine into the rain when theprimer/kerosin flashes. if you are short of time, a match will help decrease the flashtime. beat out flames with a copy of easyriders... once in the rain, spray the color immediatley. ONLY ONE COAT! move the machine into the garage and let air drie. just to give the illusion your a ponce, pour pink paint on an old rag and throw it once only at the tank. voila, original cool.... [Spoke Momo - Canada]
Hammerite High Temperature paint is brilliant on exhausts (and anything else too). I got a nice effect on my tank/panels by spraying them a few times with cheap matt black undercoat from my local market (£1.25 per can). Then, as bits flaked off I covered the gaps with black insulation tape. Then I haphazzardly brushed over the lot with this Hammerite Hi-Temp stuff. It's created a lovely two-tone (matt and ever matter) effect. A few RBZ and AWoL stickers made it look a lot better too. [CJ - UK] Eastwood Co. have the largest selection of paint, primer, filler etc

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If you have a cable housing made from the wound-wire type metal with the metal cable running through the middle....and you want to protect that new flat black paint job, go to the thrift store and buy a purse with long leather handles. Cut the handles off and remove the plastic piece inside. what is left is a great leather cable housing protector that can be secured with wire ties or shoe lace. ['Jim' Carey - USA]
If you have any painted lettering on your tank and want an interesting effect, wait until its a frosty morning (or stick it in the freezer if you cant wait til winter, she wont mind honest...) then spill a little petrol over the lettering. it will give an Addams Family ghoulish type effect. [Paul K., UK]
I started using blackboard paint on my exhaust (I used to use Plasticote BBQ spray paint, it's pretty good too) and it worked so well at not burning off so it kept the rust from eating my homemade exhaust away and now I paint everything with the stuff. Blackboard paint is good tough shit. [Rex from Ironage Motorcycles <ironage@beer.com>, UK]
Halfords now sell a hightemp matt black called Hotpaint - needs to be cured at 350c for 45 mins...stays on engines and downpipes lovely,even the bits at the top where it always burns off. [Matt, mattblack666@hotmail.com, UK]
Get a non-black underground like primer, original paint, bare metal or something. Then wait till it's raining, then spray flatblack, let the paint (almost) dry, then wipe of with some old towel or something. You'll get nice spots, and when you're lucky there'll be even hairs from the towel in your paint... the effect will even be even better if you try to paint at night, and/or while getting pissed. [SkrooLoose, speedline@freemail.nl, Netherlands]
You can get roll-on truck bed liner at auto parts stores and k-mart. not cheap but tough and texturey. also various auto undercoat products, cote-L distribution company sent me a sample of Durabak. Even available in (!?? yikes aaaaggghh &%$#%&$$# sacrilege!!) colors, some yanks are doing their whole cars in it. [maxrandy@hotmail.com, US]
Rustoleum brand now has a line of camoflage paints available in green, brown, and black.This is good paint, goes on smooth lasts forever and looks great, that is if you want your bike to look like an old tank. I substitute thier excellant high heat black so I can use it all over the bike without worring about it cooking off. [Ed, edchambers@charter.net, US]
you want the nastiest flat black paint job,brush paint your whole bike with herculiner liquid truck bed liner follow up with a small roller for texture,wears like iron and is skid resistant also works as paint on grips [Paul, pczarnecki@webtv.net, US]
To finish off your chosen paint job simply park under a lime tree for about a week, they constantly drip this nasty sticky stuff which wont wash off and marks the paint permanently. It apparently comes out of aphids arses and requires no effort at all to apply. [scott, twostroke350@hotmail.com, UK]
For a truly one-of-a-kind, genuinely 'f* ugly' paint job, strip it down to bare metal (white or light primers are ok, too) to get a nice metallic sheen...then, with the tank off the bike (AND EMPTY OF ANY FLAMMABLE PETROL!) take an oxy-acetelene torch (with the oxygen line OFF) and run it anywhere over the metal that you want looking extra-scuzzy...the carbon-rich fumes quickly layer up their sooty-poopy layers of grimy, putrid crud. Next, throw rocks at your yet-un painted mostrosity, handfuls of pea-gravel are ideals....paintball guns are ideal.....to seal it all up...use two or three 1/8" THICK layers of WOOD LACQUER...the kind used on outdoor wood statues and furniture....you really want all that 3D crap to stay in the paint don't you? This stuff oughta do the trick. If not, come back later with a torch and try to melt the lacquer into thick plasticky puddles.....mmm, dirty [Morass <DirtyHonda@ratbike.org>]
Before you start spray painting your bike, use a little (or a lot, that's up to you) brake-cleaner to 'clean' the surface. Make sure not to let it dry, it has to be a little moist! Then you spray away and admire your beautiful paintjob. The next minute there's nothing left of that paintjob, but instead you have awesome cracks where the paint and brake-cleaner chemicaly reacted. For best results use the cheapest brake-cleaner and paint you can get your hands on or borrow it at your local paintshop! Tip: Don't practice just do it! The worst painter will do the best job in this case [digger <digger@ratbike.org>]
I have always liked the look of painted over sanded chrome or stripped chrome with several layers of high temp paint that you dont cook on. after you wear off the rubbing places repaint with plan flat black. It gives that ghousty flat black light grey camo look. [Dave Parker <dgp222@ratbike.org>]
for a real thick matt black finish with loads of brush marks, try International exterior matt black. Just rub down lightly and slap on good and thick wiyh a cheap brush! [Mick T <mick@turnerm66.fsnet.co.uk>]
If your not worried about blending in with your surroundings (like most flat black rat bikes) try painting your bike with that fake granite paint (speckles used for painting lamp bases 'n stuff)...looks especially sick on streetbikes. [Scott <honkey@blindfaith.org>]
the way to get the best paint job is to sand the tank down and paint it a bright blue or yellow (I did both) let dry then paint it over with red let dry then over with blacklet dry then over with white...next get a really ruff sand paper and sand it down...you get a multatude of colors coeming threw and the uglyest tank you've ever seen and even some bare metal if your lucky. [Jeff <moparrulz@aol.com>]

Important Disclaimer
Advice given in this section may or may not be accurate, safe or wise. Always use common sense and when in doubt assume that any advice given herein is incorrect and liable to end in terminal engine or part failure and possible injury or death. www.ratbike.org can accept no responsibility for anything, anywhere regardless of cause.

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