spray bombs

This is a little off-topic and possibly loony, but hey I'm about 3/4 drunk.

I remember reading on a bicycle builders' forum a while back that people were anodizing aluminum parts with an oven and some kitty litter. No really. The process basically involved cleaning the aluminum as you would for paint then packing it in a mix of kitty litter, water (maybe a solvent?) and food color, then baking for a while. It was supposed to produce a durable and cool-looking finish like a factory anodized part.

This sounds crazy to me and i always wondered if that thread was newbie bait (hey kid, go shake this spraybomb until it stops rattling), but it's damned intriguing. Anybody heard of anything like this?

Obviously anodizing is no good for steel parts like frames, but maybe for other bits.
 
Get spray bombs made up at auto parts stores which sell auto paint, and body supplies. You can get any color you want, and the stuff is way better than the super thinned consumer paints like dupli color. Also baking spray paint in an oven is not recommended by manufactures. It causes the surface paint to dry too fast, and traps some of the chemicals which are supposed to evaporate under the dried surface. Also it causes some of the chemicals which are designed to evaporate at a certain rate, to evaporate quicker. If you must "cure" the paint in an oven, only do so at a very low heat. As for paint being tougher if oven cured... can't see it. Some of the tougher paints as listed here actually take a much longer time for the chemicals to evaporate.
 
dcwp said:
I remember reading on a bicycle builders' forum a while back that people were anodizing aluminum parts with an oven and some kitty litter. No really. The process basically involved cleaning the aluminum as you would for paint then packing it in a mix of kitty litter, water (maybe a solvent?) and food color, then baking for a while. It was supposed to produce a durable and cool-looking finish like a factory anodized part.

I've heard something similar to this. Use cat litter (the clay kind) and you make a clay paste with it, water and RIT dye. You cover the part in the clay paste and bake at 375 for 2 hours or so and then break off the shell. I still have my doubts about this as true anodizing or aluminum is creating a shell of aluminum oxide on the outside of the part. I am only familiar with this as an electrolytic process and dont see how cat litter can create aluminum oxide.

I have in the past anodized skateboard trucks using battery acid, a car charger with some Rit dye. A lot faster and easier than baking for 2 hours. This would be good for smaller motorcycle parts but I do know that only certain alloys of aluminum can be anodized this way so without knowing the type of aluminum of the piece, it may not work.
 
A old thread, but I have done a lot of rattle can paint jobs, with about every brand you can think of. The epoxy paints are tough, but not a lot of color choices. Dupi-color engine enamel is fuel resistant, but not fuel proof, you have to get the gas off quickly or it will dull, even the cleat coat. Plasticoat is almost as good.

But there is this urathane spray that is a true 2 part that is fuel proof, so you don't have to spend a fortune for a fuel proof paint job.

http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_2_part_2k_aerosol.cfm
 
JRK5892 said:
as stated i do powder for a living and use Epoxy appliance paint by rustoleum. just amazed at the strenght of this paint
thermaclad is also a great one!

I have to say I was skeptical as hell about the Rustoleum Appliance Epoxy but Joe Knows! It's awesome stuff. Just remember that even when it seems dry you have to be careful with it for a day or two. Hard pressure can leave a thumb print. Just go easy on it for a few days and you'll have a damn tough , good looking finish.
 
I'm a big fan of Duplicolor engine paints:
538864_4544546297484_2083316311_n.jpg


The black and clear are engine paint, the green is their metal specks paint. No wet sanding on the clear at all. It's all in your prep and technique.
 
problem wtih using an engine paint, is it is made to cure in heat... if you do not bake the paint it will not final cure and will chip and flake. it also does not let the chemical reaction take place that is required to make it paint resistant... great paint but if you use it be sure you bake the part before putting it into use to get the full benifit and protection from the paint! MR that tank looks great!
 
JRK5892 said:
problem wtih using an engine paint, is it is made to cure in heat... if you do not bake the paint it will not final cure and will chip and flake. it also does not let the chemical reaction take place that is required to make it paint resistant... great paint but if you use it be sure you bake the part before putting it into use to get the full benifit and protection from the paint! MR that tank looks great!

That's good info, and thanks!! I cured mine with a heat gun and a lot of time. ;D
To complicate matters, the black and clear are enamels. The green is a lacquer. I had to put the green down really wet to get it on right, and did the same for the clear. It all worked out in the end.
 
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