Half-A-Hec

Guys,


I am having no success painting a cowl made on my vacuum table out of high impact polystyrene. The cowl was formed using 30 mil polystyrene. I sanded it with 400 grit sand paper, wiped it down with alcohol and applied Top Flight Luster Coat to it. I applied 4 very light coats. Waiting about 20 mins between coats. I put the cowl aside to dry overnight and when I got up this morning the cowl plastic was soft and crinkled up.[:@] I have heard that Rustoleum works well, but is it fuel proof. Hmmm. Any ideas?


Hec

cyclops2

I the blue styrofoam constantly and ONLY hand paint on Behrs enamal and latex with no problems.
Are you using paint in a spray can ? If yes, that is where the problems come from. They put in what ever is cheapest at filling time.
Try spray can paints made for Styrofoam or Polystyrene. Also let each coat dry for 3 to 4 days in average humidty. 1 dry coat causes much less problems than several damp coats.

Half-A-Hec

Cyclops,

I am using the spray can. Hmm. I will look for paints that are styrofoam safe. Thanks


Hec

ptulmer

My Feedback: (5)

Hec, some of the rustoleums are fuel proof, some not. Regular colors (not metallic, etc) should be ok unless you're running 35+%. Give it plenty of time to dry! If I understand your problem correctly, it needs to be fuel proof and it won't turn your plastic to mush. Sorry, not real sure if rustoleum is good for that. Maybe there's something you can airbrush, like plastic model paint with a waterbased poly clearcoat?

Half-A-Hec

Ptulmer,

Yeah for the design challenge I will be vacuum forming a cowl, cowl cheeks, and a pair of wheel pants. Not to mention the canopy. I will definately need the paint to be fuel proof. I went a head and painted my new Re-V-Amped cowl with some Testers Yellow Paint. I shot it 20 mins ago so we will see what it looks like tonight. It went on pretty smooth though. The Testers Paint will be fine for my electric but for gas? I don't think so.

Hec

ptulmer

My Feedback: (5)

Hec, Bipe Flyer did some testing awhile back and found that clear behr waterbased poly-u was very fuelproof. It should also be compatible with just about anything.

Half-A-Hec

Is this something you can spray on? Behr is sold here by Home Depot!


Hec

ptulmer

My Feedback: (5)

Hec, I really don't know if you can spray it. So far I've brushed it on an airplane and it's easy to brush.

BTW, it's in quart containers near the glaze.

Half-A-Hec

ptulmer, How does it look when it dries? Does it self level or flatten out pretty good? Can ya see brush marks?

Hec

brocja01

You could always trying painting the cowl with the Rustoleum to protect the plastic from the real color you are trying to paint it with to fuel proof it. If the rustoleum doesn't interact with your plastic cowl, you should be able to paint over it with a different color and the rustoleum would protect it, hense why painters when painting a car put down a primer first.

Half-A-Hec

brocja01,

I will have to run some tests on that. I actually made a cowl and primed it with automotive primer. Got the exact same results.

Hec

cyclops2

A side note I put some Byron's 30% Nitro on the Behr enamal, it softened while wet. But if let dry it was hard again.
I have a test area of Behr's left. I put some clear coat of Polyeurathane on it. Let it dry overnight and try the 30 % again.
That is pushing cheap paint brutely.

Bipe Flyer

You can't use Rustoleum as a base for LustreKote. The solvents in LustreKote are too strong, as you noticed on the HIPS,

I've found Tremclaad, which is the Canadian name for Rustoleum, is fuel proof if you let it cure for a week or so.

Half-A-Hec

Bipe,

Time to go to the Home Depot and pick up some Cub Yellow, and Red rustoleum for the Shoestring.

Hec

ptulmer

My Feedback: (5)

Cyclops2, not all poly-u's are fuel proof.

Hec, it's thick and heavy, but self-levels nicely. 'Notherwords, good for parts, but it would need to be sprayed on something big. That last part is purely opinion and conjecture!

Silvaire

My Feedback: (50)

I've had very good luck painting many types of plastics by first priming with an aerosol "plastic bonder" made for priming flexible plastic auto bumpers. One brand that is pretty common is Bulldog, and it is available at Kragen or Autozone type stores. I first spray on a light mist coat of plastic bonder, and then put a light coat of finish over it while it is still tacky. I now use this stuff on pretty much everything I paint with spray can type paint - plastic or not. It REALLY makes paint stick.


Arlen

Bipe Flyer

I painted the Hips wheel pants on my small Pitts with LustreKote and they didn't warp. Are you sure it's HIPS that you're using?

mclintock

My Feedback: (3)

Is krylon fusion spray paint for plastic fuel proof?

http://krylon.com/main/product_templ...roduct_details

Bipe Flyer

It might be worht trying. I tried the regular Krylon and it isn't fuel proof.

Half-A-Hec

Bipe,

It is HIPS. 30 mil thick. I did notice that only the sides, which are the thinnest got deformed. The front of the cowl, the thickest part was fine. So far so good with the Testors Paint. Not as shiny as Lustercoat but pretty good.

Hec

Bipe Flyer

How is the fuelproofnessiousity of the Testors paint?

cyclops2

I picked up a can of Lowe's brand of appliance epoxy spray and a can of Rust-Oleum appliance epoxy spray . Put a light coat on my Blue foam , no softening in 3 hours. Will wait 4-5 days and give it the 30%.
Both are called a type of --ultra hard enamel.
Cheap. @ $ 4 per can.
Time will tell.

Half-A-Hec

Keep us posted. I recently painted my cowl with Testors paint and it still isn't fully cured after 2 days. I need to try some rustoleum.

Hec

mclintock

My Feedback: (3)

I painted one of my bicycle frames with rustoleum appiance epoxy, following the directions on the can, did about five coats like I normally do with any other enamel. I lived in atlanta, this was summer, it was hot, I hung the frame in the attic to dry and cure. The paint was still soft enough to leave fingerprints embossed on the surface after five weeks!

I called rustoleum and whined, they said that spray paint can cure on the outer layer, trapping the solvents between the metal and the surface, making it take essentially forever to dry!. So for that stuff, many thin coats is the way, it takes longer and more work, but at least it will dry. I just stripped and used something else.

cyclops2

Some of the paints today take OVER a year to dry. My back door was one.