Painting Frame (need help and tips)

I am painting my ex frame...its already powdercoated a dark orange but I am not stripping it back down to powdercoat it again, so I am painting it. I am painting it red and I was wondering what kind of paint i should use: acrylic enamal or acrylic laquer? and also I heard brushing it on does a much better job as far as keeps it from cracking and chipping..so is this true?

I just really need help on what type of paint, so that is my main question.


Thanks

[yzcrashbandit]

If you want it to last i would powdercoat it again.

yes i am doing that next season but for now i am just doing it to get through this year. i said i do not want to powdercoat it again. any body have any input on the PAINTING part of it?

[ZeroLogic]

You can spray paint it and put a few coats of it on there. Then I think it was 5 or 6 coats of clear coat to pervent chipping. Nexy you have to let the from set for about a week and a haft to get harden. It won't hold up like powder coating but it will hold up for a few months.

[bradrenea]

Acrylic enamel is a lot more durable than the laquer. Both can be had in single stage paint so they don't require a clear coat. If you add hardener to the enamel it will last alot longer and shine alot better. That is assuming you plan on using a paint gun and not just spray cans.
As far as using a brush, it would pretty much look like crap because you would have the bruch marks in the paint.
I know you said that you don't want to powdercoat right now, is it a time thing or money thing? If you plan on doing a half way decent job of painting it and don't already have the stuff to do it (paint gun, water seperater,, etc) It will probably cost as much to buy the equipment and materials as it would to get it powdercoated. Good quality enamel is expensive, then add the reducer and hardener, a quality primer and reducer for it, and it adds up pretty fast.
Hope that helps

its more time not money why i am not powdercoating. just interested...how much does it usually cost for the powdercoating of a frame and subframe?

[bradrenea]

Its been along time since I checked prices, but it was right around $125 then.

ya so i guess it is both time and money. it shouldnt look to bad because it is not like i am painting black over a yellow frame. so when it chips it will probably not be that visible.

[corm]

a type of paint its called nason really tuff stuff we used it on excavators and stuff and i did my frame in that stuff and it doesnt chip easy

[RRP]

not all of us can justify the price of powdercoat even though it looks great and holds up well.I don't race my quad,just trail ride mainly.I still wanted mine to look good.I tried rustoleums' industrial grade spray paint.Goes on awesome and looks great.It is suppose to resist chips and scratches better than standard spray paint(don't know if it really does)The biggest thing with any kind of spray paint is allowing enough time for it to cure properly.I used a sanding spronge to get into all the hard to reach areas and wiped the whole thing down with laquer thinner prior to painting.I applied probably 6-8 coats total.heres a pic of my frame so far.Almost forgot its called "safety red"

where can i get ahold of this nason paint? does it come in a wide variety of colors? any deep red, or candy apple looking red? ya i just cant justify that kind of money right now.

[JOEX]

If you want to paint it and want to make a good job of it I don't think there will be much of a time savings if any. You may save a few $'s but why not just leave it the way it is until next season?

[bradrenea]

Nason is a line of paint that some of the parts stores sell. The guys at the local parts store (O'reilly) told me that it was made by Dupont, just a cheaper brand. It's just like any other automotive paint, they make several different types, and the dealer can mix about any color. I have used Nason single stage acrylic enamel to paint my wife's cherokee and two tone my buddy's truck. The paint lays down easy and has a real good gloss to it. It's just like the other auto paints though, you need reducer and activator, so there goes your savings. They also sell base/clear paints, but that would be alot of money for a quad. Nason might make a cheaper paint that doesn't require all of the activators and such, but I don't know.

The rustoleum mentioned above it pretty good paint, just not as durable as some of the others. As far as spray paint goes, its about the best. It can also be bought in quart or gallon cans for dirt cheap. I think you can get a quart at Lowes for around $15, and that would be plenty to spray a frame. You could get one of the small touch up spray guns to shoot it with and it would not be too costly.