Engine paint

[captaudi]

Morning everyone,

I have the started the rehab of my 93  and ran into a problem. I bead blasted the slave cylinder, oil filter housing and front sprocket cover. This was due to the slave leaking and blistering the paint. I bought a can of gloss black engine paint and shot them last night, looked great! Until I went to clean the slave bore with some brake clean to prep for the new seal kit (coming from Randy). The paint just melted off, obviously I can't have an oil filter housing that can't be hosed out with brake clean at every oil change. What have people used that is easily available in a rattle can that is chemical resistant? Inquiring minds want to know.

Thanks,

Dan

[Pat Conlon]

Disassemble the slave, spray with VHT satin or gloss black engine paint, bake in your outdoor bbq grille at 500* (smells too bad to do indoors)
That's the best you're gonna do with a rattle can spray job.
You can always opt for powder coating as a more durable finish.

Dot 3/4 brake fluid eats paint (and your abs plastic) no getting around that fact, unless you convert your system over to Dot 5 silicone brake fluid.

Hope this helps.

Pat

[krusty]

I did a slave rebuild last week and I've done a few over the years. I have bead blasted cases and covers etc. Lately I've been repainting with Dupli-Colour caliper paint available here in gloss or satin.
https://www.duplicolor.com/product/caliper-paint/
Rustoleum epoxy paint also works well. As with all painting the key is preparation. Surface must be absolutely clean. Also follow the makers instructions re curing time especially if its going on anything near brake fluid. Curing can be enhanced by time in the kitchen oven - if you can convince any significant other to allow it. My rule of thumb is 200C (about 400F) degrees for half an hour.

[captaudi]

Caliper paint seems like it should hold up. Looks like the FLAPS stocks it, try it in the morning before going into work. I will report back.

Thanks,

Dan

[ribbert]

Morning everyone,

...obviously I can't have an oil filter housing that can't be hosed out with brake clean at every oil change...

Thanks,

Dan

Brake cleaner is probably not the best product for this job, it evaporates too quickly (by design), is not made with general parts cleaning in mind and if delivered in aerosol form, insufficient quantity and terrible stuff to inhale, and it's expensive. The dense metallic sludge often found in oil filter housings needs to be washed out. Kerosene is perfect for this as well as most other cleaning jobs around the bike. I use it in a 20 gal recirculating parts cleaner for everything, it's the manufacturers recommended cleaner for chains, I use if for paint prep on mechanical parts and it's economical enough to soak parts in it etc. In fact it's much more versatile than the much hyped many uses of WD40 (which is 50% kero anyway) and way cheaper. If you don't have any kero, use a bit of petrol.

As Pat said, cured VHT engine enamel is about as good as you'll get for that application and is unaffected by fuel and oil (and kero).

For anyone out there cleaning bike bits, even if just for chain cleaning, get a proper parts brush, you'll wonder how you ever cleaned without one, available from any auto store for under $10 for a good one. They are one of those tools that is so perfect for the job, they haven't changed in the last 50 years that I can account for.

Noel

[Dub]

I just did the same thing to mine. Blasted it and cleaned it to bare metal. I tried Rustoleum epoxy paint and I did not like it at all. It was all orange peel even with light coats and the head spit a bit even with a new full can. I have been painting a long time so I like to think technique was not an issue. I had bare clean metal so I dont think that was the issue though a coat of prime wouldnt have hurt. 
I sanded the rustoleum down with 3K grit to smooth it and went with VHT caliper paint. That stuff is nice. It went on a left a nice finish. There was a little bit of peel due to spraying over the rustoluem but a light wet sand polished it out quickly and easily.