Hello all, Have a set of Harley parts coming in that will get a verigated(sp?) gold leaf graphic with pinstripe outline, then clear coated. Have done plenty of the pinstriping with hardener, but not sure of the procedure for the leaf anymore as fast as things seem to change in the coatings industry. Can I have success adding hardener to a quick size? Any advice greatly appreciated.
Posted by John Arnott (Member # 215) on :
Interesting question. . . . .I'd try a quick test first. Try without to see how it feels, then add hardener to see if it gobs up and won't flow out. The main thing to remember is to make sure you put a few mist coats on before you flood the clear on so it doesn't eat into it.
Posted by Kelly Thorson (Member # 2958) on :
A number of us experienced accelerated tarnishing of copper mirroring that we put down to hardener in the backup. It happened within a few weeks and it wasn't pretty! I'm not sure if the hardener would affect the copper in variegated leaf the same or not, but I thought it worth mentioning. I'd be tempted to expose some leaf to the hardener and see what if any effect it had.
Posted by John Byrd (Member # 825) on :
As usual, this is a rush job. The red veriegated leaf is being overnighted from W&B and I need to have the job finished Friday. The bike has to be assembled and in N.C. Monday. I've done plenty of custom paint in my day, but as I said before the products are different today. I knew a custom painter that used to just float the leaf down into the clear lacquer, then add multiple coats. He used to heat the lacquer to a boil on a hot eye and then spray but thats a story for another time. I would imagine that I could use the two part clear as a size. Joey? George? Anyone else?
Posted by Bill Diaz (Member # 2549) on :
Quick size with no hardener should be fine. Stripe outline with HOK and clear tomorrow. Or stripe with 1 shot and hardener and wait a day then clear. No worries ... more time to play the blues.
Posted by John Byrd (Member # 825) on :
I had heard that once before Bill, that the gold protects the size, just didn't remember where or who. Too much oil based paint in my past ~:-).
Blues will be playing in the studio for your listening pleasure!
Posted by Miles Cullinane (Member # 980) on :
John, I can't really answer your question but I thought I'd share this shot. I saw it on the bike of a guy I met at the Algoma meet this year. only knew him as 'Ace'.
he outlined the letters in one shot brass and copper to give a bevelled, even prismatic effect but once they were lacquered they looked like different carats of goldleaf.
Cool effect.
Posted by Kristie Byrnes (Member # 3510) on :
Hey John, I just recently did a tank with gold leaf on it, pinstriping around it, no hardner in the quick size, cleared it the next day and all was fine, just as Bill says.
Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
John, I've always used a fast size, outlined, shot the clear...no problems. When spraying the clear, you have to go easy at first, a couple of mist coats, build up to a gloss. One Shot can be easily wrinkled, HOK will run/bleed. If you go the One Shot route, make sure you clean your brushes extremely well. Any unseen oil residue squeezed out of a brush on turns will cause problems. I've heard of guys saying they have adhesion problems with the clear not wanting to stick to the gold. Myself, I've never run into any such problems, nor has my son who does a lot of helmets, but like you said, there are so many changes in products.
You can use a two part clear as a size but I wouldn't recommend it, they window is really, really small.
Posted by John Byrd (Member # 825) on :
Thanks for the advice good people. If I can figure how to post pics I'll get some shots of the finished job up here.
