Paint Primer 1955 FL

[slowsled]

Have spent 90 minutes on ciamag.com and hydra-glide.com.
After searching and reading many posts I am not yet 100% on my primer question.
Please correct me if I mistaken.

Tins, redish-brown primer.

Frame, no primer. Black should be a gloss. Not sure what color black.

[Gotnoclass]

Frame takes a red oxide primer. No primer on the tins - sprayed directly on bare metal. The black is a single stage black with no modern clear coat. Note that none of the chemical compositions of paint used back then are available today (due to environmental issues) so we can only get so close to what an original factory paint job looked like back then.
You can still get single stage black, but it's durability is more like a rattle can spray, and most likely will not hold to the potent modern gas and other chemicals.
John Pierce of color write http://www.hdpaint.tk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; has a vast info bank on his site

[Tattoo]

I've still got 2 gallons of black Lacquer... The old stuff........ That's at least 25 years old.................

[old.wrench]

slowsled,
I know of a few guys that use the Acrylic Enamel paint on the old stuff. It's a more modern formulation of the old Enamel that the factory used. Most of the major manufacturers (Dupont, PPG, BASF, etc.) offer it. I'm by no means a professional painter, I just follow the tech sheets that the manufacturer supplies. I do add the recommended amount of hardener, and the paint holds up good even if you spill a little gas on it, like on a gas tank for instance. I know what you mean by "what color black?" There are many different shades of black paint. For awhile now, I've been using BASF Limco black, mainly because it's cheap .

Geo.

[58flh]

As GEORGE pointed out /I use PPG products for any thing painted.You should throw a coat of primer on a bare frame as soon as its blasted clean!-It olny takes 15min. to RUST on the frame from Humidity in the air.You can also buy PPG ,BASF/etc. in NAPPA & Autozone.Theres a variety of colors & they come with a seperate glass tank that is already pressurized as soon as the trigger is pulled!/& its very tough paint!-They even sell clearcoat for 2/part paint jobs!.I have seen dynamite looking paint jobs done by rattlecan olny!-& beautiful.As long as the PREP work is Flawless /The paint will be good to!.If you know somebody that has a spray-booth downdraft type Then Most likely EVERY color is in thier database.In the past I have painted my pan twice for simply Helping my buddy who owns a body-shop & I would do all the sanding at home & by Sunday night I have all my parts done ready to bolt-on.& dont forget the cost for paint & the Beer.--Respectfully---Richie

[james]

Don't waste your time painting metal parts without primer. Get the primer on the clean dry surface as soon as possible.
There are many black variations with other color pigments in them. All depends how the light hits them.
They all look black until they are in the sunlight. That's when the black mix shows. Could look a little brown if you use the wrong color black.
I use Dupont single stage enamel, chromapremier ss. Chrysler DX8 black, year 1950. Everything black on the bike is this color.
Ever see a car drive down the road with a fender that doesn't match the rest of the car? Body work or paint work done with improper paint color or not matched up in the sunlight. Silver is the worst.
Prep your parts clean and dry. Primer them and use good paint. Take the time and do it once.
jim

[slowsled]

On frame primer I have,
1 private message no primer,
1 acquaintance yes primer,
1 reply in this thread yes primer,
1 post I found no primer.

Can someone quote a conclusive source?
Or maybe start a poll and I will count the votes and go with the winning number.

I emailed John@hdpaint.tk last Thursday the 23rd, no reply.

[james]

Slowsled
I'm sure you can paint bare metal but I would not feel confident with the results lasting. I have done this before and ended up with flaking paint after about 6 months of exposure to the outside. All it takes is one nick to the paint and the process begins. Why they painted frames with no primer is beyond me. I actually think they dipped frames and some parts. Robbie can probably clarify this. If you don't want to use primer, powder coat your bare metal parts, that's how powder coat is done. You can dig as far as you want but I will use primer before painting parts. I like metal etching primer.
Now what are you going to do about painting your cylinders? Don't forget those parkerized parts.

Cheers,
Jim

[slowsled]

Yea but, I am trying to get it factory correct, not functionally
the best. I may do a black primer to sneak it in, but I still
want to find out the how the factory did it in 55.

Cylinders are silver.

[RUBONE]

H-D didn't prime their frames, and they didn't dip them, they were sprayed. They didn't clean them up either, so weld slag, brazing drips, etc, just got painted over.They used paints of very different composition than modern types so the effect is hard to duplicate. They also "Bonderized" tanks and fenders, a type of parkerizing that gave a tooth to the bare metal and was a rust inhibitor. They talk about it in factory literature. An etching primer of minimal filling with a single stage paint is the closest you can get, as most folks don't parkerize their fenders.

[kevsett]

In the architectural and industrial paint world I spent 22 years in metal needs a primer to stop immediate rusting and tie the top coat to it. In my opinion the same goes for an old harley frame unless it is powder coated. You could call a Sherwin Williams, Carboline, Tnemec, Devoe, PPG, or other major AIM coating manufacturer and ask a technical service representative for their opinions. I don't think auto/bike coatings are really any different in their need for a primer first coat.

On frame primer I have,
1 private message no primer,
1 acquaintance yes primer,
1 reply in this thread yes primer,
1 post I found no primer.

Can someone quote a conclusive source?
Or maybe start a poll and I will count the votes and go with the winning number.

I emailed John@hdpaint.tk last Thursday the 23rd, no reply.

[james]

Here here Kevsett, Thank you.
Jim