Cellulose paint & transfers

Artwood

New Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Bitter experience taught me that water-slide tranfers on cellulose must have not less than 48 hours to dry before varnishing.

Artwood
 

Prosper Keating

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Thanks very much folks. It has given us a couple of more things to try. Incidentally, we found someone doing vinyl Vincent badges which may also be an answer. We will keep you updated.
Cheers, Dave

These are horrible-looking. I recently stripped and redid a tank because it had these things - that look like those giveaway stickers from a cereal packet - and stick-on lining. A dozen coats of ordinary aerosol black, followed by some twenty coats of clear lacquer.

Atwood is absolutely right. There was a problem with the waterslide transfers but we felt that this may also have been due to the final drying processes so the tank was slow-baked in the oven - when she-who-must-be-obeyed was on a foreign trip - and hung up for a fortnight. No problems after that. A coat or two of marine varnish applied over the transfers after a few days with a modeller's brush, extending just a millimetre past the transfers, did the trick. The lining was done before the lacquering with a Bugler tool, using a brown paper template held in place with Vaseline.

The resulting finish is perfectly acceptable on a machine used as an everyday nail and is probably as good as any run-of-the-mill tank on a machine rolling out of Stevenage at the time. It would be nice to see about producing some proper period-style transfers of the kind applied with artist's size or varnish. They're not as simple as the waterslide type but there is no reason why any intelligent, careful person cannot make a decent job of putting them on his motorcycle. They are much better-looking, with more vibrant colours that last longer in sunlight, and far more durable from the viewpoint of knocks and dings. Remember your old Raleigh bicycles when you were kids? And if anyone here has ever had an original German helmet from WW2 or the 1930s with its decals or transfers in place, you'll know what I mean.

PK
 

deejay499

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Prosper. Thanks for the warning regarding vinyl transfers. It looks like we might be better going the way you said with marine varnish. I will keep you updated.
Cheers, Dave
 

indianken

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Hi all. We have just sprayed a tank using cellulose (No two pack facilities) and when we tried use acrylic lacquer over the transfers, they crinkle up.:(
Are there different types of transfers? or what is the answer, apart from two pack.
Thanks, Dave

Here are two photos of my 1931 Indian 101 Scout I restored some time ago. I used waterside decals on the tank, with spray can lacquer clear coat over them. I think the trick is to give plenty of time between applying the decal, so it has completely dried, and using a very light spray of your clear lacquer, giving it enough time for the solvents to completely evaporate between coats
.
I did the complete restoration using Plasti-kote spray cans. The reason for this was my involvement in a discussion with some friends, at a local vintage motorcycle event, and they were complaining about the outrageous cost of getting their bikes painted. I said, "I bet I could paint one to an acceptable finish for $150". This caused much laughter and harrumphing among them. "We'll see", I said to myself..

So I refinished the 101 using only Plasti-kote spray cans:

1. Etching primer on all surfaces.
2. Black enamel for wheel, bars. etc.
3. Hi temp silver engine enamel.
4. Primer-Sealer where necessary
5. Red enamel for frame.
6. Red lacquer for fenders and fuel tank.
7. Gold lacquer for pin stripes.
8. Clear lacquer over red for fuel tank.

My total cost was $142, for paint $116 and for other necessities $26, (Solvent, sandpaper, masking tape [to out line the gold stripes], etc.).

I think it turned out very respectably. Even the " Harrumphors" had to admit that. More like the original finish than that "Dipped" in Plastic look you sometimes see with two pack. :)D)

Ken Smith

Picture_old_camara_012.jpg
Picture_old_camara_014.jpg
 

peterg

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Harrumph +10!

142 yankee dolluhs!?

A positively unjustifiable indulgence in frippery, I say. My Krylon (4.5 cans) stained wretch, TheRattler, was resurrected from the contents of a mottley assortment of plastic buckets below this last Fall for less than $20.

This humble finish gleefully fanned over bare metal...and some adjacent shrubbery - no fillers, no primers. Red paint for hand striping the rims sourced from my now somewhat-hardened 11 year old left overs in the attic from the Red Rap resto.

rattler2.jpg



bsoverview-22.jpg
 
Last edited:

indianken

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Peter,
I bow to my betters, OH prince of cheapness.;)
Ken Smith


quote=peterg;9264]142 yankee dolluhs!?

A positively unjustifiable indulgence in frippery, I say. My Krylon (4.5 cans) stained wretch, TheRattler, was resurrected from the contents of a mottley assortment of plastic buckets below this last Fall for less than $20.

This humble finish gleefully fanned over bare metal...and some adjacent shrubbery - no fillers, no primers. Red paint for hand striping the rims sourced from my now somewhat-hardened 11 year old left overs in the attic from the Red Rap resto.

rattler2.jpg



bsoverview-22.jpg
[/quote]
 

peterg

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Howdy MrKen,

That monicker far more preferred than more common prince of darkness for which I'm still in disbelief as to how good an even nominally doted upon Miller genie - all experience to date having been with the larger E3L's on my Rap - can be.

Realize you're probably well into 12V's to go with those new dual discs on your machine but I thought I'd give a 6V Miller one single try before placing an order for an Alton. That was 6 weeks and 800 miles ago, nearly a third of it done at night included last evening's pub rounds. Built up one from a pile of several carcasses, wired it in series to a PODtronic, installed the VOCS LED out back, a 24/36W bulb in front and have yet to experience any dimming at idle in urban riding. And that's even with the nominal India-sourced 8amp LA battery, a 12a AGM will be icing on the cake. Charge balance is achieved at a little over 30mph on a 46T/19" wheel.

So, may TheRattler's orb cast a warm glow upon your disbelieving countenance somewhere down the dusty trail.
 
Last edited:

deejay499

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Hi all. Must say I am impressed with the finished bike photos. Hope mine looks half as good. Thanks for the input.
Cheers, Dave
 

indianken

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
KenLight600x450.jpg


Peter,
Here is a headlight that outshines your Miller and
gives out enough heat to brew up a cup of tea in minutes too!
No electrical load either.:eek:
Ken Smith

showphoto.php

648


Howdy MrKen,

That monicker far more preferred than more common prince of darkness for which I'm still in disbelief as to how good an even nominally doted upon Miller genie - all experience to date having been with the larger E3L's on my Rap - can be.

Realize you're probably well into 12V's to go with those new dual discs on your machine but I thought I'd give a 6V Miller one single try before placing an order for an Alton. That was 6 weeks and 800 miles ago, nearly a third of it done at night included last evening's pub rounds. Built up one from a pile of several carcasses, wired it in series to a PODtronic, installed the VOCS LED out back, a 24/36W bulb in front and have yet to experience any dimming at idle in urban riding. And that's even with the nominal India-sourced 8amp LA battery, a 12a AGM will be icing on the cake. Charge balance is achieved at a little over 30mph on a 46T/19" wheel.

So, may TheRattler's orb cast a warm glow upon your disbelieving countenance somewhere down the dusty trail.
 

bmetcalf

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Peter,
Here is a headlight that outshines your Miller and
gives out enough heat to brew up a cup of tea in minutes too!
No electrical load either.:eek:
Ken Smith

showphoto.php

648

Reminds me of the wiring diagram that Jacqueline published in MPH for her HRD: the wire from the mag to the plug.
 
Top