| Author | Message | ||
     Michelangelo |
It seems some Buell tanks are more prone to bubble than other (1998 White Lightning springs to mind). I've heard diff reasons for this; so what do you all think? How can I avoid bubbling if I pick up a tank and have to repaint it? | ||
| Ratbuell |
Proper prep work. | ||
| Nukeblue |
wasn't it supposed to be slightly porous tank issue? i think i saw something that suggested you coat the inside of the tank so fuel vapor can't bleed through or something | ||
| Fahren |
Go ahead and coat the inside of your tank if you have faith that what you use to coat the inside of a plastic tank will stay on there any better than on a properly prepped plastic exterior. Personally, I do not have that faith, and I would worry about crud getting into the fuel. The plastic tanks are porous, and they need to be prepped and painted with the proper materials that will also breathe and not trap migrating gases that will bubble under a sealed paint membrane. (search function, old school and KV) Other bike companies solved this by using a different plastic. Buell solved this by going back to tank covers over inner tanks, then of course the fuel in frame concept. Re-painting will work, but must be done thoroughly, carefully and with the right prep and paints. I have no idea how tank lining products would work, but I am not inclined to suggest you try and find out. | ||
| Daveswan |
I keep the link bookmarked since I might be painting soon. Here it is! http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/384 2/385208.html?1218742635 | ||
| Reepicheep |
wonder if that carbon fiber looking flexy stick on wrap stuff would hold up on a tank? It's not just Buells. Every dirt bike I had with a plastic tank also needed special (and very expensive) stickers... they didn't even *try* and make paint stick. | ||
| Kaput |
A nice solution would be a pre colored tank skin that you could form fit on top of the original tank. | ||
| Michelangelo |
Or one of them "wraps", graphic wraps. | ||
| Lesco51 |
Talked to Eric, he said it's micro fractures in the plastic. Problem I found is that if you repaint and don't get the comtainments out of the fractures it will bubble again. I am going to wash it briefly in actone , dry it and and put it in old oven at 200 deg and cook it out. Will keep you posted how it works. | ||
| Ratbuell |
We always bathed parts in MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) before painting them, when I was doing rigging installations. Dunno how it would react with the plastic - if it would melt it or not - but it would clean ANYthing off machined metal! | ||
| Lesco51 |
I have 2 idenital 96 S=1 in Red, One bubbles one don't | ||
| Lesco51 |
I am just going to wash it for about 30 sec, hope cooking it will solve problem |
