Reblacking the stands

So, my centerstand had a goodly bit of rust on it. And it was just generally fugly. Side stand was better, but the paint was well worn, so I thought I'd paint them while I had the exhaust off and could pull that centerstand easily.  

And I will note that, yes, I was foolish not to take a before pic. But I'm sure you can imagine.

The results will come in a few days. But I started prep work this evening. I pulled the stands, used a water based stripper (but strong, it ate gloves so I had to get different ones right quick!) to strip the paint. Then wire wheeled it to get most of the paint off:

[image: centerstand1.jpg][image: centerstand2.jpg]

Did the same for the sidestand, which was a LOT easier. Way less convluted:

[image: sidestand2.jpg]

[image: sidestand3.jpg]

I actually did more than these pics, but I ran out of light.

From there it was to the sink to get the crud out of those smaller crannies.  Simple green and a toothbrush, then some scrubbing with Barkeeper's Friend  made them SUPER shiny.  But these are decidedly NOT stainless steel parts. They're very stainy. It's like cleaning up a cast iron pan, the instant you strip it it starts rusting again.  These pics are after about an hour:

[image: rps20190422_211744_525.jpg]

[image: rps20190422_211712_152.jpg]

[image: rps20190422_211835_670.jpg]

This is common. I've powdercoated cast parts for old motorcycles (Vincents and a 60s Triumph) and the same happens there.  What I do is get 'em clean, dry them immediately, and get that primer or powder on  right away.  Like 15 minutes or less, right away.

Up tomorrow: I'll finish cleaning them (there's still some crud in the end of the centerstand) then spray them with primer. I'm not powdercoating as the centerstand is too big for my oven, so I'm going to try some 2K in a can. This is new to me, it'll be an adventure.

Cleaned up the stands, got 'em wired up, the pivots masked, and wiped all the grease off:

[image: centerbeforespray.jpg]

It's kind of pretty for the first 10 minutes after you get it shiny!

And, for some reason, the damned cell phone will never focus on the side stand.  Man cell phone cameras are amazing pieces of crap.

[image: sidestandbeforespray.jpg]

After the first coat, I was impressed with the primer. I'm using SprayMax 2K Epoxy primer, which is a building primer that's extra durable. Good for crappy metal like this with pits and grinds in it from where I cleaned out the rust:

[image: centerstandblack1.jpg]

[image: centerstandblack2.jpg]

Note the lower right how rough it looks. That's just how the metal is, I didn't sand that flat and pretty. Part of why I'm going satin black, and using a thick, black primer.

I went three coats. I could have gone two on almost anything else, but those feet are hard to get at without over-soaking the surrounding areas, so I had to sneak up on it. This stuff builds really fast, and it's 2K, so you can recoat wet at 6 minutes, and it'll be dry to dust in 15 minutes.

Here's the sidestand.  Goddamned cellphone camera:

[image: sidestandblack1.jpg]

Just trust me, the sidestand looks good. A nice, even matte black. It wasn't all pitted like the centerstand arm except on the foot, so it was an easier job. But, still, this 2K impresses me.

The spraymax site says  6 hours overnight for cure. I'll spray the top coat tomorrow, which will be Spraymax 2K Hotrod Satin Black. I found an image of it on the internets:

[image: img_4320-jpg.1485900]

I thought it was a good enough match, and it is reputed to be super durable.   We'll see how it comes out.

Looks like a good coating, looking forward to the finished product.

Looks great! Thanks for the tip on the SprayMax 2K Epoxy Paint... 

Only the primer is epoxy.  The paint is acrylic. They make non-epoxy primer, too, which is probably a better choice if your substrate is properly prepared and pretty. I didn't sand these stands beyond what was needed to get the rust off, so I chose the thicker stuff.

Headed out to spray the top coat now. We'll see how it goes.

Also, a side note to remember. 2K is catalyzed. The second part is inside the can, you bust it open and it mixes all together so it's very much like the stuff you'd use in a real spray gun, though still in a rattle can. But if you're going to use it, make sure you have all your projects together at once. The paint lasts 24 hours in the can, the primer 4 days (according to the website).  So once you pop the can you pretty much use it up.

And another side note, this stuff is gnarly. Full of isocyanates, so you should use a respirator even if you're spraying outside.

OK, top paint is dried. Not 100% cured, that takes 24 hours.

The side stand looks about as good as I hoped:

[image: sidetopcoat2.jpg]

[image: sidetopcoat.jpg]

The centerstand was harder to spray all around, since it is all round and has lots of funny angles and crannies to deal with. So I'm happy with how it went, but it was NOT as easy.

My biggest bitch was the spray nozzle on the second can -- the paint -- spattered. Really annoying after the primer sprayed so nicely.  Made it harder to get a super even coat, especially since I was spraying up and down to get to the bottom sides of things in addition to my nice, even horizontal passes. A smarter man would have rigged a stick through the mounting holes or something to make it easier, but I'm lazy and wanted to get this done in a hurry.

The wire wheel texture shows through. I COULD have polished it up to some reasonable grit of wet-or-dry pretty easily (except for the pitted part) and gotten it perfectly smooth, or even wetsanded the primer, which was plenty thick. But, as I said above, lazy. In person it's a little more satiny than it looks here... cell phone cameras with black being hard enough to photograph.

[image: centertopcoat%20(2).jpg]

And here's a part that had all the rust on it that I cleared off:

[image: centertopcoat.jpg]

Again, it's blacker in person.  Much more like the sidestand color.  I think it is pretty close to the OEM colors, or at least close enough it will go completely unnoticed.

[image: HondaVFR800_04-L.jpg]

So, in conclusion:

- I didn't like the nozzle on the second can, but that was probably anomalous. The paint itself worked nicely, I just got a bum nozzle.

- I liked the primer, and it sprayed beautifully.

-  It's not cheap. I spent at least $35 on the cans. They can run anywhere from $15-25, depending on what you get. The rust beater epoxy stuff is $17.99 right now, I got it on sale for $15.95, and I think I paid $20 for the paint.  Plus $11 for VOC filters for my mask. So it cost me $50 to make a part of my bike nobody will ever notice or care about look less crusty.

-  It is genuine 2K, so it goes fast and will be as hard as the OEM spray

For all that, if my oven was SLIGHTLY bigger I would have been happier to powder coat it. And if I wasn't in a hurry, I'd just have given it to a local pro company and had them do it for me. Black's usually cheap if you aren't picky, they spray it all the time and often give deals on small parts if you are willing to do it in a color they're already using. MOST of the hassle with spraying powder is cleaning the equipment.  And, color and finish wise, I really can't be too precious about a part that gets rubbed on my boots and scraped against the ground every time I park my bike.

So, bolt them on tomorrow after work. I should have headers on for the weekend. 

Looks good.... you made me run out to the garage to take a peak at my c'stand and side stand. Yep, they are nasty rusty looking pieces... Probly now a winter paint up job.... 

- Start up a thread for when you install the header...  :fing02:

1 hour ago, mello dude

- Start up a thread for when you install the header...  :fing02:

Will do. If I'm feeling particularly ambitious I might even use a camera that doesn't suck. I'm not always good about stopping and documenting, though I should be. Pictures are sometimes a great way to get things back together after you tear them all apart.

First things first, I gotta figure out how to get the old gaskets out! 

Thanks for documenting this project! Honda's black finish on these steel parts is sorta disappointing. Seems to be the same finish used on the rear subframe and upper cowl stay on the 6th gen.

Yeah, it's bland, Dash.  That side stand is ever so slightly blacker than stock, but close enough to stock you can't tell.

[image: stands_190425_162318.jpg]

The mounting bracket is still stock paint.

The center stand I did a bit of polish on and got that paint to look good. Smooth. But just a tiny spot because, screw that noise I'm not wasting any more time.  I think Honda just powder coat it all the same color as the subframe, as though it isn't going to be seen. And, in their defense, it is seldom seen or noticed, and is guaranteed to get screwed up in short order.

Can I ask what how durable you're expecting/experiencing the paint to be in regards to constantly making contact with your shoes/boots and the ground.