| Author | Message | ||
     M2typhoon |
I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier but, has anyone tried to do film dipping/hydro graphics? | ||
| Hootowl |
I would think that any coating that wouldn't peel away from the plastic would work. Just curious, but has anyone investigated the possibility of having a custom rotomolded tank (like the X1 has) made? These guys could probably do it. http://www.customroto.com (not affiliated in any way, just googled custom rotomolded fuel tank) They have in house mold making capabilities. A donor tank would make it even easier. Make the tank slightly smaller than the OEM tank, cut the bottom out of the OEM tank, and slip it over the rotomolded tank like a skin. Or make/have made a fiberglass tank cover. Volume would obviously lower the cost. There's probably a market for them. | ||
| S1owner |
Anything you put over it that does not breathe will have a chance for bubbling | ||
| M2typhoon |
Is it the fuel vapors that require breathing or is it something in the tank material itself? | ||
| Hootowl |
The fuel vapors make their way through the plastic (nylon?) and bubble the paint. | ||
| General_ulysses |
This has been discussed here before. First I think you need to distinguish between the X1 tank cover and the S1 type tanks which were painted directly. To my knowledge the X1 type tank covers do not experience the bubbling, whereas the S1 does. I don't think anyone knows conclusively why this is, although there's lots of speculation out there. In my opinion, it might be fuel vapors. Or it may be that the material the tank is made of is inherently difficult for paint to stick to. Poor surface preparation may also be a factor. One thing I do know is that plastics in general really expand and contract with temperature a lot (much moreso than steel). And a tank that sits on top of a 1200cc high performance air cooled engine is going to go through rather significant thermal cycling throughout its life. This means the tank is going to significantly expand and stretch everytime the motorcycle is ridden. Then when it's shut off and put away, it will cool and contract to a smaller size. I believe this might be a factor in the paint eventually becoming detached from the surface of the tank, resulting in "bubbling." If this is the case, both the paint and primer under it should (1) be properly formulated to adhere to the plastic or nylon substrate (i.e. whatever material the tank is made of) and (2) have an elasticizer added that adds sufficient flexibility to the paint. Paint like this is commonly used on rubber automotive parts like bumper covers etc. Another option, and probably the best, is to use a custom molded cover to go over the S1 tank in a manner similar to the X1. Someone on here showed one they made out of carbon fiber that was really sweet. | ||
| Hootowl |
"First I think you need to distinguish between the X1 tank cover and the S1 type tanks which were painted directly" I don't see anyone confusing these two in this thread. What am I missing? | ||
| General_ulysses |
Maybe you're right hootowl? I just didn't see S1 specified directly. I'm still new to tubers (haven't bought one yet), so I guess I'm thinking there might be others out there in the same boat as me who are still sorting out the differences between the "old school" tubers (and their various tank designs). Have a superb and hairball-free day. | ||
| Hootowl |
Ah. I just assumed he was talking about the nylon tanks since the fuel cell w/ covers do not have this problem. | ||
| M2typhoon |
Well, the title does indicate "plastic tank" and not a tank cover. I was pretty aware of the differences. I've seen a bunch of threads about painting and coating plastic tanks but I never read anything about Hydrographics. | ||
| Hootowl |
"Have a superb and hairball-free day." LOL, I missed that. Thanks!  (I have two cats - the hairball free part may not come to fruition.) | ||
| Hootowl |
I've never even heard of hydrographics. Is that the same as a wrap? Sorry if I hijacked the thread with my rotomolding musing. | ||
| Court |
>>>has anyone tried to do film dipping/hydro graphics? Buell has . . . 1997 | ||
| Hootowl |
Are you at liberty to share the results of that effort? It never made it into production, so can I assume there were issues, either of quality or cost? | ||
| M2typhoon |
I'd like to know myself. I can't believe that there is not a coating/substraight that can eliminate this by bonding to the nylon instead of just lying there on top of it like a bad lover... | ||
| Hootowl |
Looked around youtube for this. Appears to be very similar to paper marbling. I doubt this will solve the bubbling problem. The dipped design is not a base coat, or a sealer. It is simply a design. You're still going to have the same problem. | ||
| M2typhoon |
I have a local shop that does it and they do/can apply a base coat pending on the design and it's background requirements. This is the same way they apply camo to fire arms, archery equipment and other outdoor stuff and it's pretty tough stuff except the camo patterns don't get cleared like the other items do so they have a tendency to rub off over time. | ||
| Hootowl |
Has anyone tried vinyl dye? Like the stuff you would use on vinyl upholstery? On the right kind of vinyl, it sticks like crazy, since it soaks into the material (from what I understand). Follow it up with a clear top coat and you may have a finish that will not bubble. | ||
| Hootowl |
Worth a shot, if someone has an old tank sitting around. http://www.summitracing.com/search/Product-Line/VH T-Penetrating-Vinyl-Dye | ||
| Hootowl |
This says it works on plastic tanks. http://www.caswellplating.com/restoration-aids/epo xy-gas-tank-sealer/dragons-blood-gas-tank-sealer.h tml | ||
| Coxster |
Has anyone ever installed a dumb metal tank from an import etc and covered it with an XB cover?? Just a thought | ||
| Rocket_in_uk |
Silver nitrate would be cool! Rocket in England | ||
| Oldog |
Coxter an X1 tank cover might work over the tank, the 1125 guys are experimenting with plasti-dip, ( cheap, good looking, easy diy ) don't like it peal off & do over. | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Others have tried tank sealers. Because of the flexy nature of the nylon tanks sealers have performed poorly. Jolly tried this last year, or maybe in 2012... he attempted several different options and had adhesion problems. Many sealers work by chemically prepping the inside of the tank with acid (acid etching) to promote adhesion of the sealer. This is a very bad option on a nylon tank. The tanks are nylon. An extended cure time for the paint prior to putting fuel in the tank helps make sure the paint both cures and adheres to the "plastic" fuel cell. If you can't be bothered with waiting for paint to fully cure and seal to the tank you need the additional disposable income to keep getting your tank painted. I had my plastics painted in '06 and find it interesting that while my paint has held up fine, my vinyl race stripes and tank lettering have bubbled. Flex agent is specified in the paint process to address the flexibility of the fuel cell material. |
