- Paint Information
- This paint
is Alkyd Enamel. Its finished appearance is identical to the
Lacquer and Acrylic Enamel that these motors were painted with
originally. This paint is manufactured by R.M., and is
from their Limco 1-2-3 line. Alkyd Enamel is Limco-1.
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- The reason
for choosing this paint has to do with hardening. The hardeners
in all types of paint work anaerobically. This means that
they harden without air. Once you add the hardener to the paint
it hardens in about 3 hours no matter where it is, even in an
aerosol can. This is why you can't add hardener to paint
in aerosols. It is also why most commercial paints available
in aerosols have such poor durability. Without their hardener
most paints reach a relative hardness (compared to hardened paint)
of about 20%. The one exception is Alkyd Enamel. Without
hardener it reaches about 80% hardness. So even out of
an aerosol can you get toughness and a gas-proof finish.
-
- If you
are going to buy bulk paint you can buy the hardener and reducer
locally at an auto body supply shop ... just call around to find
out which ones sell R.M. paint. The hardener is LH-100
and the reducer is LR-12. If you have trouble locating
a source close to you, call 1-800-825-3000. This is the BASF
help line. They can help you find the closest dealer.
NOTE 1: The
mixing ratio is 8-1-4, paint-catalyst-reducer. If you use the
Alkyd uncatalyzed the ratio is 4-1, paint-reducer. The mixing
ratio for the Urethane is 8-1-4, paint-hardener-reducer.
NOTE 2: Though Alkyd Enamel is the hardest paint available
in aerosol form, Urethane based paint is the hardest known paint
when it is mixed with hardener.All modern cars are painted with
Urethane based paint. For those who would like to get the most
durable paint job possible, all my colours are available in Limco-3
Urethane. Unfortunately the cost is 25% higher than Alkyd and
the hardener is 50% more expensive than Alkyd catalyst.
Decals
- If you
are applying vinyl decals you don't have to do anything special,
the glue on the back of them will stick to just about anything.
However, if you are applying water-release Lacquer decals you
will have to buy a glue to get them to stick to this paint properly.
-
- Manufacturers
like Mercury, Johnson and Evinrude all used a glue to hold the
decals on when these motors were made. However, because
they all have used vinyl decals for at least 20 years they no
longer sell these adhesives. You can still buy them from
most hobby stores. Several different manufacturers make these
products. One type is an adhesive to glue down the decals
and the other is used to shrink the decals to help them fit around
compound curves, so you don't get them wrinkling at the edges.
The reason for all this trouble is that water-release decals
don't come with glue on them. There is a water release
compound on the paper backing some of which stays with the decal,
which will act like a weak glue on soft paint surfaces, but it
is too weak to work on the smooth hard surface of this paint.
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- If you
have any other questions about this paint or how to apply it,
drop me an E-mail
and I will answer it as soon as possible or please see General
Painting Tips.