TOPIC:

Hi guys
I just took a long hard look at my engine and man it needs a coat of paint.
Some of the bikes on this site have beautifully turned out engines. What have you painted them with that could stand up to the heat in say the spark plug wells or the cylinder block front, behind the exhaust. I have heard that smooth silver hammerite is good enough for engines but I'm not confident that it wont discolour. Any suggestions will be very gratefully recieved.
Thanks
Ed

Ed,

I can guarantee Smooth Hammerite is the best.
I have tried & tested EVERYTHING & it comes out top every time. It also goes on good & thick.
Make sure you warm the can up in hot water for 20 minutes before spraying.........makes a lot of difference.
The secret with any paint is the preparation so as long as the metal is good & clean, it will last at least 10 years.
I have done every 1300 engine I gave owned with it including the current one.

Funny as it is, the Hammerite Factory is in the village I live in too !

Pete F

Thanks Pete
I have a lot more faith now that I have heard it from a fellow 13er
who has used it. I hope I can return the favour one day.
Ed

In the U.S. I found ACE Hardware to carry the Hammerite, but they are options.

I am assuming rattlecans work best here, or would a cheap sprayer work too?

High Heat version, is there any advantage?

Engine components, do they require priming first?

Thanks for asking this question, as I'd would be doing the same later on in my project. Now I can be working to have things lined up to go smoothly.

Great site Bill, thank you once again.

Bill,

Rattle cans are the way to go..........but warm them up in hot water (hand bearable) before use.
ONLY use smooth silver or black hammerite NOT HAMMERED.
No primer needed, it coats straight onto bare CLEAN metal.
Give engine & parts a good wipe with thinners first then let dry.
No paint known to man will stick to an oily or unclean surface.

If you look at the FIRST photo in my post above, you will see how clean I get the engine before painting......Its basically very clean bare metal. Lots of work with a snake neck flexi in a drill with a small wire brush & a pointy screw driver to get to the difficult bits. It takes a long time but is well worth it........see below.




Its REALLY good !

Pete F

Thanks for the heads up about smooth hammerite. It went on really well and gave a good finish. My engine is looking really pretty.

Cheers