The Hodaka Club Forum

I'm looking for the best quality spray-can paint that most closely matches the '74 model 98 Super Rat orange tank and dark blue frame.

You might look for a local paint supplier who can load custom paint into rattle cans. Not all but some do. And they can scan your color and make samples for comparison. See what you can find out! ; D Victor

I understand that Kubota tractor orange is a correct match..

MTrat, Good answer!! I happen to already have a can of that sitting around here somewhere that I had bought for my Kubota tractor & Zero turn. Why didn't I think of that?? Now to find a match for the blue frame. Thanks
Jack

You should be able to find a rattle can blue that's close. Look at Lowes/Home Depot in there rattle can racks. I bet there is something in a Rustoleum or their store brand equivalent. I found a good match to Hodaka Red in the Lowes Rustoleum Equivelant. Victor

Found a Rustoleum Royal Blue at lowes on line. Might be pretty close? ; D Victor

I'll check that out, Victor. Thanks. Know of a good clear coat brand to use? I've used a product from Eastwood before, that was resistant to gas, but ended up with orange peel, due to not using it properly, I guess. There were no instructions on the can.

Orange peel comes from not color sanding & buffing. They sell a good rattle can clear coat at O'Rileys Auto Parts! $7.95 a can! Victor

In order to eliminate orange peel, you need to put 4 or more coats of clear, wet sand it when dry with 1500-2000 grit to make it smooth and then buff it out with a power buffer & some 3M polishing compound or similar. Orange peel is a result of layered spraying of clear coat & the droplets forming before it dries. Wet sanding & buffing is the only way to smooth it out. Don't let the dullness of the wet sanding freak you out. The buffing will make it shiney again! Victor

Ahhh, guys, you are on the Strictly Hodaka website forum. Why are you not looking to Paul for your paint needs?
Does it have to be a rattle can? They make aerosol can adapters for paint if you don't have a spray gun or compressor.

http://www.strictlyhodaka.com/category-s/2397.htm

Thanks Rick, but I'm not doing a complete restoration here, mainly just a preservation, and trying to keep the costs down. I just bought a can of Rustoleum Navy Blue for a little over $3.00, whereas the price of Paul's paint is $44.00. I already have a can of closely matching orange, so why spend another $44.00 on orange paint? The only thing this bike needs right now is a rear fender, 2 new tires and a few odds and ends and it should be good to go. One thing I wouldn't mind having is a service manual, which so far, I've been unable to locate.

I do not clear coat or wet sand and polish.-------Clarence

Ahh Grasshopper! But you were not the one who asked about clearcoat! Now, snatch this rattle can from my hand...... LOL!!! Victor

I thought your statement was orange peel comes from not sanding and buffing. I was trying to say I don't sand and buff and I don't have orange peel. Orange peel is the result of technique error. I have been out of the body shop for many years,and am so lucky to have a little paint booth just for the bikes. I am going to sell or trade off all the body tools. Victor you just keep putting them Hodaka's out and paint them any way you can. I am not a master painter but I do know some that are.-----Clarence

Ahhh. I learned to paint from extended family members. Clear coating does tend to orange peel more than color coats. That's why I suggested at least 4 coats if he's going to clear it. That gives enough for wet sanding & buffing without going completely thru the clear and back down to the color.

When we did my Suzuki, it was a multi stage paint job. Spanish Gold Metallic base, then Sunset Metallic Orange flames with airbrushed edge shading, followed by Candy Tangerine with Orange Pearl in it, then followed by Clear Coat with Orange Pearl in it & finally followed by numerous coats of clear with color sanding & buffing to get that glass like "wet look!" It took us nearly a week to finish it!

When I did the Green Toad, I went single stage with the green. Just a color sand & buffing was all it took with the single stage! Victor

That is nice Victor is it spray can? Clarence

Urethane paints in general orange peel far more than do lacquer based paints. Even new cars these days have very mildly orange peeled paint jobs, some brands more so than others, due to the use of modern low VOC urethane paints.

While caused by differential surface tension and fast drying (chemically hot) mixtures, orange peeling is usually made worse by errors in application technique. Shooting a dry coat, where droplets dry a bit before contact with the painted surface, causes roughness like sandpaper but not orange peel. Orange peel is more often caused by shooting a bit too heavy a coat, and by contamination on the metal or prior paint coat. I have yet to see a urethane paint job that is truly flat, whether topped with clear or not, even if done by a professional.

I usually do not sand between coats unless I have messed something up, or if I have allowed too much time to pass between coats and have to allow the paint to fully dry before re-coat. Solid color paint doesn't really need clear coating, which is intended more for metallic paints which frankly don't look right until they are clear coated. However, if you like the way it looks on solid colors, clear coats hurt nothing. If your clear coat lifts a base color so that it looks orange peeled where it wasn't before you shot the clear, you either didn't use a compatible clear paint, or put too heavy a clear coat down on uncured base color and softened the base coats enough to stretch out the paint film, or even cause it to delaminate from the metal beneath.

Jack, Fair enough on not buying your paint from Paul. I completely agree with everything you said about paint application. I too have been out of the painting business for many years, but for 10 years I painted cars, machinery and electrical panels. All with epoxy, urethane and enamel paints. Technique, proper thinner, time between coats and temperature were the things I would see that would cause surface issues. Thanks for the explanation for those who are not experts.

Clarence, both bikes pictured were done with professional spray equipment. Both were also color sanded & buffed. The Red Toad has a rattle can finish and is awaiting color sanding & buffing. Victor

Clarence that is a beautiful Ace 100B. You have one of the earlier Ace 100B models very nicely done.
After reading some of the posts i totally agree with you guys about using spray cans to paint your bikes and parts. I had tried to replicate the originals paints the best we could using NOS parts for examples and this for us is a costly inventory to hold and to produce.
Along with the other items we are letting go of now and not producing any longer paints are also one that I can see we no longer need to hold inventory on. Great thread thanks guys!!
Paul

Paul,

Perhaps if you no longer intend to stock paint (which I totally understand - paint does not last indefinitely on the shelf, and automotive grade paint isn't cheap no matter who supplies it) perhaps one day you can share with the community the paint codes or color names you have found that match most closely to original Hodaka paints. Even though most folks might eventually find something close, knowing what to look for would be useful to enthusiasts.

Great point Jack thank you !! Unfortunately I do not have paint codes or crossovers to share. It took us a while to get these done but we went to our paint company that yes makes automotive grade paints and presented them with three or four brand new parts of each specific color for them to give us a match I felt was correct. Took a lot of time and a lot of patience on the part of our supplier who is a Hodaka owner. Even though we will not be making more paints and we will be greatly curtailing what we make in the future he is and always be a great friend. Nowadays Home Depot has a great selection of paints in spray cans. Something there I am sure will be close enough to a Hodaka match.
Thanks
Paul

Is it okay with you, then, if forum member share what they have found?

also when painting cases and such it is good to use a product that is oil and gas resistant. Not fun to see a flooding carburetor washing your paint on the floor. Clarence

Absolutely!!
But you might do it sooner than later as part of our backing out of what we do is this forum also. We have had this forum for 15 years? and now seeing the hosting is about to expire shortly I am not going to renew it again. Talking about possibly allowing the Hodaka Club to take it over but that has not been finalized yet.