Refinishing Targa cap with Cerakote

[Discseven]

Edit 12.25.21: Title has this being a Cerakote project, and it was until post #75. At that point, SprayMax 2k enters the picture.


My T-cap was powder coated 9 years ago. Guy who did this was an artisan---proof being his leaving absolutely nothing to squawk about. And how wonderful is that! A patina set in over the years. That has had an even appearance until about a year ago when one area began distinguishing itself from the rest. I have some Black Velvet Cerakote on hand so is time dive in DIY and see what comes of it.





Powder coat when just done 9 years ago. Satin finish. Guy charged $220 including blasting to bare metal. I didn’t ask him to but he also stripped and coated the inside. Might not be for everyone but I liked the eggshell.




Now. Coating has dulled but is not yet chalky. Within the last year an area on the top has worn thin. Inside surface is in just-coated condition so is exposure that has worn the outside. Car is garage parked.




Getting a rear trim-seal on this cap has never happened because the rear lip, at the center, is too tight to the glass. An effort was made to bend the metal away from the glass. Was’t long into that process when the possibility of breaking the glass outweighed getting that trim on. When the cap is off this time, will bend that that lip up so the trim will fit.




Cap has fixed 2 bolts on the base at each side. Nuts are accessed from the inside of the fenders. This is an '80.




Rubber seal comes out. Then there are 2 plastic screws on each side that take the place of what I believe is the ski rack mount. 3 of these caps shaft’s snapped when removing them. Being plastic, am going to push those shafts in. Were they metal and snapped off, I'd extract them. (Ace hardware has slightly different caps that appear to fit. Thye’re push-in rather than screw.) A number of flat head screws are removed and cap is loose. Without a hitch, this takes nearly an hour including getting the tires out of the way.

Cerakote specs call for blasting with 100 grit oxide. Did my fuel rails with a silver Cera. Also did cooling fan and engine bay lid's receiver-striker plate with clear Cera. Impressively hard stuff. After months of opening & closing the lid, there is no wear on that receiver’s clear coat. The fan is also still looking very good. Acid test is how the coating is holding up on the leading edges of the blades. At some point, am going to pull the fan to put eyeballs up close on those edges. Of all the oils and clear-coatings I’ve applied to the fan, Cerakote is the only coating that has held up.




T-cap primer layer coming off. (I did not know this had primer. This layer is super hard. Moreso than the black powder coat.)




120 grit paper finish---not oxide.




Blasting with oxide at 70 psi… useless. Powder coat came off---slowly---but the primer fully resisted. Hand sanding… one step better than useless (unless a slow workout is wanted.) Weather today and tomorrow is fine for applying the Cera so slow motion is unwanted. 120 grit on a drill disc speeds things up nicely. Whole thing can be stripped by disc including the vent slots. Corners of each vent slot need finishing by hand. Think this took 3 hours not including clean up. My opinion at this moment is that 120 grit puts a suitable tooth into this metal for the Cera to grab onto. That’s my opinion as opposed to a proven technical recommendation. We’ll see how that turns out. My only concern is the “scratches” showing through so an adequate coating thickness needs to be applied… without running! Not being a seasoned spray painter, this stuff always unerves me to an exhilarating degree. Occurs to me now that I thought the Cera coating on the fuel rails I did... the Cera evaporated enough so that after curing, what remained seemed amazingly thin. Am now more concerned than I was a few seconds ago. Better think this through before applying the coating to the 120 grit surface. I would do the cap twice if needed... once would be nice. Call to Cera tech is in order to garner their opinion on the 120 grit finish.

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[Dpmulvan]

Degrease and then Blast with clean non contaminated aluminum oxide before coating, something around a 100 grit.

[mike sampsel]

Following,

been considering taking my bar cover off to replace the targa emblems with new.
Had the emblems and bar cover painted with the car. Bar cover is great, the targa emb;ems chip and peal. Was a mistake to paint them ...

[Dpmulvan]

Your bar has to have a uniform finish before applying the cerakote. Also the air cured stuff c series doesn’t hold up like the heat cure. I just pulled this fuch out of the blaster your bar should have the same uniform finish before coating.

[Discseven]

I hear you DP. Alas, setting up for blasting is complicated (but doable) for me---living in a condo presents a variety of challenges. No way I could set up any where on the premises but for my balcony. Can see here what I'm dealing with...



Concerning blasting, I know oxide is Cera's spec. Am surly taking a risk going with the tooth from paper. Is calculated risk and if I have to, I'll do the fooker over (no matter how many times it takes to get it right.)

To "balcony paint," dead calm wind-wise is a mandate. Or, a booth has to be errected. Yesterday was dead calm but I missed that window. Today there's a bit of air movement but still within the suitable range. Later on today the wind should increase so getting on with this sooner than later is needed.



Am also out of bounds with not using an HVLP as Cera likes. With the 2.5 gal compressor on hand, an HVLP is dysfunctional at the 30 psi called for. Can shoot for 2 seconds or so then compressor has to pressure up again. Then shoot for 2 secs. And so on. Rather use an airbrush. Is very approprite for getting paint into the vent areas. Once one has a handle on the flow-to-wet with an airbrush, it's like using a tiny HVLP.

Coating is semi-dry at this stage. Painted top in direct sunlight so could see when the black went opaque. Sides I did in the shade. That was a mistake. Could see that transition in the shade but not as well as needed---the sides are not coated enough. There are also very tiny blips in the paint. As far as the 120-to-220 sanding, no scratches show through at this stage. Might be different when the coating is fully gassed off.

Just spoke with Ryan at Cera-tech. Bypassed the sand-paper matter and went to recoating. There's a 2 hour window to recoat. Is OK to sand lightly with a very fine grit, clean residue off. NO brake cleaner or similar at this stage. Damp towel followed by dry. I then let cap sit in the sun for a few minutes. Second coat went on...this time with every surface being painted being in the sun. Am still getting some fine blips but that may come with "ballcony painting" no matter what. 2 knats died in the process. Those were carefully swiped out immediately and the blips coated. Hopefully these being wet areas, they will flow out evenly. Have to see what the outcome is when the coating dries.

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[Dpmulvan]

Neighbors must love you. When I was younger had an apt and set up a wood shop in the kitchen, nobody knew until I shot a piece of wood through the window.

[Discseven]

Originally Posted by Dpmulvan

Neighbors must love you. When I was younger had an apt and set up a wood shop in the kitchen, nobody knew until I shot a piece of wood through the window.

Wood shop in kitch... that's creative. I've not got to shooting wood...yet!
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[safe]

Originally Posted by Dpmulvan

Neighbors must love you.

My thought too. Where I live you aren't even allowed to barbecue (maybe with electric grill) on the balcony in many apartments.

[Robert Adams]

great writeup. Respect the ingenuity to get the job done. Once made a makeshift paint booth out of large cardboard that wrapped around the inside of our front porch at a rental house where we stayed while reno'ing our house. Obviously, waited for the wife to leave for work and took a day off to undercoat all the fenders, bumpers, etc. lol.

[Discseven]

Second coat of Cera gets mixed reviews. Not living with that. It's on to round #3. Will start on bare metal again, this time knowing where the traps are.
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[Tony V]

How about polishing the hoop like an early Targa? It’s got to be less work.

[Dpmulvan]

You really need a good moisture trap installed far down line away from the compressor. Especially in Miami.

[Discseven]

Originally Posted by Tony V

How about polishing the hoop like an early Targa? It’s got to be less work.

Tony... Fine idea. I simply favor the hoop wearing black.

Originally Posted by Dpmulvan

You really need a good moisture trap installed far down line away from the compressor. Especially in Miami.

Agreed on the moisture DP. I've got the standard trap that's always there. When shooting media like this Cera, 3 inline desiccant cartridges + a "dry hose" are installed.




Round #3 gets shot today. Airs remain calm. Full enclosure goes up on balcony this time, goal being to escape with zero contamination. Lesson learned from prior coats = put a bit more on than I'm comfortable with.

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[Discseven]

Wednesday's shoot. Looking at 2nd coat here after 24 hours...



Mishandling airbrush.




Second coat saw less contamination than first...but it’s there. Subtle irregularities---think this has something to do with 1st coat not being evenly sanded down AND not enough 2nd coat---opinion only.




Some areas finished well and with zero contamination. Black Velvet = good match to car’s stock, black trim.


Yesterday, Thursday…



Cera’s cured little more than 24 hours at this point. Rather than strip on the balcony again, went down the street and worked in a median strip. Only concern was city car parked a few notches behind me. Whether stripping in median is “legal” ...is questionable. Figured to hear about it if it wasn’t. No tips. 120 grit, 5” disks and cordless drill. Took 1 hour compared to the few hours for the first round. Am less fussy working here compared to balcony. Compared to balcony, this is a “soft” environment. (I'll be back.)




1 and 2.




Only area a 5” disk can’t get to.

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[Shaun @ Tru6]

I'm not a fan of air cured Cerakote Karl except for heat exhangers and other high temp applications. Catalyzed and oven cured is significantly more durable and looks much better too.

[Discseven]

Beautiful crafting as always Shaun. Were you & I a touch closer geo-wise (nothing romantic), I'd beg to use your oven. Alas, I'm handicapped for sure but not deterred in the least. I'll make the best of the air cured route and let the chips fall where they may. You've set the bar nicely. I'm motivated now more than I was---TY! Not that I can say Cera's air-cure Velvet Black is the same as their air-cure Clear... but I have their Clear on the engine bay's lid receiver and after months of banging away at it, that coating is impressively unscathed. I say this in defense of Cera's air-cure product line and for the benefit of all who don't have a super-baker oven. I'll agree that oven curing is---possibly / maybe / could be---a tiny bit harder.

What Black did you apply there? Very appealing sheen. Am guessing that comes from the bake.

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[Shaun @ Tru6]

I am sure it will be beautiful when you are done Karl.

My best Cerakote hardness story is I had done a set of LWB A-arms, torsion bars and crossmember. Bars were in the arms leaning against the wall. I picked one up to ship it and the torsion bar slipped free and landed on the crossmember, falling about 2 feet. You couldn't tell the bar had even been hit. I was pretty amazed.

I custom mix all of my colors including varying the catalyst to get the right tone.

Sheen does in part come from the oven but also the mix and the catalyst.

Looking forward to your progress!

[Dpmulvan]

Karl your determination to get it done right is impressive. What air brush are you using and what size tip? You probably don’t want to drop $300 on a lph80 but there are a few Chinese knock offs for $25 on Amazon that will get the job done quick. Any pos with a .8 tip will work in a pinch for a few items.

[Discseven]

Originally Posted by Robert Adams

great writeup. Respect the ingenuity to get the job done. Once made a makeshift paint booth out of large cardboard that wrapped around the inside of our front porch at a rental house where we stayed while reno'ing our house. Obviously, waited for the wife to leave for work and took a day off to undercoat all the fenders, bumpers, etc. lol.

Thanks for comp Robert. I too do not do this sort of work with feline about. It un-nerves her.

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

I am sure it will be beautiful when you are done Karl.

My best Cerakote hardness story is I had done a set of LWB A-arms, torsion bars and crossmember. Bars were in the arms leaning against the wall. I picked one up to ship it and the torsion bar slipped free and landed on the crossmember, falling about 2 feet. You couldn't tell the bar had even been hit. I was pretty amazed.

I custom mix all of my colors including varying the catalyst to get the right tone.

Sheen does in part come from the oven but also the mix and the catalyst.

Looking forward to your progress!

Custom mix your Cera! You are the BOMB Shaun. Thanks for sheen info. Appreciate your vote of confidence.

Originally Posted by Dpmulvan

Karl your determination to get it done right is impressive. What air brush are you using and what size tip? You probably don’t want to drop $300 on a lph80 but there are a few Chinese knock offs for $25 on Amazon that will get the job done quick. Any pos with a .8 tip will work in a pinch for a few items.

Thanks DP. Once I get going, am an addict to the journey.



Air brush in use is absolutely rediculous. I've used top of the line Paasche brushes in my youth. Now thought to try the cheapest brush possible. $9.99 from Harbor Freight. Compared to the tricks a Paasche can pull, this cheapO doesn't compare. It's either ON or OFF---nothing else. For laying down a coat of anything sprayable, this works fine... unless it's tilted wrong. Splatter happens. There's no needle. The fluid nozzle is in the air stream and the volume of fluid is adjusted by how much that nozzle is adjusted into the air stream. Very simple to clean.



Have the knockoff you're referring to. Doesn't work well with my 2.5 gallon compressor. Is reason I'm at this with the air brush. Would prefer to use HVLP but am not putting up with special treatment the 2.5 compressor tank demands. Minimum tank for this gun and Cera's 30 psi spec... am thinking 10 gallon. 20 would be a step up. Part of the production challenge---the fun of it---is solving the puzzle given the environment I've got to work with, and the gear I have on hand. I cut corners at times to see what happens. Sometimes the bear gets me. Sometimes not. In either case, there's always something gleened. That, to me, is just as important as the outcome.

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[Discseven]

Detour taken today. Rather than get on with coating, took a look at how the cap’s metal would respond to 100 grit oxide blasting (as Cera specs for metal prep.) DP… you instigated this...TY. Nice wheel prep by the way.




Have a storage bin that’s converted to a blast cab. Cap is too large but bottom half of cabinet serves to capture some of the oxide. Using plastic sheeting to keep the oxide from running completely amok. What oxide escapes is swept up, strained, and recycled. What’s in the bin in pic is just what I dumped in for testing. Am running about 2 qts of the stuff in total. There’s a siphon hose tapped into the corner of the bin where the oxide sits. One end of bin sits on pillow to flow the oxide in the bin towards the corner. Nothing fancy but it works.




Keep blasted oxide on a 120 grit sandpaper scratch for long enough and that scratch is gone.




Fine view from my balcony looking south over Biscayne Bay but it’s a tough working space to maintain a 911. Sweeping up and recycling blasting media is a cinch. Dealing with nasty chems are a different story. So is painting of any sort.

Blasting took 4.5 hrs. Wanted to coat afterwards but arm & trigger finger vehemently disagreed. Was eager to get on with it tomorrow but just realized it's Sat. Am not running compressor on weekend to spare my neighbors the noise. Will be Monday then. Am hoping good weather holds.
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