XL400 clutch cover decal and paint

[tribulation138]

Heres a little inside of what I do when restoring chainsaw parts for painting and new decals. This is just one part off my project for the Homlite xl-400. Enjoy


I use all high heat paint from autozone. primer, base, clear. Get all the colors you need that closely match the saw your painting. All paint is gas/oil resistance to a certain extant.


make sure to mask edges of part off to paint center black


remove tape after a few hours



the red paint is already dry before I painted the middle black. Red paint was baked in old toaster oven at 460 degrees for 30mins. Now it goes in again in the oven for the black layers.


make sure to do some light sanding in between coats with 400 grit paper. wash part in sink with dish soap and water. let air dry or blow off with air gun. DO NOT touch part with fingers. use a wire or coat hanger through holes.

Get your decals ready and apply them according to manufacturer. On this one the HOMELITE decal is stick on lettering. The model logo is wet slide decal. Make sure to buy the special solvent for wet slide decals.



Next is the clear coat. HOMELITE didnt use clear coat. But i use it for added protection. This saw is just gonna sit on my shelf anyways. Clear coat helps protect the new decals too.

Let dry for a couple hours for the first coat. then cook in oven.


sand in between coats with 1000 grit emery cloth. bake in oven everytime to dry clear coat.


done

[tribulation138]

side notes:

Letting paint air dry according to directions on can are not that accurate. Paint on metal take a longer time to fully cure compared to other materials.
Primers and base coats could take anywhere from 2 weeks to dry to 2 months. Clear coat enamels could take longer! Just because the paint feels dry doesnt mean its ready. Rule of thumb is: if you still smell paint on part its not dry. Fully cured paint does not give off any oder. This is why I use a old toaster oven. A propane grill works too.
Baking parts in oven to dry paint cuts drying times down extremely and the paint comes out stronger and tougher.

[sugarcreeksaws]

Excellent job! Thank you for posting in the showcase. MCS might want to put a copy in the Tips and Tricks section,......very good. I am surprised the vinyl "HOMELITE" decal did ok under clear coat through the oven,.....I would have thought that it would have a problem with the heat.