Bar stencils and painting?

[Supercharged86]

Hey Guys, I'm looking to make some improvements on my guide bar restorations using the vinyl adhesive backed stencils, like those available from Chainsawr (ie. Sugarcreek). Up to this point I've been using a high quality enamel spray can, without any under primer, applying a few light coats then immediately removing the stencil, before the paint starts to dry. Most of time the stencil comes off cleanly, leaving nice crisp lines. But If I wait more than a few minutes (I made this mistake on the very first resto), I lose some of the letters due to lack of adhesion. I'm also concerned about the overall durability of the lettering, despite the several coats of clear on top.

If I apply a primer first, self etching or otherwise and then the base coat, will the stencil remove cleanly assuming I need to let the primer coat dry first before applying the base coat? Or how about a primer and paint in one type of product? I'm curious how you guys are doing your stencils? Thanks. Steve

[onlyhomelites]

Hey Steve, I've been using a self etching primer on mine. I go 2-3 coats of primer (takes about 5-10 minutes per coat to dry) and then 2-3 coats of color 5-10 minutes apart. I start to peel at about 15 minutes after the last coat of color. I use a razor blade for assistance and I haven't peeled any paint yet. I agree, full drying would be a disaster! I'm using Spray Max Glamour 2K clear, which is a 2-part and I'm putting 2-3 coats on. It is fuel & oil resistant...that I have tested. Long term durability on a bar is unknown at this point, but I plan to give it a try soon.

Hope this helps!

Leon

[Supercharged86]

Hey Leon, Thanks my friend. I guess I'll try some etching primer on the next one. At nearly $10 a set, I didn't want to do to much trial & error. Cheers. Steve