Hi all. Just an educational thread experience for those that paint over metal or are trying to anyway. Please be kind to members here if your passing on ones you've done. They won't last for **** unless you do the right things and use the right products.
First off. You can't just spray any paint over metal and expect it to stick. It won't. I know this through trial and error on my own frames and or just knowledge based through the years of painting in general.
Prepare your frame. Blast it. Dont just sand it rough. It doesn't work. A deeper and less fine blast than xmetal finish is important. Dismantling everything is imperative as well. I think we all know that. Breaking things down to the furthest point possible to get the best results. A Self Etching Primer prepares bare metal, titanium and or plastic surfaces to promote maximum adhesion and smoothness of the top coat. Any etch primer product is typically formulated to stop any sort of corrosion of your paint and is an essential step to achieve a professionally finished look and longevity for your substrate. Remember please and don't skip this step. I've repaired enough paint jobs done by members here charging clients for work. Its unprofessional and to me almost criminal. Anyway once you've prepared properly using these methods and products. Then its always best to skip those "Createx Colors". They are a manufacturer of water-based airbrush colours, custom paints. They dont works well at all for metal. Quite horribly actually. Createx colours have their uses for plastics and omatter pairs but not for metals. For the “do-it-yourself” garage painter, you’ve got options on the type of coatings you choose to paint your car, glasses or even just metal in general. Depending on what your end goal is, there are several things you can consider which will help you to make the decision on which way you go. I’ll describe what I’ve learned from my experience on using both types, and this can help you narrow down your decision.
To begin with, the difference between single stage paint and 2-part paint is exactly how it sounds. Single stage coatings are meant to be sprayed on after putting your substrate in primer or etch primer, and when you finish, you’re done. There’s no need to apply a clear coat layer, because the base coat was made with ingredients that give it a glossy finish.
2-part paints separate the color from the clear coat, giving the impression of a glassy finish that is much more visible than single stage paint. The base coat is applied after the primer stage, and it has a dull, matte look. It gives uniform colour coverage. A separate clear coat is applied at the last step, which gives a translucent layer that can be finished to a higher shine. For starters, beginners and DIY’ers, let’s talk about the advantages of single stage paint. The first is the most obvious, and that’s saving a chunk of time for your overall paint job. You can apply 2 good coats of single stage paint, and you’re done. That means a lot less time waiting in between coats for the paint to flash, which is normally 15 to 25 minutes. Cost wise, you’ll save a bundle of money by finishing with the colour coat. Adding a clear coat will cost you more but the look is impeccable, and you must have the skill to be able to lay on the clear coat in a way that it is uniform, and free of dust to give a nice finish. If you don’t have a professional paint booth, you’ll end up doing quite a bit of finish work on the clear coat, which involves wet sanding, buffing, and polishing. That’s an entire skill in and of itself. For the more experienced folks like myself and a couple other great members here, the single stage route loses my interest for a handful of reasons First, it’s hard to shoot. The last time I did a single stage metallic black paint job, I noticed right off the bat that the paint does not flow out of the gun and atomize like standard 2-stage base colors. It was frustrating. Second thing I noticed, it runs super easy. The consistency is not the same. That’s because it has the clear coat components built into the paint, which is much more prone to run. Runs suck and can turn a fun paint job into an annoying chore damnned quick. I'm rambling a bit now. Anyway I've hope this helps. Painting metal isnt just painting. It's an amazing experience and fun. Once you have a product you can pass onto your clients knowing itll last will make all the difference. So please don't just spray over metal and say its good. Trust me it's not. I'll be refinishing your xmetals or someone else will. Like Zach.
Last thing I'll say. If you want to do less prep and just spray things quickly to move on. Use cerakote. Less prep, less work and a more lasting finish but it doesn't look anything like this.
I know most are just black in these pics but there are so many other possibilities.. as long as your doing it right.. 
First off. You can't just spray any paint over metal and expect it to stick. It won't. I know this through trial and error on my own frames and or just knowledge based through the years of painting in general.
Prepare your frame. Blast it. Dont just sand it rough. It doesn't work. A deeper and less fine blast than xmetal finish is important. Dismantling everything is imperative as well. I think we all know that. Breaking things down to the furthest point possible to get the best results. A Self Etching Primer prepares bare metal, titanium and or plastic surfaces to promote maximum adhesion and smoothness of the top coat. Any etch primer product is typically formulated to stop any sort of corrosion of your paint and is an essential step to achieve a professionally finished look and longevity for your substrate. Remember please and don't skip this step. I've repaired enough paint jobs done by members here charging clients for work. Its unprofessional and to me almost criminal. Anyway once you've prepared properly using these methods and products. Then its always best to skip those "Createx Colors". They are a manufacturer of water-based airbrush colours, custom paints. They dont works well at all for metal. Quite horribly actually. Createx colours have their uses for plastics and omatter pairs but not for metals. For the “do-it-yourself” garage painter, you’ve got options on the type of coatings you choose to paint your car, glasses or even just metal in general. Depending on what your end goal is, there are several things you can consider which will help you to make the decision on which way you go. I’ll describe what I’ve learned from my experience on using both types, and this can help you narrow down your decision.
To begin with, the difference between single stage paint and 2-part paint is exactly how it sounds. Single stage coatings are meant to be sprayed on after putting your substrate in primer or etch primer, and when you finish, you’re done. There’s no need to apply a clear coat layer, because the base coat was made with ingredients that give it a glossy finish.
2-part paints separate the color from the clear coat, giving the impression of a glassy finish that is much more visible than single stage paint. The base coat is applied after the primer stage, and it has a dull, matte look. It gives uniform colour coverage. A separate clear coat is applied at the last step, which gives a translucent layer that can be finished to a higher shine. For starters, beginners and DIY’ers, let’s talk about the advantages of single stage paint. The first is the most obvious, and that’s saving a chunk of time for your overall paint job. You can apply 2 good coats of single stage paint, and you’re done. That means a lot less time waiting in between coats for the paint to flash, which is normally 15 to 25 minutes. Cost wise, you’ll save a bundle of money by finishing with the colour coat. Adding a clear coat will cost you more but the look is impeccable, and you must have the skill to be able to lay on the clear coat in a way that it is uniform, and free of dust to give a nice finish. If you don’t have a professional paint booth, you’ll end up doing quite a bit of finish work on the clear coat, which involves wet sanding, buffing, and polishing. That’s an entire skill in and of itself. For the more experienced folks like myself and a couple other great members here, the single stage route loses my interest for a handful of reasons First, it’s hard to shoot. The last time I did a single stage metallic black paint job, I noticed right off the bat that the paint does not flow out of the gun and atomize like standard 2-stage base colors. It was frustrating. Second thing I noticed, it runs super easy. The consistency is not the same. That’s because it has the clear coat components built into the paint, which is much more prone to run. Runs suck and can turn a fun paint job into an annoying chore damnned quick. I'm rambling a bit now. Anyway I've hope this helps. Painting metal isnt just painting. It's an amazing experience and fun. Once you have a product you can pass onto your clients knowing itll last will make all the difference. So please don't just spray over metal and say its good. Trust me it's not. I'll be refinishing your xmetals or someone else will. Like Zach.
Last thing I'll say. If you want to do less prep and just spray things quickly to move on. Use cerakote. Less prep, less work and a more lasting finish but it doesn't look anything like this.
I know most are just black in these pics but there are so many other possibilities.. as long as your doing it right..
