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+--- Thread: Stove Enamel (/showthread.php?tid=5231)
Stove Enamel - Parazine - 11-11-2020
Decided today to have a look at he number plates for the Top Hat, thinking they would be easy to refit. I'm probably avoiding re-glazing that windscreen as well......
As always, more work was needed, including altering the length of the steel mounting strip for the rear plate. I also needed to strip the paint applied to both during the 1980's "cosmetic rebuild" as it was flaking and generally in a poor state. Underneath, where the number plate has protected it is an example of original 1920's finish, which I assume is "Stove Enamel".
This stuff is rock hard, heatproof, (tried to heat it with a heat gun and burn it off with a blowtorch to no avail) and resistant to cellulose thinners. It's very thin with no undercoat at all, straight onto the steel.
I always thought that "Stove Enamel" was merely cellulose that was applied then baked on but this stuff seems to be more than that.
Anyone know what it is, how it was applied and why it is no longer used? The finish is familiar, as a kid in the 1960's one came across old "stuff" with a similar finish but not now. Were there some nasty chemicals used in the production or painting process?
RE: Stove Enamel - Andy Bennett - 12-11-2020
Didn't the ship industry amongst others use asbestos in paint for extra resilience, heat resistance etc?
Worse than lead in kid's toy paints.
Just don't breath it in as you never know.
Andy B
RE: Stove Enamel - Bruce Nicholls - 12-11-2020
In the 70's rebuild of my RP I had the chassis, front axle and radius arms stove enamelled. This is still in good condition in contrast to modern powder coating which in my experience peels off as a sheet of plastic when its surface gets broken and local corrosion starts. Not got a clue what it is though or even if it is still available.
RE: Stove Enamel - Tony Griffiths - 12-11-2020
In my experience of motorcycle restoration, nothing beats stove enameling for durability. I had a bike pass through my hands that had been rebuilt some fifty years earlier; it was worn out mechanically but still with a perfect finish on frame and tank. http://www.unimetenamellers.co.uk/stove_enamelling.htm
RE: Stove Enamel - David.H - 12-11-2020
Might a problem be with the high temperatures involved?