Guys this is PRE FINAL update, big sorry for the wait, we were supposed to post on Sunday but had to wait for more paint samples until today so I could give you full status.
By thursday last week we have completed all the lids, we had some troubles as almost every single aluminum lid that we have ordered was either 1mm or 2mm too big - it was kind of expected by us and was caused by the cutting margin of ±2mm tolerance. We had to manually recut all the decks in order to properly fit them. The good thing is the end result is really really good now. All the lids are tight fitted across the hole length of the lid.
For those who were worried about painting aluminum, all the lids were heavily sanded and we have found awesome resin base coat that was applied first, after it cured we have painted it with black matte polyurethane paint. It all looks great and keeps the paint well.
We have received our last batch of piston hinges. We had, drilled all holes in the lids, and have applied new Black Dimond Grip tape.
After the lids were finished we started testing out those paint options I’ve mentioned earlier. I had super high hopes for that scratch proof paint as it is really jaw dropping in terms of durability !!! You can hit it with a rock, knife or you can poke it with hard nail and it is 100% bullet proof. That durable paint that we have found is similar alternative to LINE X brand. Just watch those videos guys:
As you can see this paint is just nuts. But there is one major flaw, it has some sort of TEXTURE to it that looks like this:
At best even after we have applied 10% paint thinner to it, and used different air pressure the texture is still there and looks more like the texture above on the right. I really wanted to love this paint as this would something totally new ESK8T but I can’t get rid of the feeling that it looks still like a cheap plastic. However I think that someone should contact CARVON Jerry - as this is the right solution for his HUB MOTORS. His powder base black paint starts to chip after a few rides but this thing will protect his cans greatly !!
At the end we went with one more test but with a line of paints used for YACHTS industry and damn !! We have found the right paint. It looks beautiful and will be durable !! See some samples below. We have order a 3-PACK that consists of :
- POLlYESTER FILLER this is a base coat, that goes over the carbon fiber, and creates smooth surface for painting.
- EPOXY-POLIURETHANE black matte paint
- POLIURETHANE CLEAR COAT for Yachts.
This is our final decision for paint. However I want to hear your opinion on that bulletproof paint. Maybe I am just biased. Maybe you guys like it ??? Just let me know.
Guys I know I am behind the schedule, as I promised the decks should be all ready by now. The paint that we have ordered will be in stock in about two weeks from now. I am sorry about that but I hope you do understand. Meanwhile while we are waiting for the paint we need to have our air compressor serviced as it is constantly jamming recently so that’s a good thing as it will be fully ready when the paint arrives. We are 80% done and this project is coming to an end.
LIDS heavily sanded and prepped for painting - they used to shine like mirrors before that.
NEW BLACK DIMOND GRIPTAPE
YACHTS PAINT TEST - THE PAINT IS DRYING UP
FINAL RESULT IS PERFECT - PURE DEEP BLACK MATTE EFFECT - the image is before the clear coat
