Vht Wrinkle Plus - Doing It Right!

[Ants]

Hi everyone,

Having noticed some members having trouble with this paint application, I thought I would show you guys how to get that nice wrinkle finish paint look without spending an arm or a leg or paying someone else to do it!

First up we are going to need the following key tools and chemicals:

1. some paint stripper

how much is up to you but always good to get more - this is $50 (4Ltr) worth of paint stripper sourced from AutoBarn (price varies amongst size)

2. some prep wash / grease remover - cost is approx $12

I SWEAR BY THIS!!! and is a must have to ensure that all dirt and grease is removed on object before painting (also good at taking tar off your guards)

3. the paint

VHT wrinkle plus - BLACK wrinkle finish spray paint can - you can get this from your local Autobarn store $18-$25 per can

4. a heat gun

although not obligatory I find that using a heat gun you get the best wrinkle finish - if you don't have one get one or borrow one, it really pays dividends with the end result

5. some masking tape

essential to tape off all the bits that you don't want paint to get to

additional things to have are lots of paper towels

OK, so now we need an object - I thought I would start with this....

RB26 timing cover - which is a pretty good example for this tutorial IMO note - this is not from my Tomei engine and was from my old engine )

After applying several coats of paint stripper and rinsing it now looks like this (no sanding required)

This was the longest part of the job but necessary

then apply some prep wash with some paper towels on the object to ensure its all free from dirt, dust, grease etc....

next up, tape everything you don't want paint to get on

I thought I would go a step further today (the red over spray is from me previously painting this in red wrinkle finish - the things I do these days )

and also detail the RB26 logo

now we are ready to paint

rigorously shake the VHT spray can (for a good minute), the after that

this step very is important - apply a thick coat in crosspatch pattern as follows:

1st Coat - Horizontally

2nd Coat - Vertically

3rd Coat - Diagonally

to start off with it will look glossy like above, but don't stress

this is another important key step - make sure you plug the heat gun and pre-heat it - so when you have applied the paint it is ready to go

I initially set it at 220deg C but this will depend on the current temperature at the time and being winter here in sunny Qld I actually had to set it to 250deg today to get the paint to wrinkle (but must me above 200deg c regardless)

now continuously put the heat gun (very close) around the object until you see the paint starting to wrinkle (this will take some time until you see this happening as the paint needs to set (kind of hardened) but just be patient)

after you have wrinkled the paint it should look like above - but do not stop using your heat gun and still heat the object at 200deg for a good 5-10mins. This process will partly-cure the paint

here you can see the wrinkle finish - there is a little bit of over-spray but it gives it some character

next gently take off the masking tape around the RB26 logo

you can wipe and clean off the paint with some prep wash on the RB26 logo

and there it is - another job done

This paint take a real long time to dry and get really hard - so make sure you keep it under shelter in a dry place and away from humidity

I did all this today (took a few hours) - and just like everything else, the key to success is preparation, having the right tools and having some positive determination

Hope this sheds some light to everyone applying this type of paint

cheers,

Ants

Edited June 8, 2013 by Ants

[ARTZ]

first of all you ahve a heat gun with temperature settings fancy basterd...lol

looks pretty schmick mate...have done this to my cam cover and plug cover it can be a pain to get it right...

in the end i settle for good enough..flat surfaces arent too bad but curvy ones are tricky..

another tip if you want, with raised lettering another way to do it is to simply spray it then get a sanding block afterwards and just sand the lettering...well thats how I usually do it anyway ..

looks good

[Kane_R32]

Durable? I've been wanting to re-do my cam covers, and was wondering will it "chip" when working around the motor (plug change etc)

Looks good.

[RB2600]

Haha "Having noticed some members having trouble with this paint application"

I am definitely a victim of this!

Beautiful execution mate, funnily I've actually found the opposite to work well for me for some reason.

I've done light coats on the lower timing cover and have had what I think to be better results.

I find that I can better limit the amount of over spray.

And you're right, heat guns are essential, hairdryers simply don't cut it..especially in the current cold Melbourne weather.

[ARTZ]

yeah the problem is as you can see in his pics, the flat surface will be ok but thickness on the sides tends to drag it down and leave you with small ripples like this below..it drove me nuts a few times then i went bugger it she'll be right and left it...nobody notices once its on the car

another trick i was told if painting metal is to actually get the metal hot before application as well..I left mine sit on front of a heater for a while...

Durable? I've been wanting to re-do my cam covers, and was wondering will it "chip" when working around the motor (plug change etc)

Looks good.

yeah its tough a guts mate...I've hit mine a few times and it doesn't scratch easily...

[Ants]

first of all you ahve a heat gun with temperature settings fancy basterd...lol

looks pretty schmick mate...have done this to my cam cover and plug cover it can be a pain to get it right...

in the end i settle for good enough..flat surfaces arent too bad but curvy ones are tricky..

another tip if you want, with raised lettering another way to do it is to simply spray it then get a sanding block afterwards and just sand the lettering...well thats how I usually do it anyway ..

looks good

A praise from the the almighty Artz. thanks mate. It is tricky on concave objects but not impossible (see below)

Durable? I've been wanting to re-do my cam covers, and was wondering will it "chip" when working around the motor (plug change etc)

Looks good.

yes very tough and great quality - but only if done correctly i.e. follow steps mentioned above

Haha "Having noticed some members having trouble with this paint application"

I am definitely a victim of this!

Beautiful execution mate, funnily I've actually found the opposite to work well for me for some reason.

I've done light coats on the lower timing cover and have had what I think to be better results.

I find that I can better limit the amount of over spray.

And you're right, heat guns are essential, hairdryers simply don't cut it..especially in the current cold Melbourne weather.

I wasn't single-ling you mate but merely something I was wanting to post for quiet some time. I am pleased to hear that you have found another method that works for you.

yeah the problem is as you can see in his pics, the flat surface will be ok but thickness on the sides tends to drag it down and leave you with small ripples like this below..it drove me nuts a few times then i went bugger it she'll be right and left it...nobody notices once its on the car

another trick i was told if painting metal is to actually get the metal hot before application as well..I left mine sit on front of a heater for a while...

although Artz is accurate by saying flat surfaces are easier than side surfaces it is not impossible.

A few months ago I painted my Nismo plenum in black VHT Wrinkle Plus paint and it was simply a matter of following steps mentioned above but doing top side first and then doing the bottom afterwords

no sagging here

picture of the Nismo plenum with Tomei Advance Spec Engine

cheers,

Ants

Edited June 8, 2013 by Ants

[France]

Wow top work mate, love the way the nismo plenum turned out

[ARTZ]

A praise from the the almighty Artz. thanks mate. It is tricky on concave objects but not impossible (see below)

lol...you're doing a much better job than me man....

[RB2600]

I wasn't single-ling you mate but merely something I was wanting to post for quiet some time. I am pleased to hear that you have found another method that works for you.

Sorry, I did not mean to sound like I was whinging, just realised that it could have sounded that way over the internet.

I suppose everyone's definition of "thick coat" is different which is where it makes it difficult to judge how much to spray.

Btw if you don't mind me asking, what is that bracket that sits behind the oil pump for? (gold one on the very bottom) I dont quite remember mine having something like that

Edited June 8, 2013 by RB2600

[jays r33 gtr]

Has anyone tried this on their break calipers?? or do they get to hot to even both i know its only rated to 350 degree or something like that..

car wont be used for track work or anything either i think it would be a nice finish on them

any advice would be good

[Ants]

Sorry, I did not mean to sound like I was whinging, just realised that it could have sounded that way over the internet.

I suppose everyone's definition of "thick coat" is different which is where it makes it difficult to judge how much to spray.

Btw if you don't mind me asking, what is that bracket that sits behind the oil pump for? (gold one on the very bottom) I dont quite remember mine having something like that

I'm not sure mate what that bracket is. Could be a mount for the engine stand / crate box. I will ask my mech.

Has anyone tried this on their break calipers?? or do they get to hot to even both i know its only rated to 350 degree or something like that..

car wont be used for track work or anything either i think it would be a nice finish on them

any advice would be good

It can be applied to brake calipers as well. But this type of paint is only rated up to 117deg c (not 350 as that is in fahrenheit)

So the problem is that the paint would most likely flake away after some time as brakes generally get hotter than 117deg.

I would recommend painting it with higher temp paint I instead to make the effort worth while.

Edited June 19, 2013 by Ants

[jays r33 gtr]

cheers thanks for that saves me wasting my time trying

[phooey]

Hi guys, while looking for some advice on wrinkle paint I came across your forum and in particular this post.

I have been trying to wrinkle paint my motorcycle exhaust silencers but so far I have only managed to get crappy patchy results. Some parts wrinkle nicely while others are flat. The main difference that I am doing from the advice here is I use no heat. I don't have a heat gun and because I live in England the temp is even colder than it is with you guys.

Could I carefully fit the silencers back on the bike while the paint is still wet and run the engine to cure the paint by heating from the inside out?

Would appreciate your help.

[junkie]

I've used it once and found that a thicker application will give you proper wrinkles. If you apply it like you would normal paint or primer, it will turn out flat. Don't remember the exact instructions but I think the second coat is meant to be quite thick

[WantGTR]

Might just go ahead and polish my covers if it looks like that with just paint stripper!

[Hadouken]

yeh they come up real nice with paint stripper.

And agreed, thick coats is where its at.

[phooey]

Anyone has any thoughts about using the engine to cure them. That is run the bike with the cans on?

Please.

[WantGTR]

how? too much shit in the way. the finish would would turn out crap.

OPs post is pretty much the best way to do it.

[Shoota_77]

Doesn't matter what the ambient temperature is! That's what the heat gun is for...

Spray, heat evenly for a few minutes, spray, heat evenly for a few minutes, spray and then heat till it wrinkles up beautifully. Done.

That's all there is to it. Keep your paint thickness and heating method consistent and you'll pull off a nice finish every time. Too much paint (runs mainly) and you start getting getting inconsistencies in your wrinkles. Just a nice even coat each time and it'll come up nice.

[GTRPSI]

Ive done my sons S2000 cam cover a few times in winkle finish, same results as above with the odd run down the side as per above.

My way is a little different, i preheat the gas barbecue (with lid) and place the item inside it to heat the paint.

Looking back your way may have been simpler.......might test it next time i do it.