Touch up paint for guards?
 

So...anyone know what the engine guards etc are made of? Are they susceptible to corrosion? If yes, I figure it would be worth touching up dings and scuffs but I don't know if there is a recommended paint for such purpose. The other bike in the house has steel guards and is also in need of some touch up work. Thanks in advance for the recommendations!

I'm sure the engine/luggage guards are manufactured from steel, and they definitely will be susceptible to corrosion, especially if scratched or dented. ;)

Any paint is better than no paint. ;) Rustoleum paint is a good choice. :)

http://www.rustoleum.com/en/product-...e-enamel-spray

However, others undoubtedly have a favorite spray paint for steel which might be even better. :)

I think I have some old black rustoleum in the garage...Will have to see what others chime in with.

If it's a small scrape, I'd brush touch it up with some paint....if you have spray paint, spray some onto an old lid or something to make a puddle, then dip a brush in it to touch up the scrape...

Rustoleum is good paint, and since you already have some, there's no need to buy anything else.

I agree with Huck. If the scrape is small, dab it with a brush. If the area needing paint is larger, and you want a smoother finish, remove the guard and spray paint it. :)

I've had good luck with dollar store foam brushes for such touch-ups.

If a magnet sticks to the metal, chances are that it is steel. There are two varieties of stainless steel that attract a magnet, but they're not common.

Trust me, they are steel, and they are heavy. ;) The engine guards are one inch in diameter.

I intend to strip, my guards, stands, and brackets, then prime and repaint with Rustoleum. It's a good product that looks decent and is available everywhere. Such parts on adventure bikes ALWAYS need paint.

If you want a flat finish that is tougher than most and super easy to touch up get some John Deere flat black. It isn't cheap, but it is a much better product than other matte or flat paints.

That's a great tip, and that's the kind of lesser known information I suspected a lot of people would contribute to this thread. :tup:

I had never heard of specific John Deere paint so I did a quick Google. Looks like JD paint is made by Valspar paints.


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Qwerty, thanks for that tip. Turns out my rust oleum is white :P so since I need to buy paint I might well go looking for the flat black. Also the scrape is small so will go with a brush touch up :). The husband's guards have rust and scrapes. I'm guessing this means we should take them off the bike, sand, prime and repaint where needed? The bike was preowned and came with the guards in place with scratches and all ;)

:clap: http://www.instructables.com/id/do-i...lf-foam-brush/
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DIY is saving time & $ from store shopping. For example: I fixed the diaphragm of http://www.thomasdudley.co.uk/bathro...lo-syphon.html by cutting washing detergent refill to similar shape as stock.

Good tips, especially the detergent bottle.

I like the dollar store foam brushes, because they come in a bag of varied sizes, and each size is handy to have around. I'd rather just buy them, since the cost is so low. I'll spend that time fixing something else.