Pesky plastic pannier painting problems..

[wordsmith]

PAINTING PANNIER LIDS… or rather, NOT…

I give up! And I can fully understand why Forum member stevesweetz had problems with paint not adhering to his pannier lids, as the surface finish on these lids is very peculiar. It feels quite smooth to the touch, yet there is a definite albeit very slightly different ‘feel’ and finish to it compared to adjacent surfaces, such as the area around the lock, which is definitely glass-smooth.
 
Upshot of this is that when using a cloth, sponge, chammy, paper towel, whatever, of any kind of material to clean and prepare the lid for painting – such as using the ESP (Easy Surface Prep liquid product) I’ve mentioned here – it ‘grabs’ almost as if the surface is a kind-of micro-Velcro.
 
Tiny bits of the cloth or whatever’s being used are left clinging to the pannier lid. Getting them off is a chore – finally I used a household dusting brush to sweep them away when dry, and removed the fragments that way.
 
Getting self-adhesive badges and decals to stick satisfactorily is also a problem. I reckon the plastic used must be some kind of leftover from a Stealth fighter’s skin!   I must add here that I had no such issues on my last set of panniers about a year ago.  
 
Any ideas, folks?
 
 

[norcal616]

sand the surfaces then apply primer?

[duhs10]

Use a vinyl wrap instead of paint.

[wordsmith]

sand the surfaces then apply primer?

I've more or less done that - used some very fine steel wool soaked in the ESP stuff, as recommended on the can, gave it a decent and thorough rub-down all over, waited five minutes, then wiped it dry.   I've now got a test patch on the indent for the reflector on one pannier (which will be covered with a reflector in due course) to see what happens next!

[wordsmith]

Use a vinyl wrap instead of paint.

Unfortunately vinyl wrap is neither widely available here, nor affordable.   Most applications seem to be for very large jobs such as on trucks, large power-boats, and the like.   I imagine a pair of tiny pannier lids would be beneath their dignity to work on - but thanks anyway.

[builderbob]

You need an adhesion promoter. Here in the states there is a product called BullDog that works well. Comes in an aerosol can. Follow the directions for good results.

[duhs10]

Use a vinyl wrap instead of paint.

Unfortunately vinyl wrap is neither widely available here, nor affordable.   Most applications seem to be for very large jobs such as on trucks, large power-boats, and the like.   I imagine a pair of tiny pannier lids would be beneath their dignity to work on - but thanks anyway.

 
You can buy small pieces of vinylwrap off Amazon.com such as this...
 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00L9J4JRG/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1498311019&sr=8-8&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=vinyl+wrap&dpPl=1&dpID=41LyOY6RLxL&ref=plSrch
 
I used to to make my own tank protector for my magnetic tank bag. I know you aren't in the states, but I didn't know you couldn't order stuff off Amazon.com.

[wordsmith]

You need an adhesion promoter. Here in the states there is a product called BullDog that works well. Comes in an aerosol can. Follow the directions for good results.

Thanks.   I'm using a product that's no doubt similar, if not identical, ESP = Easy Surface Prep.   It claims that it will make paint adhere to pretty much any surface, including glass and tiles!    
The 'test-patch' I did yesterday, though admittedly only the size of a large postage stamp, appears fine: I stuck a piece of masking tape on top of it after it had dried, and it stuck pretty well and did not lift the underlying paint when I peeled it off - gently.   I hope I can get the masking-tape to stick as needed to the ESP'd areas so I can blank-off part of the lids, otherwise I'll paint the entire lid.   Stay tuned for shrieks of delight/ dismay...

[BBB]

Do the panier lids have a plastic code on them anywhere on the inside, like PP or HDPE? That would help to identify the best surface prep route. Some plastics are naturally "oily" at the surface and this plays havoc with paint adhesion, but makes them flexible and resilient so they resist cracking under a limited range of movement.

[BBB]

Double post: router glitch 

[wordsmith]

Do the panier lids have a plastic code on them anywhere on the inside, like PP or HDPE? That would help to identify the best surface prep route. Some plastics are naturally "oily" at the surface and this plays havoc with paint adhesion, but makes them flexible and resilient so they resist cracking under a limited range of movement.

Moulded on the inside of the lid is <ABS>, which I guess refers to the material.   The outer surface must be 'oily' (although not to the touch) - or at least chemically/ physically unfriendly towards anything that wants to stick without some form of preparation such as I have now done with the ESP product, which from the small test-patch look promising..   Even some decals/ sticky tape, etc., refuse to adhere on the pre-ESP lid, but hopefully will after painting, which is scheduled for tomorrow...

[koth442]

ABS is a very common plastic, used to make everything from car bumpers to lego's.

[BBB]

I won't bore you with the polymer name but it's common as it's cheap, flexible and can be injection moulded easily. Filler-primer sprays should work, like Duplicolor.
 
https://duplicolor.com/product/filler-primer

[wordsmith]

I won't bore you with the polymer name but it's common as it's cheap, flexible and can be injection moulded easily. Filler-primer sprays should work, like Duplicolor. 
https://duplicolor.com/product/filler-primer

Under way - in fact about 75% completed as of a few minutes ago.   I used the primer made by the same manufacturer as the paint, figuring it would be 100% compatible.   Just need one more grey (gray) topcoat, then the gloss clear coat and touch wood all done.   Thus far looking OK, albeit still fully newspaper-wrapped - see pic below.

[wordsmith]

Part 1 of the painting job is now done - a top-coat of clear gloss finishing it off.   What remains to be done now is to apply a very fine silver tape around the edges of the painted sections, and then add decals, reflective patches, Yamaha badges.   I'm quite pleased with the result so far, both in terms of the acceptable colour match - as close as I'll get with an off-the-shelf paint I reckon - and with the nice smooth unblemished glossy look.