Quote:
Originally Posted by howdydee2003
very nice... except for that drop :( .... but may i ask what complete steps did u do to repaint it? i am wanting to actually paint mine the same color, but slap some decals on after. any info would be great, like what to get all the paint off and what paint i should use. thanks!
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First, I did NOT paint this with conventional paints, where you have to mix and thin out the paint, and dillute some more here and there, and filter it all, and what not. I went with a premixed paint. What I used is Duplicolor (Jet Black) automotive paint, with a metal flake layer before the clear coat. Duplicolor is the cheap spray paint brand that every store has, but they actually have a fairly decent lineup of premixed (Thus faster and easier to use) auto paints that they sell at advanced auto parts stores. Here's a basic rundown of the steps I used, and ingredients..more or less...
-----------What you will need------------
1. Paint sprayer (Gun, automotive type preferred)
2. Air compressor (10 gallon capacity or more for painting large areas at one time), need to have at least a constant 40-50 psi for painting, I like to use 45psi..but it all depends on the gun.
3. Drop cloth, protective paint clothing
4. Face Masks and/or Respirators
5. Primer, Base paint, clear coat (Minimum..can use specialty layers between)
6. Paint FILTERS
7. Air/Water filter/seperator recommended for air compressor.
8. 1500 and 2000 grit WET sandpaper
9. 3M
Polishing compound (Scratch remover)
10. Machine buffer, or random orbit buffer (2k rpm or below) recommended
11. Tack cloth (Lots of it)
12. Somewhere to paint thats clean, and sealed, I recommend tarping off everything to create a bubble to paint inside of. Seall off everything, including the floor and ceiling with drop cloth and seal the seams to avoid getting any dust and/or small bugs on your wet paint.
--------Before painting-----------
1. Remove the paint from any metal parts (aka gas tank) with a chemical paint stripper...Tal-Strip made by Mar-Hyde is one example of what you will need.
2. Remove any old paint from any plastic/fiberglass parts by wetsanding. Use at least an 800 grit paper and finish with at least a 1500.
3. Clean everything again (use tackcloth), rinse, and dry.
-----------painting--------------
The most important step is to wetsand and clean every piece between every layer of paint. Otherwise you will end up with a huge amount of Orange Peel (Rough bumpy surface that will not shine and will take a ton of sanding to make smooth) when you are finished painting.
1. Primer
After cleaning the pieces strain the paint and you put it in the spray guns canister, set your presssure level correctly for the gun your using, and begin to spray the primer. I usually do two coats of primer, but you may be ok doing one if it is well done. Make sure to take your time and avoid any sags or drips in the paint by maintaining a consistent distance from the parts you paint, and do not apply too much paint at one time. It is always better to take more time and paint less each time, than to paint to much at once and end up having to redo the whole project due to drips and runs in the paint. This applys to every step.
2. Let dry, Wetsand, clean, and dry, and go over with the tackcloth again.
3. Spray your Base Coat (Strain and filter before putting into gun, for every paint you use, unless its a specialty paint that notes otherwise)
4. Let dry, wetsand, clean, and dry
5. Apply any specialty coats (Metal Flake, candy coats, pearl coats, etc) Follow directions posted on their instructions very closely. (I used duplicolors "Metallic Clear")
6. Apply clear coat, at least 2-3 coats
7. Let dry, wetsand, clean again lightly with tackclotch, and dry
---------Finishing after the last layer of paint-----
Once wetsanded after the final clear coat you will have a horrible looking paint job. It will be dull and barely resemble what you expect your final product to be. The darker the color, the worse it will look. This is because wetsand causes microscopic abrasions and scratches in your paint. To finish you will need to remove these, and polish out the final layer of your clear coat. To do this...
1. Apply the
polishing compound/scratch remover (Make sure its NOT a
buffing compound) to your fresh paint and a little to the buffer and spread it around a small area....one or two square feet at a time.
2. Let it dry slightly to a haze...say 30 seconds to a minute...and begin to buff it.
3. Keep buffing that area making sure to move around constantly and avoid staying in one area too long. You should begin to see a shine appear.
4. Once your done buffing you should notice a huge improvement in color and shine. If not something may be wrong. Check to make sure the paint is smooth, and if not, wet sand that area, then rebuff it.
5. Go over the final product with a soft cotton diaper or similar clotch that is woven and hand buff any areas you could not reach with the machine buffer.
6. You are done. Personally I would avoid washing the bike immeadiately, and would not recommend waxing or washing for at least a couple of weeks to a month. This can be debated. You will however need to let the bike sit outside in the sun for a few hours each day to help the paint harden properly. Once this is done it should be safer to wash and wax, however the risk is all yours. I would recommend letting the bike sit outside a full day, and progressively less and less. Better safe than sorry.
Now this may seem like a huge list, and it may overwhelm you, but its really not that hard if you have all the proper tools. Its mainly just a couple of steps that you repeat a few times, and then your done...that and I'm OCD so this list is probably way to thorough. Enjoy!
99' Restoration Progress
