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badmofo
19th October 2006, 13:56
Anyone got any good advice on painting a bike? I've got a shitty looking CB250RS and lots of spare time so I thought I might pull her apart and give her a paint job. I know absolutely nothing about painting a bike so any help would be appreciated i.e. do I need to get a compressor or can you get a good finish with aerosols? What's the best techniques to get a nice glossy finish? I don't mind if I mess it up at first cos I've got plenty of time to improve. The engine's painted and I'd rather it wasn't, is there any way of removing all the old engine paint?
All advice is good advice.
Thanks

Steam
19th October 2006, 14:00
A coat of matt black BBQ paint all over everything will give you the meanest looking CB in town, a stealth-rat. Shiny is so 90's.
I think these pictures are CB's.

ManDownUnder
19th October 2006, 14:37
A coat of matt black BBQ paint all over everything will give you the meanest looking CB in town, a stealth-rat. Shiny is so 90's.
I think these pictures are CB's.

Na mate... naaaaaa... that's just not right

degrom
19th October 2006, 14:47
Hi...

Start with this one...
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=35977

there are a few tips for you....

degrom
19th October 2006, 15:15
Anyone got any good advice on painting a bike? I've got a shitty looking CB250RS and lots of spare time so I thought I might pull her apart and give her a paint job. I know absolutely nothing about painting a bike so any help would be appreciated i.e. do I need to get a compressor or can you get a good finish with aerosols? What's the best techniques to get a nice glossy finish? I don't mind if I mess it up at first cos I've got plenty of time to improve. The engine's painted and I'd rather it wasn't, is there any way of removing all the old engine paint?
All advice is good advice.
Thanks

Aerosols is an easy way to start. One tip... $2 Aerosol can's deliver $2 results...

I started with the expensive aerosols and had really good results. But they tend to be lots of money for a little amount of paint.

I bought my compressor from Bunnings and it works perfect for bikes. Try to get the Compressor with the most CFM you can get.

Spray gun you can look to start out with a gun like this... http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=73991336.
Relatively cheap but good for starting(The guy that sells it is also very friendly!!!). Take the 1.4mm needle for top/clear coat and 2.0mm for primer.

Paint is another issue. Let me know if you want more detail on that. Best to start talking with a person that sells paint.(One that knows their products)

Another thing... Prep 90% of time your time and work aria Temperature determines whether the paint come out good or need replacement.

badmofo
19th October 2006, 15:18
thanks dude, I already read that one though and it doesn't answer all my questions eg. should I use a compressor and paint gun or an airless spray unit or just aerosols?

badmofo
19th October 2006, 15:19
sweet, thanks.

crazefox
19th October 2006, 15:25
I can supply paint if you need some any colour you want

hellnback
19th October 2006, 15:26
A coat of matt black BBQ paint all over everything will give you the meanest looking CB in town, a stealth-rat. Shiny is so 90's.
I think these pictures are CB's.
Yeah baby, matt black all the way, don't forget to do your helmet!!

degrom
19th October 2006, 15:39
thanks dude, I already read that one though and it doesn't answer all my questions eg. should I use a compressor and paint gun or an airless spray unit or just aerosols?

Airless spray unit is not recommended... LOL

texmo
19th October 2006, 15:44
see this thread here (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=27207)

degrom
19th October 2006, 16:53
see this thread here (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=27207)

Nice.. How does it look now? (After a few months...:innocent: )

SimJen
19th October 2006, 19:15
Best results get a compressor and decent gun.
You can get a pretty good finish with aerosols though.
Some of the paints are damn lethal too, make sure you have a respirator too.
Use a good paint, prep well: ie clean,sand and prime, sand again (400+ grit), degrease, possibly a couple of coats of basecoat (maybe a colour-sand...if you really want the best)
Then clear coat x 2+. Leave to dry, wet sand with 1200+ grit wetndry (wet) to remove orange peel effect. Use a squeegie to remove water while sanding to check for flatness. Once flat (ie no orange peel), use a cutting compound on a polishing pad in a drill, care needs to be taken near the edges, then finally a nice soft polish with the polishing pad/drill to get the gloss up.
I've painted two bikes that both came up mint using the methods above. Just be careful with the sandpaper at the edges as its very easy to go through and wreck it, i've repainted a few bits....
Pretty easy, just a long process and one which is difficult to find info on.
The more time spent, then the better the final finish will be.

texmo
19th October 2006, 20:42
Nice.. How does it look now? (After a few months...:innocent: )

Really fucking good I saw it caining along then stoped at the lights the other day.

Posh Tourer :P
19th October 2006, 23:32
One thing to look out for on the CB250RS is that the side covers are plastic and the tank metal - takes different prepping and priming... But then lots of bikes are like that....

degrom
20th October 2006, 05:58
Best results get a compressor and decent gun.
You can get a pretty good finish with aerosols though.
Some of the paints are damn lethal too, make sure you have a respirator too.
Use a good paint, prep well: ie clean,sand and prime, sand again (400+ grit), degrease, possibly a couple of coats of basecoat (maybe a colour-sand...if you really want the best)
Then clear coat x 2+. Leave to dry, wet sand with 1200+ grit wetndry (wet) to remove orange peel effect. Use a squeegie to remove water while sanding to check for flatness. Once flat (ie no orange peel), use a cutting compound on a polishing pad in a drill, care needs to be taken near the edges, then finally a nice soft polish with the polishing pad/drill to get the gloss up.
I've painted two bikes that both came up mint using the methods above. Just be careful with the sandpaper at the edges as its very easy to go through and wreck it, i've repainted a few bits....
Pretty easy, just a long process and one which is difficult to find info on.
The more time spent, then the better the final finish will be.

They look pretty fine!!!

What paint did you use? Lacquer?

One suggestion... Save the Pearl paints for a second or a third try. My first try was with a medium based pearl and it's pretty confusing!!! I started painting in the afternoon and stopped later that night. In that time I was so confused with the color as it changed with the lighting.

SimJen
20th October 2006, 08:58
I used lacquer for the NSR and two pack epoxy for the VFR. Both as easy to apply etc as each other in my opinion.
The 2 pack seemed to dry better and give a better finish.

degrom
20th October 2006, 12:52
I used lacquer for the NSR and two pack epoxy for the VFR. Both as easy to apply etc as each other in my opinion.
The 2 pack seemed to dry better and give a better finish.

What kind of equipment do you need for the 2K stuff? Can you use a normal respirator for it or do you need a full air system to be save from the fumes?

crazefox
20th October 2006, 16:51
Mate you dont want to be spraying 2k in your garage its highly illegal

degrom
20th October 2006, 17:44
Mate you dont want to be spraying 2k in your garage its highly illegal

LOL... Thanks for telling me!!! Where do I get a book about what stuff is legal or not?

Do you use 2K? What makes it better?

Thanks anyway.

SimJen
20th October 2006, 20:40
I used a 3M type respirator with the screw on type filter specifically for paint fumes. I couldn't smell a thing.


Mate you dont want to be spraying 2k in your garage its highly illegal
Where does it say its illegal?
If you're painting a small bike, who the hell is going to know.....and to be honest its not really much worse than lacquer in terms of smell although both lacquer and 2k are dangerous to your nervous system with prolonged usage.
I saw a whitepaper from the states where they tested spraypainters blood on a friday night to see what effect the fumes etc were having. By monday the bad shit had gone, not sure what it does long term though. Although they were specifically checking to see if it actually altered the DNA but it didn't seem to.
Use a decent HVLP gun and the amount of overspray is halved over a standard gun (like the ones that come with cheap compressors).

crazefox
21st October 2006, 13:07
Yip i use 2k its good s**t but very dangerous i have seen a few painters get poisened using this so just be carefull

imdying
24th October 2006, 07:14
Yip i use 2k its good s**t but very dangerous i have seen a few painters get poisened using this so just be carefull

Listen to this man.... don't worry about the legality, worry about messing with the delicate balance living inside your lung/heart/brains/liver etc.