Prepping for paint job...

[Ragingrob]

Hey guys,

My bike is a bit rough round the edges and I'm thinking of getting it painted up nicely which would be great :rockon:.

But first things first I would need to prep the fairings, there are a decent number of scratches and maybe two smallish cracks. I don't wanna pay 600 for a whole new set so I'm just wondering whether anyone can give me advice/help/point me in the right direction in terms of sanding it back and smoothing it all out and anything else needed for a prep job?

Cheers, Rob.:yawn:

[necrolyte]

I just did my steel tank not long ago, i'm guessing plastic can be done in a similar fashion. Fill with good quaility filler so it protrudes above the rest of the surface, then sand, sand, sand, sand and sand some more using less and less corse sandpaper each time.
The finished result should be a nice smooth surface with a line of filler showing where the cracks and scratches were.

[Ragingrob]

Ok that doesn't sound too bad, as long as I can find a filler which is fine on plastic. Is the any way to fix the cracks where it's come apart, plastic welding? Or just try and find a fairing on trademe or so?

[skidMark]

ull have to get it plastic welded, plastic weldings cheap anyways.

well free to me but hey.:banana::girlfight:

[Drum]

Supercheap sells a great product called "spray putty". It is a spray on acrylic bog and it leaves a very smooth finish when sanded. It is best used over normal body filler, small scratches etc to get a perfect finish. It's no good for filling dents etc. Costs $10 to $13 a can.

[badassbandit]

If you have quite a bit of dodgy parts on your fairings id suggest getting into the yellow pages and find a plastic welder near you.I had a heap of work done recently and they do a bloody good job and it still turns out cheaper that buying new parts or the right tools to get them spick and spand.

[R6_kid]

Plastic welding is generally affordable even for decent sized jobs, and a good welder will be able to give you surface which will allow a 'like new' paint job (assuming its prepped right and painted properly).

Paint prep - lots of sanding, and get that shit wet as it'll show you how the paint will sit. Use serious 'flexible' type bog/filler for decent scratches (i.e gouges) the rest you can generally sort with 'sprayable filler', which i think also acts as a primer?

If you decide to paint it yourself do a quick base run with some $4 cans to check that your prep work is up to scratch. (ok bad pun) Then sand it back again ready to prime/paint once you've sorted any inconsistincy or unfilled scratches. And last but not least TAKE YOUR TIME!

Oh, and don't for get to prep heaps... you'll probably spend ten times as long on prep as you would on painting it, maybe even more if you want a really nice finish.

[Squiggles]

lemme see it first! :laugh: just text to say that you're on ya way before you leave home! :mobile:

[Ragingrob]

lemme see it first! :laugh: just text to say that you're on ya way before you leave home! :mobile:

Haha I swear we are busy and free on opposite times of the world! Um not sure what I'm doing this weekend but are you free? I'll try make it in, haven't had time for a ride for so long but I've conveniently quit my job :headbang:, well convenient in some ways haha.

So yeah tell me if you're free this weekend sometime and I'll boost on in!