Spray Painting - Open Invitation

[NinjaNanna]

Hi Guys

Today I will be attempting the seemingly impossible :gob: !!!

Painting my bike with Candy Paint (3 step Process, base/candy/clear) and I have never used a spray gun before.

I am no artist and am only passibly handy in a general sense.

So if anybody wants to come along and see the process from a complete beginners point of view (who knows perhaps it will give you the confidence to try it yourself) then you are more than welcome :niceone:

Of course if there are experienced veterans out there that have nothing better to do than come and offer your advice then you are MORE THAN WELCOME TOO :msn-wink:!!!!!

I will be painting at:

Gencom Technology
7 Airborne Rd Albany.

Call me on 0211 904 281 if you feel the need.

Cheers
Shane
aka Ninja Nanna

PS BYO sense of humor as mine could quite possibly run out :shit:

[imdying]

Haahaha jumping in at the deep end! Spraying a candy on your first time out, that's hard out, and I salute you :yes:

[crazefox]

your keen man let us no how it goes

[NinjaNanna]

Well I'm almost finished - one more clear coat to go (3 on 1 left)

Am I happy with the finish? Well if I'm not too critical of myself I'd have to say - yes (seeing as its my first time) and the colour is absolutely AWESOME!!!!!

I think I have done a reasonable job on getting the Candy consistent (but I guess I won't know for sure until the things are dry and back on the bike in the daylight.

The one thing I am not happy with is the number of dust particles and fluff that found their way onto the surface during the process.

I am blown away with just how clean the area must need to be to get a professional finish.

Today I have only done the rear fairings as a bit of a training exercise. Next week I will do the tank and front fender (its a naked you see). Hopefully I can do a better job of the cleanliness factor specifically for the tank!

With what I have learnt today I suspect I may even have enough paint left over to re do the rear if I feel it would be worth it.

SO the question is - what have I learnt that can be of benefit to other first timers?

1. Give it a complete coat of primer! I used the spray putty/primer but when I rubbed it back I exposed areas of the original red and bare plastic. The base coat eventually covered this up but it sure makes for an expensive primer!

2. Thinners dissolve primer/putty. Don't ask!

3. The first coat NEEDS to be very light - subsequent coats can go on progressively thicker but be careful with the first one in particular.

4. Clear Coat/Hardener goes a very long way - further than the base and candies so you don't need to mix up extra to allow for the extra coats.

5. Buy a syringe for mixing up the quantities. This isn't really necessary for the accuracy but is mainly for ease. Pooring paint and thinners from the can is messy and wastes a lot .

6. Of course the biggest lesson is do it in a VERY CLEAN area.

Pics will follow later

So go on, paint your bike, you know you want to !!!!

Cheers

Shane

[DEMONICST8]

I would be really interested to see how you got on, I'm thinking of painting mine but im just not to sure, I'm a bit scared I will stuff it up.

[TOTO]

would it be cool if I came to see ? 021 878 404

[NinjaNanna]

Well all I can say is that I am now one disappointed little man.

Whilst I haven't put the fairings back on yet, I did get the chance to hold one against the bike, and I'm gutted the dust and lint that I spoke about really destroys the paint job.

Basically unless I can solve the cleanliness problem I'll be forced to give it to a professional spray painter. Dissapointing really as the spray work, while not perfect by any means was certainly acceptable to me.

Oh well, I guess I'll mull over the problem and see what cames to mind after a wine or two

[NinjaNanna]

few more pics

[TOTO]

The colour is very nice. Cant see much of the lint. Is it really notisable. Never done any stray paint jobs myself So I dont imagine I would do it better. From what I see I like how it looks. will be interesting to hear if you find a solution and if you finally deside to go to a professional spray painter.

How much did it cost you in terms of materials and strays and stuff to do it at home?

Good On You For getting Your Hands Dirty.:yes:

[NinjaNanna]

Another thing that I thought would be worth sharing is the choice of using a cloth drop cloth on my painting surface.

In hind sight I suspect this was actually a significant source of the lint and dust that has ruined my finish. It would possibly have been better if I'd taped down newspaper or plastic rather than using the cloth.

Also whilst I cleaned out the little booth that I used at my work, I only did the walls and floor. I should have done the Ceiling as well. I'm thinking that some more of the crap that ended up on the job was actually caused by the atomised overspray from the gun sticking to the ceiling then the additional weight on the dust and crap caused it to fall from the roof onto my work.

Also another thing that I noticed as the day warmed up was that I started to get water leaking from my spray gun. This didn't seem to have any noticable effect on the paint at the time - but it is possible that it may have contributed to the ever so slight "fish eye" effect that I noticed on parts of job. I'll have a chat to the paint place on monday and find out if I need to use an inline drying filter or something like that.

On a more positive note, I have just remembered that my next door neighbour who owns a kitchen manufacturing business, also has a painting booth at his factory! Best go have a chat with him tommorrow me thinks.

Well in summary whilst my first attemp hasn't exactly been rewarding, I truely believe that anybody who can control the dust in their painting environment should be able to do a candy paint job. I'm not saying you'll get professional like results but I do think you'd be happy with the results. After all the colour is AWESOME!!!! and well worth all the hassles.

I will make sure I report back on my second attempt.

Cheers
Shane

PS sense of humor did take a battering but is back intact again!

[Sketchy_Racer]

A quick idea would be to wet the work area. get a spray bottle and spray the whole place. makes all the dust etc to heavy to float around and land in your nice work!

How ever water coming from your gun while working is a bad thing. you could start by cracking open the drain bung on the bottom of the compressor to get any moisture out of the tank might make a difference.

Good luck, and well done for doing this yourself!

[Swoop]

I'm thinking that some more of the crap that ended up on the job was actually caused by the atomised overspray from the gun sticking to the ceiling then the additional weight on the dust and crap caused it to fall from the roof onto my work.
Q: What extraction is there in that "spray box"?
If there isn't any airflow, the overspray will just settle on your work. Possibly better to spray outside and then carry the item inside and place in your box at that time.
Newspaper is great for under the area where you are going to be spraying. Not cloth!
The floor area: Even if you have swept the area out, you may still get dust rising from where you are treading.
Solution: Get a garden watering can and sprinkle water over the surface of the floor. This will help keep the dust down.
Water in the line? If the compressor is portable, make sure it is in the sun on the north side of the building (driest air).
Also get a water trap for the line. This will eliminate any chance of that happening.

[NinjaNanna]

The colour is very nice. Cant see much of the lint. Is it really notisable. Never done any stray paint jobs myself So I dont imagine I would do it better. From what I see I like how it looks. will be interesting to hear if you find a solution and if you finally deside to go to a professional spray painter.

How much did it cost you in terms of materials and strays and stuff to do it at home?

Good On You For getting Your Hands Dirty.:yes:

Yes I agree the colour is nice - Candy paints are the ducks nuts. What you see (well as good as a camera phone will show) is Shovelhead Red. It is a Metalic Gold Base coat with a Red candy coat over the top.

The photo doesn't show the full extent of the lint and dust. Tomorrow afternoon I will be going back to refit the fairings to the bike - if you want you should come and take a look then so you see the environment that I was working in, let me know and I will call you when I'm leaving.

Material costs aren't cheap but they aren't super expensive either.

Super Cheap Auto:
3 cans of Primer/Putty $15ea - total $45
Wax and Grease Remover was $10
Small can of filler (for dent in fuel tank) $15
800grit Wet n Dry Sandpaper - 1 sheet $1.25


Car Colours (Albany)
500ml of base and 500ml of Candy was $150
500ml of Clear and 250ml of Hardener was $40
1L High Quality Thinner for mixing was $30
1L crap thinners for cleaning was $12

Spray gun was $110

Decals yet to be confirmed but probably about $60
for 2 by "KAWASAKI" for the tank
2x custom "ZR 250 Balius" for the rear.

The guy at Car Colours in Albany was very helpful and whilst I am certain to be paying "retail" prices the service and advice for an inexperienced beginner warrants this and is well worth the extra cost.

Well as I have said Take 1 doesn't really cut the mustard but I'm pretty sure next time round it should be a better result.

Cheers

Shane

[NinjaNanna]

A quick idea would be to wet the work area. get a spray bottle and spray the whole place. makes all the dust etc to heavy to float around and land in your nice work!

How ever water coming from your gun while working is a bad thing. you could start by cracking open the drain bung on the bottom of the compressor to get any moisture out of the tank might make a difference.

Good luck, and well done for doing this yourself!

Thanks Sketchy will do that for Take 2

Cheers

Shane

[NinjaNanna]

Q: What extraction is there in that "spray box"?
If there isn't any airflow, the overspray will just settle on your work. Possibly better to spray outside and then carry the item inside and place in your box at that time.
Newspaper is great for under the area where you are going to be spraying. Not cloth!
The floor area: Even if you have swept the area out, you may still get dust rising from where you are treading.
Solution: Get a garden watering can and sprinkle water over the surface of the floor. This will help keep the dust down.
Water in the line? If the compressor is portable, make sure it is in the sun on the north side of the building (driest air).
Also get a water trap for the line. This will eliminate any chance of that happening.

Thanks Swoop - I think you are right on all counts.

There is no extraction in my workspace - the box was only built to protect surrounding areas more than providing the ideal environment for painting.

Will definately be asking about the water trap before trying again as well

Thanks for your advice.

Cheers
Shane

[TOTO]

Yes I agree the colour is nice - Candy paints are the ducks nuts. What you see (well as good as a camera phone will show) is Shovelhead Red. It is a Metalic Gold Base coat with a Red candy coat over the top.

The photo doesn't show the full extent of the lint and dust. Tomorrow afternoon I will be going back to refit the fairings to the bike - if you want you should come and take a look then so you see the environment that I was working in, let me know and I will call you when I'm leaving.

Material costs aren't cheap but they aren't super expensive either.

Super Cheap Auto:
3 cans of Primer/Putty $15ea - total $45
Wax and Grease Remover was $10
Small can of filler (for dent in fuel tank) $15
800grit Wet n Dry Sandpaper - 1 sheet $1.25


Car Colours (Albany)
500ml of base and 500ml of Candy was $150
500ml of Clear and 250ml of Hardener was $40
1L High Quality Thinner for mixing was $30
1L crap thinners for cleaning was $12

Spray gun was $110

Decals yet to be confirmed but probably about $60
for 2 by "KAWASAKI" for the tank
2x custom "ZR 250 Balius" for the rear.

The guy at Car Colours in Albany was very helpful and whilst I am certain to be paying "retail" prices the service and advice for an inexperienced beginner warrants this and is well worth the extra cost.

Well as I have said Take 1 doesn't really cut the mustard but I'm pretty sure next time round it should be a better result.

Cheers

Shane

Great Stuff Shane. I'm supposed to be working tomorrow so I'm not sure I can make it but If I happen to become "Sick" and can't make it to work will make sure I give you a call before noon and come and watch/help. Thanks

[Disco Dan]

Great write up, I have been thinking of re-painting my bike recently and mines candy apple red too.

Been told it is a very tricky colour to paint!!!

I have a decent paint gun now if you are interested in purchasing it on the cheap.

Quotes from Reflections were very high (but resonable) so I was thinking of giving it a go myself.

I dont have the facilities to paint inside anywhere now so options are limited (no carport or garage).

Sounds like you did a much better job than the muck up I made of my first bike re-paint!!!

Where abouts on the shore are you?

[NinjaNanna]

Great Stuff Shane. I'm supposed to be working tomorrow so I'm not sure I can make it but If I happen to become "Sick" and can't make it to work will make sure I give you a call before noon and come and watch/help. Thanks

It'll be the afternoon before I go over probably sometime between 2pm and 5pm, want to give the panels close to a 24cure drying time. Give me a call or text if you like.

[NinjaNanna]

Where abouts on the shore are you?

Live out at Paremoremo, sprayed in Albany near Bush Rd and Rosedale Rd

[crazefox]

Great write up, I have been thinking of re-painting my bike recently and mines candy apple red too.

Been told it is a very tricky colour to paint!!!

I have a decent paint gun now if you are interested in purchasing it on the cheap.

Quotes from Reflections were very high (but resonable) so I was thinking of giving it a go myself.

I dont have the facilities to paint inside anywhere now so options are limited (no carport or garage).

Sounds like you did a much better job than the muck up I made of my first bike re-paint!!!

Where abouts on the shore are you?

mate if you need some paint give me a yell

[Devil]

What have you done to my bike? :buggerd:

Hah, good on you for getting in there. I am not that brave.

[NinjaNanna]

What have you done to my bike? :buggerd:

Hah, good on you for getting in there. I am not that brave.

Tried to fix it after a serious lack of TLC from previous owners !!!!!!

Actually after seeing your bike I've got $50 that says it was all the last owners fault certainly not your's nor Lorraine's.

[NinjaNanna]

Well after sleeping on it for the night I have decided to try and recover the 6hrs worth of work that I put into the first paint attempt.

I'm going to try to smooth the clear coat back by giving it a rub with 2000 grit wet n dry. I'll then give it a fresh top coat of clear and see what the results are.

Given my inexperience I suspect that as long as I don't disturb the candy coat, this should give me an acceptable result (first time painter disclaimer inserted here), it certainly won't be perfect but I think it might be ok.

And the up side is I have shit loads of clear to work with and if it still is unsatisfactory I can always rub it right back and start again with out costing me anything other than my time. Oh and of course browny points with my loving wife (sucky, sucky - she's looking over my shoulder).

Will update when I've given it ago.

Cheers

Shane

[Colapop]

I was going to suggest exactly that. Rub it over with 2000 grit and then respray the clear coat. The base coats seem to be pretty good so if you just tidy up the clear I reckon you should be fine. Mind you, I don't know shit about spray painting... :crazy:

[Mike748]

We have had really high humidity lately which would have added to your problems. I have painted on the cheap before and the first time I tried to do it without a water trap ....... :doh: on the next project I used two in line water traps :2thumbsup: much better result.

Definately go for the water trap and bleed the compressor before you start spraying.

You shouldn't have that much problem with lint etc, either spray outside (calm day in the shade) or get some gentle extraction in your booth.

Good luck and keep posting the pics.

[Waylander]

Get some big plastic sheets to paint on and hang in the garage. Worked for me to keep the dust out. Basically making your own 'clean room'

[breakaway]

This seems almost as anal as when me and a mate tried to apply screen protectors on our PSPs. No matter how hard we tried, we always managed to get in a few pieces of lint between the protector and the PSP.

WTB Clean room :bye:

[Wannabiker]

Yep, the lint and roughness can be sanded out with 1200 or 2000 grit wet-n-dry used wet....with a little detergent. then either respray the clearcoat or just polish.
NEVER EVER use anything such as a syringe to measure paint. The rubber on the plunger dissolves into the solvent and that is what gives you the fish-eyes. Never let any rubber get in contact with raw paint materials....and keep silicone spray away as well!!!

My ex was a paint chemist and an ex employee saboutaged 100's of litres of paint thinners by dropping a rubber band in each thinners container. Took a long time to diagnose that problem!!!

Use a glass or metal measure. I have a ruler with the ratios marked on to it.
Say at a ratio of 10-1 fill to 10 cm, then add 1 cm of catalyst. Work out the measurements to suit yourself and paint type. Use the ruler as a dipstick to check quantities. (do not use a tapered vessell if using this method tho!)

[ICE180]

A bit different from what you have been playing with this week at work hih

Good on you for DIY the spray paint next the guys will want there cars done at work buy you

[Waylander]

A bit different from what you have been playing with this week at work hih

Good on you for DIY the spray paint next the guys will want there cars done at work buy you
Already offered to do one of the guys cars from work. He drives some shithouse skyline (no front bumper, fucked engine, fucked turbo, de-regged and god knows what else, Payed $8k for it...) with purple glitter paint.
I certainly can't make it any worse.

[NinjaNanna]

Yep, the lint and roughness can be sanded out with 1200 or 2000 grit wet-n-dry used wet....with a little detergent. then either respray the clearcoat or just polish.

NEVER EVER use anything such as a syringe to measure paint. The rubber on the plunger dissolves into the solvent and that is what gives you the fish-eyes. Never let any rubber get in contact with raw paint materials....and keep silicone spray away as well!!!

Use a glass or metal measure.

Thanks for the heads up on the syringes - what other tricks do you have for pouring the paint and thinners. The tins that I have don't pour well at all (particularly the thinner) and I end up losing too much down the side of the can?

I've just come back from work ended up using the 800 grit to rub it back (the fish eyes were worse than I thought), I think after a respray it should come up ok.

I'm in 2 minds at the moment on where to spray.

Option 1 is to do it outside as suggested.

Option 2 is to move slightly outside my booth and use fans to blow the overspray back into the booth.

I'll also go via SuperCheap to see if I can get a water trap as well as draining the compressors reservoir.

Hopefully tonight I can post up some more pics of the rubbed back clear coat and also post up some warm fuzzies plus pics of the final coat of clear.

[Colapop]

Go over it with 1200 and 2000 just to give it a good finish. Don't wanna f*ck it by a lack of patience!

[The Lone Rider]

Still looks pretty good. But yeah, I can see the lint specs and stuff. Not quite there for show room stuff but it's better then I could do even if I tried REALLY hard.

[NinjaNanna]

Damn still having problems with Fish Eyes!!! I know I still had some in there from the initial coats but I think I'm getting more!

What would be causing that? Spraying too Thin, spraying too Thick.

Not enough thinner, too much thinner (2:1 +10% clear:hardener +thinner)

Too humid???

I bled the compressor and haven't had the water build up that I had last time. I'm still painting indoors as its too windy outside (but no sign of lint or dust this time!!!)

Oh well not to mind, I think I will just put it back on nice and thick then use the Cutting Compound that I saw at Super Cheap which claims to remove fish eyes and overspray. Can't hurt to try I think.

Pics later, but in my eagerness I forgot to take photos of the rubbed back fairings.

[NinjaNanna]

Google search "spray painting + fish eyes" returned the answer


Fish Eyes look like little craters on the moon where the paint pulls away from the center. (Looks well, like a fish eye and hence the name). Fish eyes occur immediately upon spraying. Fish eyes are caused by contamination of the surface you are spraying. Water, oil and silicone are the three major culprits. Also, if you leave the wax and grease remover on too long before wiping it off, it can cause fisheyes. When you wetsand out imperfections in the basecoat, sometimes there will be traces of water left causing the problem. http://www.paintscratch.com/problems.htm#fish

So there you have it, I'd put money on it that my problem was the wax and grease remover that I used and probably didn't clean of quite well enough.

Arrrgg the joys of diy.

Oh well I'm thinking now that my front fender will be beautiful when I do it, all these lessons that I have learned. Plus there's still the tank to do.

Will I redo the clear again - lets wait and see how the cutting compound works out?

I hope all you prospective painters are taking notes too and haven't been totally turned off yet!

Cheers

Shane

[Wannabiker]

yep...watch sticking your greasy mitts on the bits you want to paint as well! Depending on the type of paint spraying too thick can cause problems as the thinner has to evaporate off to allow the paint and catalyst to react. If the paint is to thick the curing will be affected. This can cause the thinner to boil through to the surface.

On your way through supercheap, also pick up a "tack cloth" This is a cloth that has a tacky substance impregnated to it. Wipe the parts to be sprayed with this and it will remove all the lint and dust and crap off the surface before you spray.

When tipping paint from a can, hold a (steel or alloy) (steel ruler??) rod on an angle to the tin and touching the tin where the paint will pour from. The paint will flow down the rod in a controlled stream.

Pour thinners from the can with the spout at the top, not the bottom. Not so easy when the tin is full, but easier when a bit emptier. Be sure to wipe around the lid so that you dont tip dust into the mix!!

[NinjaNanna]

In the interests of Science/Education at the expense of my pride, here's photos of the new clear coat complete with fish eyes.

I'll be trying the rubbing compound tomorrow after the paint has dried and will report back.

Worst case will be another sand back and a really thorough clean this time.

[imdying]

Yep, sand the crap out. You'll be wasting your time with 1200-2000 grit though, they're practically only a polishing grit... better off with 800 for something like that.

Fish eyes are likely to be dirt, although, are you using a water trap and a filter? If not, you could potentially be spraying fresh crap onto your work. Airborne particles are also going to cause it too (more dirt).

Good on you for having a go though, can be an expensive way to learn, but I still love DIY.

[NinjaNanna]

Hi Imdying

No, still haven't had a chance to use a water trap.

I stopped by Super Cheap looking for one but they didn't have them. Hirepool had them but didn't have the right size air fittings so lucked out there too.

Will go and see Car Colours tomorrow where I bought the gun and paint, they're bound to have one. Also the filter you mention are you talking about an inline filter or the one on the air intake for the compressor?

Also, in your experience do you always use the rubbing compound on the clear coat or do you usually get the right finish straight out of the gun when you get everything right?

Cheers

Shane

[NinjaNanna]

Well I sanded back and then used the rubbing compound.

The finish has lost it's wet look but at least the results are now satisfactory, well at least satisfactory enough to put the fairings back on a 16yr old bike. My plan is to try doing the front fender next and see how that comes up. If that then the tank work out well then I will sand them right back and start afresh.

Sounds like a good plan right? Well I have a dilema. I visited a couple of body shops today and one of the shops reckon that if I do the prep work and supply the paint they'd spray and bake the lot (tank inc) for $100. Now that's a deal in anybodies language and will give me a professional finish.

But the question is what should I do! There is the constant concern that the hobbyist gear that am using will contiuously cause problems (water / oil in the compressor line, no fume extraction, the constant risk of dust)

So am I wussing out if I choose to get it done?
Will I regret not learning to spray paint?
How often am I likely to use the skill anyway?

All tough questions.

[imdying]

Lost that wet look... what should you do? Well, PM crazyfox first, he knows his shite and is very generous with his knowledge.

What would I do? I'd hit it with another clear coat... it's amazing what clear coat does... I was stunned the first time I saw a car go from this dull flat looking base coat to a finished product after clear coating.

You're not wussing out if you're getting it done somewhere else... I didn't paint my bike, but there's so many other things to do on it, I had to draw the line somewhere.

Will you regret not learning to spray? Well, learning a trade without tuition is a hard thing, and expensive.

If doing up bikes, customising them, is your passion, then yes, it's a worthwhile skill to learn. If not, then maybe it's not worth the time.

I like working on my bikes as much as riding them. I've a mate who I had a discussion with the othe night. He could not see my point of view, to him, bikes are all about riding... I made the observation that somebody like him could never understand why it is I do what I do, he thinks that vice versa is probably true. In the end, I want a hobby, not a bike. If that sounds like you, then take it from me, no skill you learn is a wasted effort :)

[NinjaNanna]

Here she is with her clothes back on.

Ok I'm convinced seeing the fairings back on the bike and knowing it looks 10times better than when I started (warts and all) I'll keep perservering. I'll try the front fender next and see how I go. The worst thing that can happen is I waste a little more paint but I'm pretty sure I've got enough to risk it.

If that doesn't work out I'll call it quits and take the body shop up on their offer.

[Brett]

A quick idea would be to wet the work area. get a spray bottle and spray the whole place. makes all the dust etc to heavy to float around and land in your nice work!

How ever water coming from your gun while working is a bad thing. you could start by cracking open the drain bung on the bottom of the compressor to get any moisture out of the tank might make a difference.

Good luck, and well done for doing this yourself!

What he said. Also, if your using a garage as a paint room for example, grab a hose and put it on the mist mode and dampen the gound, walls etc (only if possible, dont destroy your house!) as this will stop you from kicking up dust as you move around. Looks like you did a good job for a first timer!

[NinjaNanna]

Thanks for all your advice through this thread IMDYING!

Your right another clear coat would bring back the wet look - but I still have some of the original fish eyes in there. I'll have to live with the dulled finish (which incidently still fires in the sunlight) until I've praticed a little more on the next piece.

Next time I'll only spray in the early morning before it heats up and use the inline water trap that I bought. Hopefully with that, some more careful prep and the new knowledge that I've acquired, I'll get the finish I'm aiming for.

Thanks for your encouragement on the other stuff, learning by trial and error will always be expensive, but I think it will be worthwhile in the end.

I did buy this bike with the intention of fixing it up a bit, keeping it for 18mths so that my wife can get her licence then flicking it on (hopefully at a small profit in reward for my labour)

I would like to do more of this so I'll perservere, plus its always good to have an "Uncle" in the family that can do this sort of stuff.

Cheers

Shane


Lost that wet look... what should you do? Well, PM crazyfox first, he knows his shite and is very generous with his knowledge.

What would I do? I'd hit it with another clear coat... it's amazing what clear coat does... I was stunned the first time I saw a car go from this dull flat looking base coat to a finished product after clear coating.

You're not wussing out if you're getting it done somewhere else... I didn't paint my bike, but there's so many other things to do on it, I had to draw the line somewhere.

Will you regret not learning to spray? Well, learning a trade without tuition is a hard thing, and expensive.

If doing up bikes, customising them, is your passion, then yes, it's a worthwhile skill to learn. If not, then maybe it's not worth the time.

I like working on my bikes as much as riding them. I've a mate who I had a discussion with the othe night. He could not see my point of view, to him, bikes are all about riding... I made the observation that somebody like him could never understand why it is I do what I do, he thinks that vice versa is probably true. In the end, I want a hobby, not a bike. If that sounds like you, then take it from me, no skill you learn is a wasted effort :)

[imdying]

Mate, I always have time for those that are willing to step outside their comfort zone and 'give it a go' :yes:

[Leong]

Hey NinjaNanna - Well done for posting your pics for the education of others. I'm sure this thread will be a good resource for KB'ers in the future.

My first time too - I painted my race fairings between Xmas and New Year or thereabouts, when the weather was hot but not windy. Did it in my back yard, early in the morning, using compressor and spraygun borrowed from a friend. Had the same issues with water, and sorted this same as you.

Had fun trying to get even colour when I did the blue pearl effect, but putting clear over it has virtually "cleared" it up.

My biggest problem was getting paint runs when putting the Clear on. Found it very hard to see how much paint was on the surface - slightly too little and you get the orange peel effect, slightly too much and it starts to run. I used Metalux 2 Clearcoat 100:50 hardener:10 thinners. Any suggestions?

[Swoop]

My biggest problem was getting paint runs when putting the Clear on. Found it very hard to see how much paint was on the surface - slightly too little and you get the orange peel effect, slightly too much and it starts to run.
You only want to put enough "product" (paint/clear coat/etc) on the surface so that it looks like the surface of a calm pond. Wet, but not TOO wet, if you get my drift!

Practice + more practice...:niceone:

[NinjaNanna]

Hi Leong

Looks like you suceeded a bit better than me. All of my fairings were painted lying flat so I guess that helped to reduce the risk of running.

If its any help my clear coat was the same 2:1 +10% so I guess we both got good instruction from our respective paint shops. Though my paint shop did say that I could chose anywhere between 5%-10% thinner so I guess you could try reducing the amount of thinner?

Cheers

Shane


Hey NinjaNanna - Well done for posting your pics for the benefit in the interests of education. I'm sure this thread will be a good resource for KB'ers in the future.

My first time too - I painted my race fairings between Xmas and New Year or thereabouts, when the weather was hot but not windy. Did it in my back yard, early in the morning, using compressor and spraygun borrowed from a friend. Had the same issues with water, and sorted this same as you.

Had fun trying to get even colour when I did the blue pearl effect, but putting clear over it has virtually "cleared" it up.

My biggest problem was getting paint runs when putting the Clear on. Found it very hard to see how much paint was on the surface - slightly too little and you get the orange peel effect, slightly too much and it starts to run. I used Metalux 2 Clearcoat 100:50 hardener:10 thinners. Any suggestions?

[lowflyinggt]

from my limited knowledge id agree that the fish eyes wud be caused from air bourne silicons, probably from the compressor. A water trap and air filter will fix that.
Having the parts hanging verically will help stop dust settling on them. Also ground metal parts so that there is no static electricity attracting dust. Use lots of prepsol, etc (i used thinners) with clean rags. Most of the dust that ends up in your paint job was already there b4 paint, tack wipes are awesome for preping the parts seconds before paint goes on. Theres a load of info on the net, but beware of people giving advice as some of it is incorrect despite there best intensions.
I gave my tank a quick half arse coat of clear to start with, having being told it would help stop the clear from running. However it just made for a nice orange peel ripple effect that i never lost after multiple coats. I later read that this is not recommended for the above reason, damit.....
Painting is 90% prep work to get a good finnish. Gud luck with ya next project