Wanted: Paint job advice

[DMNTD:Me]

Due to recent events I'll be painting my ZX matt black until I get some decent coin together for a mint paint job.
Situation...I've never painted a panel in my life and I'm seeking advice as although it's only going to be a matt black I do want it to look reasonable until I can afford a decent job.
New fairing coming which will require some sort of undercoat obviously. I have no idea re type of undercoat required...educated opinions please

Rest of the body still has ok-ish paint but past the touch up stage so will be matt black as mentioned above.
Now then...how far back will it need to be sanded before it gets sprayed? Will it need to be undercoated prior to the matt black? If I put a clear coat over the top would it still be matt? What grit sandpaper at which stages?

Cheers in advance y'all

[Crisis management]

Shoulder better already...you're a harder man than me then (mind you I live in Auckland so maybe thats not such a comparison).

I am assuming you will use spray cans to do this...get good ones from the likes of paint matching / touch up suppliers not the warehouse. The last lot I did cost about $30 a can but gave a finish as good as original.

Be aware you are painting with enamel paint. Original is laquer and if you ever spray again over the enamel (to do a professional job at a later date) it will react with the enamel and look horrible. ALL the enamel paint will have to be removed before doing a flash paint job later.

Step 1.
Do all your repairs / plastic weld, fibreglass, bog, whatever, then sand with 320 grit wet and dry. Wet & dry is always used wet with lots of water.

Step 2.
Prime everything then sand with 600 grit wet & dry.

Step 3.
Check it, fix all the bits you've missed and repeat step 3.

WHEN YOU ARE REALLY HAPPY WITH THE FINISH!!!!!!!

Step 4.
Paint with top coat.

When you are spraying from cans expect to do lots of light coats to build up your coverage.
Spray evenly and make sure the overlaps are always "wet" (allows the paint to smooth and dry with a consistent finish)
Spray in warm, dry (not too humid) conditions or the finish can "bloom" and give a dull whitened appearance.

Clear coat??? Matt finishes are rough and will attract dirt/ be hard to clean so clear would be worth trying. Get some advice from the paint suppliers on this.

Sounds like a big job but its not, you can easily do the preparartion in one day and finishing in another but take your time on preparation or it will look like shit.

Good luck...photo's when complete please!

[yungatart]

The more prep work you do, the better the job will look!

[Eurodave]

A top tip when using spraycans is to keep them warm with a container of hot water while you are spraying & shake shake shake
Also for small jobs the lacquer spraycans 'Holts Duplicolor' from Repco or 'Power Plus' from Supercheap work very well

[Jimmy B]

Hey DMNTD, who was that dude on sport road forum offering free paint jobs in Wgtn, seemed to be that he knew his stuff so maybe PM him??

Edit: Crazefox is the dude

[Crisis management]

Would I need to sand all the bike's clear coat off beforehand?

Yes, plus all stickers etc to get a smooth finish.
Check your paint costs if you are going to use a compressor etc as it may be more expensive than cans. A proper paint gun will give better coverage and consistent finish but the downside is the cost of thinners and paints due to the quantity you have to purchase.
For the same or similar costs I would use the compressor every time.

[Matt Bleck]

Pretty much what CS said.... just a couple of things tho.... 320 grit might be a bit harsh IMHO.... and lacquer matt black can brought in a can now.

[madboy]

Crazefox did the paint on mine. Excellent price, excellent job. Alternatively if you're dead keen on doing it yourself, use the compressor/gun route over a spray can. If you've got a mate in the trade (as most of us do if we ask around far enough - particularly on a bike site) you'll be able to get the materials at trade prices which helps keep the costs realistic. And you don't need much in the way of materials for a bike.

And what youngatart said - preparation is the key. It'll take all of a few minutes per coat to paint the bike, but it's the hours of prep that go into it first that determine the outcome.

[wildpudding]

Might end up quite time consuming doing 2 paint jobs, because if you want it to have a mint finish eventually, your probably gonna have to sand back off most of your first paint job. And thats a bitch of a job, did all the prep work on my bike before I got it painted professionally....never again!

But meh if thats what you wanna do and have plenty of time, go for it!

Stefan

[imdying]

but unfortunately that's the way it needs to be this time

No it's not... thats just the way you currently perceive the situation. Wait the 4-6 months and have it done properly... it doesn't make a sniff of difference to the bikes abilities if it looks like shite. If you need plastic welding done, sure, get that done, but then just ride it. Having to remove a shitty paint job will only add to the bill of the proper job.

[mugins]

Maate heard about the off will ring you later, bottle of bourbon one weekend mate i'll spray with the gun Mike

[Macktheknife]

Hey Chris, If it is only 6 months then just a country job is good enough, 320 sand remove stickers and undercoat, 600 sand then topcoat. For the time you will have it I would not bother with clear. Give me a yell if you need a hand.