Should I spray, or should I go?

To someone else that has a clue...

(also posted to uk.rm.classic)

OK - Have an RG500 and VF1000 Bol d'Or to spray (plus the Duke fairing could
do with a front makeover...)

Soo - that's potentially a *lot* of sponds to pay someone to do it...

My thoughts are that I could invest some money in a nice large compressor
and spray kit and do them myself...

Now - I have loads of experience with spraying on a smaller scalle (years of
airbrush work on scale models) - so I have half a clue - and realise that
there'll be a lot of prep work to do - but my questions are:

Should I have a go myself? Is it *that* much of a black art?

Anyone recommend a good compressor/spraygun combo - have been looking on the
Machine Mart website as their prices seem preety good...

How easy is it to get matched paints to Suzuki and Honda original specs?

What are the best paints to use? Acrylic? Can I use 2 pack @ home if I get a
proper respirator?

Any recommended paint factors in Oxfordshire?

I know - lots of Q's - but any advice appreciated )

Have fin...

 

Yes - and no. You have a clue - do it.

This lot:
http://www.motorbikepaint.co.uk/
Guaranteed match; not cheap but very good.

I'd use two-pack - but you *must* use an air-fed mask or the cyanide
will kill you. Slowly.

 

compressor is easy, for example a wolf 1.5 hp 25 litre job 6 cfm up to
100 psi with output pressure regulator, picked up an unused one off
ebay myself a few weeks ago for 40 notes, half price.

set regulator to correct pressure for paint gun used

air lines have fittings... no shit you say, make BLOODY sure you buy
1/4" BSP fittings on everything, there's a lot of "cheap" stuff out
there that is 1/4 NPT

paint gun, small job, so buy a gravity fed "touch up" gun, more than
enough for bike stuff.

top tip, buy QUALITY, no assumed, percieved, brand penetration or
anything else, but genuine quality, I thoroughly recommend Universal
Air Tools, (tel high wycombe 883300) the UT553 will do you a treat,
about 60 quid, strips properly for cleaning, allows adjustment of paint
flow, air flow and of course spray pattern.

remember no "oiler" in line between compressor and paint gun.


paint, don't **** about, buy quality paint ina tin from a paint
specialist, I use Brown Brothers, buy your paint and trade thinners
there...

being a "civvy" they won't sell you 2 pot, which is a blessing in
disguise, so you'll be buying a cellulose paint.... laquer will be
cellulose too, so no point, use another layer of paint first... should
be about 40 quid for a gallon of trade thinners and a litre of primer
and a litre of topcoat. which is enough to do two unfaired bikes at a
push, or one really well.

how to........

print out in large letters and nail up a sign

PREP WORK IS EVERYTHING.......

sand back existing item, lets say fuel tank
no worries, you can do this by hand, a dozen sheets of 800 grit wet and
dry, used wet, will do an entire tank....

once sanded back use a proper filler

sand

repeat until surface is PERFECT to the touch, and reflected lights on
surface move smoothly when tank is rotated around.....

mix up primer and thinner 50/50 (top/thinner also 50/50)
watch that thinner when you use it to clean the spray gun (STRIP and
clean) after each session it will burn your skin.

spray primer

dry and cure

800 wet and dry used wet to smooth off the paint just applied
smooth off != in patches, or just the worst of it, or back to steel
if you remove about 25% of the paint you applied you're ok

if ever you go through, apply more paint, eg another coat.

do this, 2 primers and at least 2, ideally 3 colour coats......

SAND / PREP ___THOROUGHLY___ in between each coat.

top top when spraying colours , move spary gun in smooth strokes,
steady speed, steady distance from target, start spraying and moving
BEFORE you get to target and stop AFTER going off end of target

you'll get the odd splatter and drip when you start, just dab it away
with a lint free cloth (NOT BOG PAPER) and resign yourself to the fact
it's a learning process and you probably just added one more sand /
spray iteration to the process, no biggie.

old hand tip is get a CLEAR bulb with a visible filament and voltage
enough to make it glow angry orange, hold this directly under the spray
gun and a foot nearer to you, move this hand EXACTLY in sync with
spraying hand, when you can JUST see the glowing filament reflected in
the coat you are spraying then you have applied the perfect amount of
paint for that coat.

OK, three top coats gone on top of two primers, all sanded in between
with wet 800 grit.

say you were using black top coat.

your tank will look like shit

do not panic, spraying is not about pssssst / wait / whizzo mirror
finish.

spraying is about applying an even coat of high quality paint to any
complex surface

so, your tank looks like shit, orange peel perhaps.

no worries, more wetted wet and dry paper will make it shine, only this
time you need 1200 grit.

do this and you'll have a dull shine, like old paint.

now grab some basic t-cut or colour restorer-t-cut which is an even
finer abrasive than 1200 grit, go to work

do this and you'll have a nice shine, not showroom, but not bad

now grab some turtle wax, I prefer pukka turtle wax to all the others,
its cheaper and better, go for it

do this and you'll have a stonking showroom beating finish that will
look like deep liquid colour, not a few thou of paint.


two points....

FINGERTIPS and EYES are the best tools out there, if you can feel
***any*** blemish at prep time (ESP when doing the filler) it WILL
stick out like a sore thumb on the mirror finished topcoat.

PATIENCE..... it ain't quick, and there is no way to rush it, try and
you will **** it up, so you need to know your own personality before
you go down this route

If you're down M5 J30 way I can show you a bike that a teenage girl who
last touched paint during art at school did with the above kit and me
basically telling her what I've just said here....

that's about it really, for fucks sake do not try to save money buy
buying crap kit like a sealey spray gun or cheaper paint from an
alternative source, you'll be putting a lot of yourself into this to
transform dead metal objects into things of beauty that come alive, but
they won't if you skimp on quality or the work itself.

HTH etc

 

Feeling encouraged already )

Cheers Pip - Excellent - will drop them a line...

Yes - aware of the risks... Have heard horror stories with some of the
modern 'eco-friendly' paints not coping will with spilt fuel - so keen to
get the toughest finish possible. Have two garages hear at home - so I can
clear one out and wet the floors/walls down before a mammoth spray
session...

Must admit - this guy (Randy Norian) from the RG500 list has inspired me
somewhat - http://homepage.mac.com/rg500delta/PhotoAlbum201.html

I may even spray the RG up in full GP rep colours...

Ta very muchly...

 

no worries... and when people ask you to post pix of the finished work,
don't bother, do it this way and the finish is so "deep liquid gloss"
that it is damn near impossible to take a representative photo off, but
I guarantee YOU won't be able to stop touching it, the smoothest thing
you ever felt.....

if a teenage girl can do it I'm damn sure an experienced modeller can
produce a job good enough to impress a top sprayer.

only bone of contention here is going to be the paint, world + dog
seems to think only 2 pot is any good... I've been painting bikes since
brush + tekaloid + varnish days, and in my experience good quality
cellulose paints are at least as good as 2 pot, and adequate and
regular doses of turtle was keep it than way, despite rain, petrol
spills, you name it.

I'm not going to claim that my 40 quid worth of paint and elbow grease
job is better than Baz down the road could achieve for 1000 quid, but
there ain't much in it, apart from 950 quid... do the job yourself and
you'll understand where that went, labour and premises etc.

 

<snip excellent tutorial>

Cheers mate - very usefull - and along the lines of what I expected - light
bulb trick sounds invaluable!

Am prepared for lots of rubbing down - already have PHD in Weta nad Dry from
my 30 odd years of scale modelling - so should be able to get spotlessley
smooth surfaces...

Ta very muchly...

 

Me wants billiard ball finish...

Oh - and happy to invest in *decent* kit...

Because of the time/care/prep involved - am up for that - my time is free...

What I need is the encouragement to go buy the kit and have a go...

Indeed - and the airbrushing background is more a case of I know how to
surface prep and get mirror finishes - albeit in small scale...

Thanks - most useful )

Erm - live in the stix and the neighbours are retired and smaller than me!
;o)

OK Cheers mate...

Thanx for all the advice - added to my notes )

 

Important point: make sure the compressor supplying the mask is away
from the paint spraying area, otherwise it'll be supplying contaminated
air.

Although, it has to be said if you're asking you shouldn't be playing.