Tips on painting?

[VTNewb]

I got my tank back from a radiator company. They acid washed and sealed the inside with some sort of polymer, and primed the outside. I have glossy black and clearcoat spraypaint. DO I need to scuff the primer? When do I wetsand?

Also, is it ok to buff and polish the hell out of your aluminum casing and then spray clearcoat on it>?

[airbrush]

i would scuff the primer with a red scotchbrite pad....dont get too aggressive with it...you just want to give the basecoat something better to bite into. Then use a tack rag over it and clean it with some pre-cleaner. Apply your basecoat then your clear.

[Dom]

It sounds like you are using rattle cans, aka spray cans.  A word of advice.  Apply only enough paint to get good color coverage.  Don't keep applying multiple color coats because it will take longer to dry, which is bad.  If you want to lay on multiple layers of something, do it with the clear coat.  Also, make sure on a test piece that your color and clear coats are compatible.  Just use the same brand(i.e. Rustoleum or Dupli-color) and you should be alright.  Also, use a laquer for both your color and clear coats, as opposed to enamels.  And definitely do not mix an enamel color coat and a laquer clear coat or vice versa.

Don't sand your color coat.  Only do it if you get huge drips and sand just that spot...but just don't get huge drips.  Any sanding you do on your color coat will be visible when the sunlight hits it and look like crap.  Spray light coats only.  Don't worry if it looks rough or isn't totally perfect and glossy.  Your clear coats will hide all of that.

As for the clearcoat, look at it this way: the more you spray, the longer it will take to fully harden.  And you shouldn't ride your bike for a couple of weeks anyway if you want your paint job to look good for a long time.

You won't want to colorsand until a month after the clearcoat has been applied.  Colorsanding is a method used to achieve a very high gloss, a mirror-finish.  It is possible for you to do with a little patience.  I wetsand from #600 TO #2000 grits, sanding in ONE DIRECTION ONLY.  Start with 600 wet.  Sand a little bit and then wipe with a dry paper towel and check your progress.  Do this until you have removed all of the sheen...you will understand what I mean when you get there.  The parts you have sanded will look matte, or not shiny, and there will be little glossy spreckles everywhere, sand until everything is uniform.
The whole idea is to sand as conservatively as possible... What you really don't want is to sand through your clear coat into your color coat.  Progress up through the other grits and you will see the finish starting to get shinier and shinier.  

The last thing you'll want to do is to buff the tank.  You can either do it by hand or use a variable-speed polisher, like the one I bought at Harbor Freight for $50, well worth it.  I use an ultra soft buffing pad and Meguiar's #9 Swirl Remover, available at any auto paint store.  This part makes it all worth it because the shine is outstanding and you'll really surprise yourself.
If using an electric polisher don't go over 1000rpms or you risk burning your finish.

Wait another month to wax or else the paint won't fully harden because gases won't be able to escape.

[VTNewb]

Thanks much I start painting this weekend  

[starwalt]

I got my tank back from a radiator company. They acid washed and sealed the inside with some sort of polymer

What company did you sent it off to? I've got a tack weld leak on my tank and think the best path is cleaning and coating. What did they charge?

[sprint_9]

Check out the wall of fame, Dom inllustrated his talent right in the reflection  :nana:  :lol:  

[cernunos]

I've tried the "buff the aluminum and clear-coat" thing before...it looked good for awhile but started to "yellow" and "spider-crack" after a period of time. I'll never do that again. When you get off that Baby GS after she gives you a wonderful ride, pat her on the butt and tell her you love her. Love this forum too, but you don't have to pat anybody's butt.

C.......

[dane_lindsay]

my frame is rusting, so i need to repaint now, while the engine's out. money being a big consideration, i started into it with sandpaper before seeing how dumb this was, since it wasn't getting the rust out of the welded and hard to reach spots.

how much is a fair price from a sandblaster? or is there a convenient way to do this at home for cheap?

also, is the frame powder coated at the factory? and what is a durable paint to use, i'm trying to be cheap, but i also want to do it right.
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this has been covered, the painting steps at least, in other places, but i just wanted to find out what common sense things i am going to miss or screw up on related to the frame, since i imagine that the paint needs to be able to take the stress of frame flex and the occasional road debris.

thanks

[airbrush]

spend the extra money now and have it powdercoated while its apart...it will pay off in the long run....just my two cents