Paint Job

[Cal Price]

Looking ahead a little on my project bike. I will repaint once all other work is done. I was toying with the idea of pearlescent B-R- green hammerite (anti-rust) but weighing all things up will probably stick to the original black as I have side panels in black plastic complete with original logos.

Mudguards are chrome and I don't plan to paint them. The frame stands etc I will probably hand paint. The tank is minty on the outside, little volcanoes erupting on it like zits on a teenager. Inside seems OK much to my surprise.

My intention was to remove the tank, strip it right down polished to bare metal and re-spray. Will I need some kind of primer, should I treat with an anti-rust of some kind or just several top-coats? Should I finish with a couple of clear coats ?
I have no experience nor any kit for this but intend to buy a paint spray and learn on this project.

Any experience? hints ? tips ? etc,. etc,.

[Alphamazing]

From what I've heard, an air compressor would be a good idea if you want to do this yourself. Also, from what I've heard when my father had his custom paint done, you must prime, paint, then finish off with SEVERAL clear coats. The more clear coats, the "deeper" the paint will look. Clear coats can come with finishes as well, so you can get a "candy" type color if you'd like.

I think I can get you some specific details as to the layering, painting, etc... from my father if you'd like. Let me know and I'll get the info from him.

[Roadstergal]

Ask around.  You might find that it's cheaper to have a shop spray a prepped piece than it is to spray it yourself - that's what my experience was with cars.  They get volume discounts.  You can do it with rattlecan, but it won't look as good as a well-done pressure-sprayed job.  For that, you need a compressor and a spray attachment (of course).  But a little compressor will give you variability in the pressure throughout the job - you really need a big one that can deliver constant pressure over a good chunk of time in order to get a good even application.

M'self, I'd have it sprayed something that would make a good base - red, yellow, etc. - and then use vinyl to personalize it.  Cheap, easy to apply with a weak soap solution and patience, and you can change it whenever you like with little effort.

[Cal Price]

Hmmm, there's food for thought there, I just might know someone in an auto-body repair works so stripping and preparing then getting a "pro" job sounds like a viable option. I doubt that i would use it enough to buy a good quality compressor and spray but if i do i will get back to Alphafire's father for the lowdown.

I shall be looking for a pair of screw-on emblems for the sides of the tank as well. I have two nice ones but they don't match, one says "AMAHA" and the other says "YAMAH"

[Alphamazing]

You know, you could combine the two and put them end to end along the width of the tank, so that you'd have a YAMAHAMAHA, which is way more entertaining than a lot of other options.

[Roadstergal]

YAMAHAMAHA

:lol:  :lol:  

[500rider]

HVLP sprayers are the way to go for DIY paint jobs.  Don't know all the types but there are HVLP's for use with a compressor and there are also ones that you need to use with something that is more like a high volume fan unit.  You may need alot of CFM to do it with a compressor (like 15cfm or so which would be a huge compressor $$$).  Don't know what the fan units cost but just do an internet search under HVLP.

I did a rattle can job on my own tank ... check it out.  I used duplicolor enamel paint.  The steel was "brushed" with 80 grit paper where I used a clear coat.  I then masked an outline using 1/8" pinstriping for the black area.  After masking the rest with tape and newspaper, I painted the black.  

The pinstriping peels off leaving a clean line and it is easy to get a nice shape with it because it is only 1/8" wide.

[Mickey_D100]

ooooooooohhhh   :mrgreen:  I like it.  Can you just clearcoat the steel and leave it like that?  That looks bada$$  

[500rider]

ooooooooohhhh   :mrgreen:  I like it.  Can you just clearcoat the steel and leave it like that?  That looks bada$$  

We'll see!  I have not had it out in the weather yet so I don't know how well it's going to stick but I was extremely careful with the surface prep, ie. using metal prep from duplicolour and not touching the surface at all B4 painting.

I did at one point have to sand it off and start over because I got a paint run and it was actually much tougher than the OEM paint.  It is a high temp ceramic clear coat by duplicolor used for engine blocks etc. and supposed to be resistant to oil, gas etc.

[The Buddha]

Ooooooo ... that's sooooo coool ... I may do it in powder .... but crikey ... that's cool ... maybe powder it black, then use like 40 grit and scratch it up ... so there is nice gouges and black right by it then clear it ... may have to do high temp black ... then scratc it and then clear ... yea I aint painting ...
Cool.
Srinath.

[Alphamazing]

Ooooooooo...

Pretty...

[Code4]

Looking Good...There is a guy on the board called airbrush, he should have some tips for you.

[ktrim]

you can pick up a decent spray gun relativly cheap at harbour freight tools,  I have used their $40-50 spray guns several times with very good results.  I also have a binks #7 gun ($300).  Fine tuning of the spray pattern is much easier but if you take your time the finish of both is exceptional.  I also have an hvlp gun- these are a little harder to use for a beginner as they spray a tremendous amount of paint at low pressures - it is easy to create a mess (massive runs).   you can rent an air compressor pretty cheap at local tool rentals (around here its $22 a day for one that will run a standard spray gun.  $46 for one to run an hvlp)  I purchased my compressor at walmart for about $250 it will run either spray gun and any air tool you can think of (except a jack hammer).  painting is relatively easy if you take your time and follow the directions on the paint.

[Cal Price]

Thanks Ktrim. I am not looking to do any design work, just a plain colour, probably black. When I get the existing paint off and the rusty mountains I will have a good look at the tank, judging by what i can see of the inside it should be saveable. I will certainly consider renting a compressor from my local tool hire centre, I had overlooked that possibility. I will probably do the frame with a brush (it's been done before) so it seems like overkill to buy a compressor for one tank even though I susbscribe to the "You can't have too many tools" school of thought.

[jiggersplat]

[/quote]

that looks awesome!  i hope it doesn't rust on you.  i'm way into the flat-black/brushed metal look.

[Onlypastrana199]

My uncle runs a paint garage, I'm waiting for winter for my paint job, doing it now would cut my valuable remaining riding time before I have to go back to school. We sand blast with either black sand or glass beads, primer, paint very thin coats multiple times, graphics, tons of clear coat. His flames are amazing, he layers one set of flames on the background color and then clear coats, then does another layer and clear coats and gives them amazing depth. I'm thinking I'm doing an iodized blue with ghost graphics, though i'm not sure yet.

[500rider]

... so it seems like overkill to buy a compressor for one tank even though I susbscribe to the "You can't have too many tools" school of thought.

Yep .. it sure is nice to have the right tool at the right time.  

Also, think about sealing that tank with epoxy.  Had mine done at a radiator shop for $100 including cleaning the whole thing in an acid bath to remoave all rust.  Once that was done it was really surprising how many rust wholes there actually were.  It didn't look that bad at first either.