Spraying up

[dorris1988]

I wanna spray my panels and belly pan, the front mudguard is in good condition, so i was wondering what kind of black spray to use, gloss? Im going to give my engine a coat as well and was also wondering should i go for the pain brush high temp engine paint or the spray can high temperature stuff as well? just want to know from people experience what they have used? mine is a 1991 black. original colour scheme.

[KasbeKZ]

gloss is nice...

and sprayed finishes are always better than brushed. brushes are for situations where it's not worth spraying it to make it look good.

i don't know what your goal is, but keep in mind, it actually takes a lot of effort and know-how to make a spray can paint job look good. that's why professional paint jobs cost thousands and thousands of dollars. good luck though. i'm a pretty good sprayer if you have any questions. most importantly, make sure your stuff is clean before you spray it. you have to go over it with denatured alcohol or preferably wax and grease remover. 

[JB848]

I would never recommend a paint brush for anything other then graphics.

From my experience with rattle can painting? Test the smallest piece of things you are going to paint and test.

What ever color you choose just remember it is your preference no one elses! If you like it and it doesn't look goofy...more power to you.

Just remember my tips from the helmet project they would apply with any painting.

[08GSSteve]

I would not go any where near a motorcycle with a rattle can.  Not even to do the exhaust period.

Do the job right and buy a small compressor and a cheap paint gun and a tin of thinners.  The expensive part is the 2 pack automotive paint but the end result is a pro finish not crap.  Your plastic is worth more than a rattle can of black and a couple cans of clear.

Want to ruin your plastic then use a rattle can works every time  

Engine paint sorry can't help never painted an engine.  I hear that high temp spray paint flakes off rather quick 

[qwertydude]

For body panels a good filler/sanding primer first will make your paint adhere much better and more evenly. Also help fill in any minor chips.

[joshr08]

rattle can

rattle can

you guessed it rattle can again on the kat tank as well

Oh and on this kat gas tank those are reflections of a tree in my front yard that your seeing on the tank.  they arent blemmishes in the paint.
can you make a bike look good with a rattle can?  i think so.  just take your time prep it good and spray it.  i use red scotch brite pads to scuff the paint that is there now so there is no shiny places wipe down the thiner or wax an grease remover and its ready.  As for High Temp Paint when done right sticks great.  you cant put it over old flacking paint or over a greasy motor it wont stick.  if your goin to do the motor or exhaust get some degreaser clean it good then wipe it down and go.  do you need to spend 100 on a compressor and 50 on a gun?  you CAN if you want to but do you NEED to no not at all.

[lawman]

You can do rattle cans but you need to keep in mind:

MASK
   Do it well, do it carefully.

PRIMER FIRST
   Must be a PERFECT primer coat.  Wet sand until it is PERFECT.

THIN COATS
   Lots (at least 3) of thin coats.  Wet sand between.  Thick coats mean paint runs and uneven crappage.

CLEAR COAT
   AT LEAST one coat, preferably 2.

[DoD#i]

...you forgot the biggest part of all, which is needed regardless of how you apply paint:

Prep. Prep. And more Prep. Cleaning, degreasing, sanding, filling.

No paintjob is better than its foundation.

[mach1]

You can make a paint job look great with just about anything if you know what you are doing and take the time in prep. I did my bike with cans and it looks better than the stock yellow paint more gloss and depth if you ask me.. Does it hold upto gas well yeah I spilled gas on the tank more than a couple times used my glove to smear the paint and took off no peeling or fading. I also painted my engine black just wipe it down with some degreaser than with acetone than spay and let dry. Please do it with the engine cold or thr paint will dull.

[The Buddha]

Yea rattle can can look OK in the short run. Wait a year or so ...
BTW in CA and AZ and the hot and dry parts of the west it will cure up well and work well again in the short term. Spray it where its humid like in NC and it is miserably wet and tacky for days. I cook em in a hot vehicle and they still take days to cure.
Cool.
Buddha.

[mach1]

It'll last longer than a year or so mine did depends on how well you maintain your bike. If you leave it outside uncovered of course it will look like crap a lot sooner. My bike is garage kept and cleaned and waxed everyother week so she is kept in good shape and its been over a year since we painted my cousing jet ski its been 3 years to be exact and it still looks good a few dings from the dock but that all. Still looks shiny till the day and no peeling or chipping but we keep it fresh water.

[KasbeKZ]

rattle can jobs can turn out very nice if enough care is put into them. they can turn out to need even more labor but the benefit is really low cost. for a first time sprayer i don't think it even matters. even with good equipment it is going to suck.

sanding between coats? usually final paint is sprayed in three or so "hot coats" where it's not sanded between. then coats is not the best advise either. you want the thickest coat possible WITHOUT causing runs. that's why even good painters run once in a while because they are trying so hard to get it thick. saying thin coats also encourages holding the gun/can too far back causing the paint to start drying before it gets there and making a gritty looking finish.

[sledge]

Save yourself, time money and effort, buy some good condition plastics on ebay or from a breaker, then claw some cash back by selling your old ones.

[bill14224]

Josh, that's some of the best rattle can work I've ever seen.  Steve has a point, though.  Automotive paint is much more durable than spray paint.  Both will give you a good finish with careful prep and good application.

My new V&H system had such crap paint it started rusting in 6 weeks.  I shiite you not.  I took it off, wet sanded ALL of the old paint surface, taking the paint off completely on most of it, wiped it down with rubbing alcohol, and sprayed it several times every few hours with a can of 2000 degree flat black header paint.  Turned out great and 3 months later it looks the same as the day I painted it.  I'm amazed it comes clean easy too, unlike before.  But header paint is a whole different ballgame than painting tanks and plastics.

[KasbeKZ]

http://media.photobucket.com/image/rustoleum%20paint%20job/69martin/DSC02769.jpg

no that's the best spray can paint job ever. it can be made to last a long time and look great if you want to put the effort into it. it's really for people that are obsessed with their machines but don't have the tools/funds to do a pro-style paint job.

[qwertydude]

KasbeKZ must know real painters, cause the proper way to paint is thick as possible without running. Thatway it self levels into a high gloss. No wet sanding orange peel and the paint will adhere the best because the solvents have enough time to bite into the previous layers. Problem is it takes a lot of practice to know just how thick to paint before it starts running. One top secret trick nobody talks about is that if you did the thin coats with a rattle can and got some gritty finish or excessive orange peel is to have a spray bottle of the appropriate thinner, rattle cans use lacquer thinner. Just ever so lightly spray the finish with the pure thinner. You'll see it soak into the still wet paint and it'll start leveling off cause it reliquifies the paint. You can do this quite a few times but don't do it back to back so fast that it starts running and don't do it to cured paint.

[mach1]

I was a real painter. i used rattle cans and auto paint/industrial paint. Do it right and all will be fine. my bike was done all with rattle cans. the location of the pic and the lighting don't do justice for the gloss.

[lawman]

...you forgot the biggest part of all, which is needed regardless of how you apply paint:

Prep. Prep. And more Prep. Cleaning, degreasing, sanding, filling.

No paintjob is better than its foundation.

Point conceded.  I took prep as a given.

[JB848]

...you forgot the biggest part of all, which is needed regardless of how you apply paint:

Prep. Prep. And more Prep. Cleaning, degreasing, sanding, filling.

No paintjob is better than its foundation.

Point conceded.  I took prep as a given.

I seem to remember some one saying. " For every minute spent on prep will save you hours in the end", can't seem to remember though who said that recently.