Posted on February 28, 2010.
How to paint your own bike ----------
Motorcycle and chopper painting tutorial
PAINT AND PREP SUPPLIES
Gear
Plastic Filler
Fluid Putty
Epoxy primer
Epoxy sealant
Base color paint
Clear Coat
80,120,400,600,1500,2000 grain glass wet / dry
Paint Booth IMPROV
If you're like me, you do not have the luxury of a spray booth to draft in your store. Here's what I did. I cleaned a storage room that is attached to the back of my shop. I lined the walls with white poly, and placed a variable speed fan in the window. I then made the turn with a roll of duct tape and sealed the perimeter of the fan to the poly on the surrounding walls. Now on the lights. After the first time you try to paint something, you quickly learn how good lighting is essential. In fact, when it comes to lighting, the brighter the paint in your area best. A friend gave me two four-tube fluorescent fixtures, which I stood on opposite sides of my new paint booth. It is good to have reflective walls. Lining the walls with white poly not only allows your walls, but it's also very reflective.
SECURITY
Before proceeding, I want to emphasize safety. It is a very bad idea to paint me in a room that is attached to your home. In fact, it may be illegal in some jurisdictions. In addition, the paint fumes are not only super toxic, they are highly flammable. Make sure the devices are wired correctly, and your devices are fully encased with lens covers attached. Last but not least, make sure you have a good quality respirator with filters for the type of paint you use.
Paint Equipment
For tools you'll need at least two pistols, a regulator of the air with a water trap, a compressor, and of course the air pipes. As mentioned earlier, you will need 2 paint guns ... a primer for paint, and another for the base paint and clear coats.
PREP paint
Be sure that your fuel and oil are pressure tested and leak before you start. Ideally, it is good to sand your pieces of metal, especially if they have old paint on them. If you choose not to sand, be sure to sand them really well and dry them with a cleanser based oil before starting work.
The next step is to apply to fill weak spots and problem areas. It is a matter of personal preference, but I want to spray a layer of epoxy primer before spraying on the base layer. This provides a nice basis for the charge to follow. Prepare your load in small quantities (it sets up fast) and apply smoothly and evenly on your part.
After the load is dry, sand smooth with 80 grit and look over all the low spots or chips, then fill and sand again. After the towers needed filling and sanding is finished, it is time to prime time.
Spray a couple of layers of epoxy primer. After the primer has dried, a spray of black paint and spray it lightly on your part. It is the waveguide layer. The mantle of black light will show any wrinkles, depressions or defects in your work at hand. To repair the problem areas that the waveguide layer exposed, you want to use putty instead of filling fluid. Apply sealant into thin uniform layers, it smooths down with 80 grit sandpaper (wrapped around a rubber sanding block). Once you get the higher points race to the bottom, smooth it down with more than 120 grains, then finish at 400 grains. You are now ready for the final round of the primer. Once the primer is dry, sand carefully with 400 grit to give it a serrated surface for the base layer to be observed. I want to spray on a layer of epoxy sealant just before spraying the base color layer. In addition to providing an ideal surface for applying the base color, it also prevents solvent and come through Causin.
