Boy oh boy am I ignorant.

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coffee_brake

New member
I saw a mechanic paint a motorcycle. Once, years ago. He let me watch but I didn't have a mask so I couldn't spray. Then I started painting myself, doing exactly what I saw done before. This is some low-budget stuff, and I only know what I saw those years ago: one color laid down with a box fan ventilation and it was orange-peel when done, but so much better than the horrid bodywork job that it replaced, that I was determined to learn.

Everything's low-dollar: I've done a few of my own jobs now using the same techniques and paint I saw done before. I have a Harbor Freight gun that is completely adequate for metallics and clear, and a larger tip gun for metal flake. So far my jobs are by no means high-dollar custom artwork but they are certainly not high-school rattle-can, and they have held up well to fuel and sun and wear. I'm not a painter or even a mechanic, I'm just one of those folks who has to do a job themselves or not at all. Every paint job I've ever done has been pain staking and slow, labor and time intensive but rewarding for personal use.

Now I have the opportunity to paint a lot more, and this dog needs some new tricks. I need to know more about high-build primer and I need to know better how to paint motorcycle fuel tanks so that the first fuel spill doesn't ruin the clear and bubble up from under the fuel filler cap.
Thus far I have used spray can primers and that's just not good enough. I need something I can put down thick from a gun, and advice on how to make it quality work.
I've also been in the habit of retaining the stock paint under the fuel filler cap and taping off the new clear from around it, but that's not going to work on my new raw-metal custom paint jobs. I have no idea how to make new clear last when fuel touches it, and I can go no further until I do.

I tried to search but I don't even know what the appropriate terms are. I only know how to use Nason brand color and clear, and I'm anxious to know if I could do better jobs with other products. Again, all on a tight budget. I've been very happy with Nason so far but I have a lot to learn. It's gotta be simple, it's gotta be do-able from my woodshed ersatz paint booth, and it's gotta be budget-friendly.

Help please?
 
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tomsteve

New member
welcome!! 1st off, ya dont really want to lay down bc/cc thick. high build primer? yes, but by shooting a few coats to make the film build. primer needs a gun with a larger tip, 1.8-2.2.
the whne it come to base,( and i use nason,too) just enough for coverage, done in coats. then clearcoat the same. on morotcycle tins, i usualy shoot 7-8 medium coats of clear, letting flash the proper time between coats( also with all ohter products).

as for that gas problem, from what i read, it can also be just the fumes that can get under the paint and lift it. the solution? good question!!! i have been using 2 part epoxy weld. its like JB weld. run a bead around the filler neck just enough to cover the paint edge. i have heard of people using fiberglas resin,too.

in all honesty, i hope you can save your pennies to upgrade yer guns( i have a devilbiss startingline with 1.8 for primers, a finishline 3 i use for anything other than automotive, and a tekna for bc/cc. the tekna rocks!). its great yer learning with them and achieveing good results. once ya step up to a better quality gun, yer gonna love it.
 
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coffee_brake

New member
That's an EXCELLENT idea about the fuel cap, thanks!

I don't know how everyone else learned this, but I don't have any way to learn except by asking stupid questions. And I SURE don't have the $$$ for anything more than basic color and clear (I did get a larger tip so I could spray primer). Most of the terminology here is above my head, but I'm trying.
At this stage I don't think I'm good enough at painting to appreciate a really nice gun. I'm just learning how the different chemicals and paints and components go, and spending a lot of time fixing mistakes. Which is how learning is done, so I can't complain, right? But I'd like to learn how to do things better.
 
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tomsteve

New member
my man, yer askin questions and none of them are stupid. theres no sense in spending big buck on paint when practicing. i started shooting paint with a devilbiss startingline gun. i think its the lowest priced and quality gun devilbiss makes. no...wait.. i started with a lil syphon feed gun from home depot! then on to the startingline real quick.
i leanred a lot with the starting line. gun setup( fan paten, fluid control, and air pressure) and gun control( distance from surface, speed of travel, and overlap of each pass) are soething that takes time to leanr and practice is the only way to do it. if i couldnt get good results witht that startingline gun, then the tekna wasnt gonna help
 
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coffee_brake

New member
thanks for that.
I had to strip some old Honda plastics down all the way. Now, as I understand, I need to seal them. I've never seen this done.
So, a coat of sealer and then I can use primer to fill in thirty years worth of nicks and scratches?
 
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tomsteve

New member
since its plastic, i would suggest an adhesion promoter in place of the sealer, then high build primer.
im guessin a dirt bike?
 
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coffee_brake

New member
Then what is the sealer for?

These are old 70's Honda street bike side covers. They're of a white material. I had to strip them because when I tried a coat of adhesion promoter over the scuffed stock paint, it bubbled up immediately. Some kind of weird plastic or paint I guess?
 
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richrd

New member
Check the community colleges in your area. Here in Omaha they offer a very good basic, advanced, and custom series of classes.
 
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coffee_brake

New member
richrd said:
Check the community colleges in your area. Here in Omaha they offer a very good basic, advanced, and custom series of classes.
Click to expand...

I sure wish that was the case. There's a great welding program in the local tech school system, but nothing for painting/bodywork.

I stripped the side covers with a tub of lacquer thinner with a thin cloth draped all around them, tending to them frequently to prevent "melting." Then I hit them with very thin coats of primer until I got good coverage. Then I laid on enough primer to allow me to sand out the scratches and gouges of 30 years.

Then the compressor died and I had to fix it. Or at least try. You can't buy rings for the older Harbor Freight units it seems, so now I have a new compressor and a spare tank to plumb in for a LOT of air.

The last of the primer is waiting sanding. Thanks for the advice. I'm still at a dearth of knowledge about the whole process.
 
slickpaint

slickpaint

New member
Sealer is used to build film thickness, prevent stone chipping, and it will stop any bleed through. I use a 2k sealer from matrix. You can mix the dark with the white to get a "like shade" of what your painting. If im doing bondo repair... I use 2k primer. The sealer is more for new parts, like bumper covers , fenders etc. that dont need repair. You can spray it on then coat with base without sanding.
 
bondofreak

bondofreak

New member
Is that Matrix sealer you use number 1000? I turned mine back in.
It was recalled and discontinued. Just so ya know.
I seal bumpers with reduced epoxy after adhesion promoter.
 
bondofreak

bondofreak

New member
Around the filler neck you need a scuff with 80 grit then 2k seam sealer for bare metal. Seal it with epoxy then go for the high build all wet on wet as far as primer.
 
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coffee_brake

New member
Great, that's exactly the kind of stuff I needed to know, both about the sealer and about the filler cap. I know I'll be using that advice, I was really worried about what to do. Thanks!
 
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