New pain with flames

[JIM_QB]

I want to put ghost flames on my bike it's new so the paint is still good. Do I have to sand the flame area down to base? Or sand it just to give the flames a place to bite into.I have painted for years but it was all on Navy jets no fine detail work and it wasn't base clear system. Any help or advise I could get would be appreciated.I plan to practice first.........

 

[hoss]

you can wet sand it w/ some 800 grit, but don't go through the clear. lay down your flames and reclear the whole thing.

 

[LudicrousSpeed]

Yep. use the existing paint as your base, if that is the color you want, then apply your graphics and reclear everything.

No need to sand off all the existing clear, in fact, you don't want to do that......

 

[MasterxAce]

I would go with a 600 wet before laying the flames down with the fine line... it's almost like color matching only in a design form so to speak. just take your time until you knock the shine which should give you enough bite.

 

[schmidty]

I would wet sand it with 1000 making sure not to hit any edges and burn through. If you burn through in a visible spot you'll have to re-base that piece. For any intricate spots around rivets etc.. try using a fine brillo or scotch brite pad. Scuff it just enough to take the shine off other wise the clear will flkae and peel. Now lay out your graphics and clear...wet sand then re-clear and polish. Simple as that.

 

[Franks_Customs]

You have to sand the clear first with 400-600 because if you don't you won't have a bond. After the chemical bond period expires you have to create a mechanical bond otherwise your paint job will have a chance of failure, maybe not today but sometime in the future. You may want to read the tech sheets on this.