painting fairings, advice and suggestions

[zedxten]

im new to painting although i have seen a lot of it. im sick of waiting for painters to do my work so im going to teach myself.
im currently working on a suzuki Tl1000R, what is the best grade paper to flatten the existing clear for new base 2 pack application?

also what tips can you give me for spraying fairings, as they are not like a flat panel, lots of curves, indentations & recesses etc what is my best plan of attack to avoid dry spots and runs and get a nice deep looking finish?
are there any vids showing this technique?

i have just bought myself new spray gear so im keen to learn

Thanks everyone
Wayne:goodbye:

 

[zedxten]

ok, i have started on the 2 tone tank, im going better than i expected with minor hiccups.
i just painted the white lower half, the base looks a bit orange peely but i will see how it goes once cleared. can a slightly cooler temperature contribute to that?

 

[TAZ]

You want to spray your base on with medium wetcoats. Make them then so you don't get orange peel in the base. Don't try to get all the gloss with the basecoats. your clearcoat will bring out the gloss.

The cool weather would have nothing to do with the orange peels. Take your time and practice practice practice.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[zedxten]

i have just done a primer repair, what is the general rule for - how long do i leave the primer to dry before i basecoat it?
thanks

 

[TAZ]

Primer- normally you want to wait until the next day. You will need to sand this (normally 320 or finer) before painting.
Sealer-You can spray the basecoat over the sealer normally within about 10 minutes or so.

 

[zedxten]

Thanks Taz, im not an expert but what is the sealer for? cant i just base coat over my rubbed primer?

i had some bare metal showing, so i etch primed that, then sprayed 2 coats of 2k primer over that, and next step ( i thought ) was rub primer and spray base coat?

can you explain a little about sealers to me? what they are for and when needed etc? thanks so much

 

[TAZ]

Sure, you can spray directly over the primer.
But let's say you have a beige colored primer and you are wanting to spray a dark blue over it. Sure you can get the dark blue to cover. It'll probably take about 5 coats of base (at least).
But if you sprayed a black sealer over the primer, then sprayed the dark blue metallic basecoat over the sealer, it will take less base and make it quite a bit easier to spray.

Another example when it's a good idea to use sealer, if you have a lot of sand through spots on your fairings (or whatever). Once you spray the sealer, it will be consistant in color for you to apply the base over.

Sealer is supposed to give your new paint better hold out as well.

We pretty much seal everything.

 

[zedxten]

Thanks Taz, i live in Tasmania, we refer to it as Taz lol.
i understand what you mean now. thanks for the explanation. so is sealer available in different colours too? so you can choose what you need according to the base colour?
to me it seems like an extra step that is not needed but in you saying you seal everything there must be some advantages there that experience makes you realize.

since i have started having a play with painting im loving it, i have been thinking of getting as good as possible and then start doing some jobs for others

i seen a promotion advertised on here for free motorcycle painting tips by jimbo Curley, im tempted to buy his dvd package, Any thoughts on that ?
thanks again, i really appreciate your help:bigokay:

 

[TAZ]

Pretty cool about Tasmania!!!
Sealer is available in different colors, but the most common is red, white, black, and gray (or you can make your own gray with white and black).
We use it pretty much on all jobs, mainly to have a good color groundcoat under the basecoat we would be spraying.
Your job will still come out fine without it AS LONG as you have good coverage of your basecoat.

Didn't know Jimbo was offering a CD. Actually, he's not suppose to on this forum. Please send a link to this DVD.
Thank you

 

[zedxten]

Pretty cool about Tasmania!!!
Sealer is available in different colors, but the most common is red, white, black, and gray (or you can make your own gray with white and black).
We use it pretty much on all jobs, mainly to have a good color groundcoat under the basecoat we would be spraying.
Your job will still come out fine without it AS LONG as you have good coverage of your basecoat.

Didn't know Jimbo was offering a CD. Actually, he's not suppose to on this forum. Please send a link to this DVD.
Thank you

Hi Taz
i found the little ad while browsing this forum, i havent seen it since though. im really tempted to buy his platinum package as it seems like it would be good.
any feedback welcome
:bigokay:

 

[zedxten]

sorry i should of Pm'd that link

quick question please
my side fairing are brand new oem, they are painted with some graphic decals over the top of the paint with no clear over them.
i want to clear the fairings for protection of the decals and an even better durable finish. what is the best way to achieve this? i know i will need to rubb the paintwork with 1500 prior to clearing but what about the decals? do i just rub right up next to them?

 

[TAZ]

Thanks Zedxten, glad you recognized that. I appreciate that. I did check it out, can from what I see, it does seem like a decent DVD group...from what I see on his website.

As far as your sanding question, you should be all right just clearing over the decals. Realistically, there is nothing you can do for prep on these. I just did a H-D tank with a larger decal on the side. Actually, I've probably did about 40 of these type, but I just finished one and all you can do is just clear over them. I guess the clear 'bites' into the decals.
You will just need to sand up to them as close as possible. 1000 grit will be fine. A little coarser than the 1500 grit.