Total noob please help....

[wiskey]

Ok I will admit it the only thing I have ever painted has been RC car bodies and Rc planes. I just bought a 84 honda shadow 700 and although the rest of the paint is fine the top of the tank is destroyed (paint only of course).

I know that I need to sand down to bare metal primer, mutiple coats, then paint multiple coats, and clear. I don't think I am skilled enough to do anything more than basic black, (color of the rest of it).

My questions are as follows,

1. I am poor and am wondering if there are any rattle can paints avalable at local hardwhere stores that will work and last (alond with approiprate primer and clear)?? If not where should I look for a cheap paint and do I need a airbrush??

2. Dealer wants $18.75 a peice for those honda wing decals is there anywhere I can get them cheaper???

3. Some of the formaly black plastic has faded can I use a flat black to bring back their luster? If so how can it best be done?

Thank-you for helping a noob.

 

[Mac_Muz]

Hi.... Kinda odd no one replied here... Might be these guys never use spray cans...

If I was you I would strip the paint with a liquid stripper. It is much faster than sanding.

Once you have stripped the paint, I would go for a quick sand with 320 grit dry wrapped on a block made for sanding.

This will show you low spots and any irregularities.

From there a good light filler can be applied to fair out the tank. Then priming can take place.

Sand the primer with 400 wet, and then choose the paint...

Spray can paint is something I tried with limited success. It take months for a true dry how ever, depending on what brand used.

Make sure ALL the paints and clears come from the same company, and ARE compatible with one another.

Get the primer on right and choose 2 colors of it.... One dark and one light.

You can not add primer over the paint to fix something, so once you think you have things right, use the other color primer to see if it is right.......

For example you picked gray and black primer.

You think you have the gray on right, so shoot the black, allow it to dry and sand it wet with 400 again.... If you are right then no high spots or low spots will show.

Painting with spray cans is like painting with automotive paints in some ways...

SO the first coat is a tack coat. This mean a very light coating that you can see thru easy.

Allow that to sort of dry (Flash) before you add more paint.

I learned hear sometime back about this.

What happens is the solvents in the paint are given time to dry some what.. At the right time before the pigment has had time to set up to much, you re-coat and the solvents this time disolve the tack coat and cause the pigments to blend, and also aid in preventing any runs...

A big problem with spray cans is the time the solvents take to leave, and so runs are more common.

Since the solvents and the pigments can stay "wet" for months sanding out a run becomes a night mare and ruins sand paper in a heart beat.

The 2nd coat might still be see thru, so let it be. Again allow for flash, and shoot a 3rd time.

Some spray cans will let you shoot again in 30 to 60 minutes...

If you ignor this you will get runs for sure if you don't tack coat first....

I have no idea where aftermarket decals can be had for Honda.. Mac..... yeah the same Mac

 

[rex]

Sorry Whiskey,I've been in and out and missed you.I've never played with spraycans so Mac's the man here,there are some decent spraycan paints out there so if you stay with lacquers and can handle the buffing and upkeep it won't be too bad.It sounds like you can't use a compressor and gun so it really limits you.

 

[Ultra Al]

If you do the sanding filling and priming maybe you can get by shooting a base coat with rattle cans then wet sand and see if you can get someone to spray on the clear coat for cheap,. Al

 

[Loopy]

bear in mind i'm from the uk, so things can be slightly different here.
i used to use cans all the time, before i could afford paint and got set up properly, i started using proper paint and guns just for adding clear !
pick any colour, metalics and pearls just need more cans.
only use the standard primer, never hi-build
make sure primer is PERFECT (and even)
leave primer for several days to harden then give it a quick dry once over with 800 to key and check for any sinkage.
spray first coat see-through thin
wait 10 mins
spray 2nd coat so you can start to see colour
wait 10 mins
keep going ! it takes a while !
try not to develop dry areas, its easy done and trying to correct it will cause a run, keep your coats light, fast and even
on a tank work from bottom of one side, over the top and down the other with side to side strokes, if each pass doesn't try to blend with the last, speed up, shorten passes, 95% overlap, anything but get it blending !
for clear, slow down slightly and leave for 20 mins between coats, if you try to keep wet perfectly it WILL run, accept you may have to compound it later so get enough clear on !
then leave for a week before compounding smooth / polishing
take care for a month ? it's fragile for a while.
genuine honda paint seems compatable with just about anything, i probably used 10 different brands doing "honda candy apple red" (very nice by the way, and so easy)
get the genuine honda stickers if you must have them, never seen good copies.
you can clear over them with cans but it will give you bad dreams and cold sweats.
do a coat, get some fresh air,have a drink, have a marlboro, do another coat, easy way to time cans perfectly !
little, fast, wet, often. don't go back to wet up, don't try to correct, just hope next one covers it.
be brave, it will become an addictive paying hobby, try a new colour, mix and match, fade ins, multi colours, all for a couple of dollars a throw
(find makes of cans that spray fine wet mists, some throw spatters of paint, even i struggle with those !)
from a fellow rattler, good luck and have fun.