DIY Painting Tips

[ChrisK]

Cool, thank you.

What kind of tape do you use to mask off stuff like racing stripes?

[Gossamer_in_FLL]

Duc, I don't have a question...I just wanted to say a big "THANK YOU" for what you're doing on this thread man.  I've never...EVER...seen anyone so freely and throughroughly lend their expertise as you're doing here.

It's people like you doing things like this thread that I got into this forum.

[ChrisK]

^^^ What he said. Anyone else think this thread should be a "sticky" at the top?

[ducpainter]

Cool, thank you.

What kind of tape do you use to mask off stuff like racing stripes?

It depends if it's straight or curved.

Straight I use 3M green fine line tape...curved I use the blue...now it's purple.

[ducpainter]

^^^ What he said. Anyone else think this thread should be a "sticky" at the top?

It used to be stickied.

The idea of this was to offer pro advice using pro materials and methods.

People started to offer advice based on less than professional methods so I unstickied it.

[theoneillusion]

So I got the tank down to level, put on an adhesion promoter and put on a few coats of MP171 epoxy primer. Then I put on the first two coats of the base color. Had to sand it smooth because of how the 171 went on without reduction. Going to put on 3-4 more coats of base (hopefully without having to sand in between each coat) then it is onto the stripes. I looked through this thread and didn't see this question, but I may have missed it. What is the best way to do the stripes? I'm painting them on and not sure which is the best route:

Should I sand the basecoat to 1200 grit to give nice smooth surface for tape and to avoid bleedthrough then spray on the red stripe and apply the 3 coats of clear?

Thanks again!

[ducpainter]

So I got the tank down to level, put on an adhesion promoter and put on a few coats of MP171 epoxy primer. Then I put on the first two coats of the base color. Had to sand it smooth because of how the 171 went on without reduction. Going to put on 3-4 more coats of base (hopefully without having to sand in between each coat) then it is onto the stripes. I looked through this thread and didn't see this question, but I may have missed it. What is the best way to do the stripes? I'm painting them on and not sure which is the best route:

Should I sand the basecoat to 1200 grit to give nice smooth surface for tape and to avoid bleedthrough then spray on the red stripe and apply the 3 coats of clear?

Thanks again!

What kind of tank?

Steel or plastic?

Epoxies generally don't need things applied under them. They have excellent adhesion on their own. In fact, an etching primer will cause epoxy to peel off in sheets.

The last coat of basecoat should not be sanded, and needs to be smooth enough for tape. There is too much danger of seeing sand scratches. Apply it, let it dry for about an hour, tape your stripes and spray. Let the stripes dry about 15 minutes or so, peel the tape, clean with a final wash to remove any fingerprints from taping...usually water based, tack wipe, and clear. Some people use Sprayway glass cleaner Depending on brand of paint, that should happen within a maximum of 24 hours of applying the last coat of the main color.

[oldndumb]

I have painted several vehicles in the past and wish I had then known someone as knowledgeable, reliable, trustworthy, and willing to share the tricks of his trade as ducpainter. It would have saved me countless hours of rework. My hat is off to you, sir! And if anyone thinks painting is not an exact, and often, unforgiving process, they need to read all of his posts and advice.
 

[theoneillusion]

What kind of tank?

Steel or plastic?

Epoxies generally don't need things applied under them. They have excellent adhesion on their own. In fact, an etching primer will cause epoxy to peel off in sheets.

The last coat of basecoat should not be sanded, and needs to be smooth enough for tape. There is too much danger of seeing sand scratches. Apply it, let it dry for about an hour, tape your stripes and spray. Let the stripes dry about 15 minutes or so, peel the tape, clean with a final wash to remove any fingerprints from taping...usually water based, tack wipe, and clear. Some people use Sprayway glass cleaner Depending on brand of paint, that should happen within a maximum of 24 hours of applying the last coat of the main color.

It is a plastic S4RS tank. Thank you for all the guidance but I just hit a roadblock I'm wishing I hadn't used the adhesion promoter. I'm guessing it is what caused this. The crack has grown over the last day. Is my best bet to just let it run its course, dry compltely, and stop cracking then fill and basecoat? Strangely enough this is only happening on the tank and not the cowl or fairing. Used bulldog adhesion promoter, then MP171 epoxy primer, then basecoats. (p.s. the mottled texture is just water after wet sanding, though don't ask me why I bothered to wetsand when there is a huge crack)

[ducpainter]

It is a plastic S4RS tank. Thank you for all the guidance but I just hit a roadblock I'm wishing I hadn't used the adhesion promoter. I'm guessing it is what caused this. The crack has grown over the last day. Is my best bet to just let it run its course, dry compltely, and stop cracking then fill and basecoat? Strangely enough this is only happening on the tank and not the cowl or fairing. Used bulldog adhesion promoter, then MP171 epoxy primer, then basecoats. (p.s. the mottled texture is just water after wet sanding, though don't ask me why I bothered to wetsand when there is a huge crack)

I'm thinking the same. It might have been a heavy spot of the Bulldog, or of the MP-171. What is certain is something did not stick to the substrate and the crack is the result of the material shrinking.

I wouldn't fill it.

If it were my bike I'd sand down to whatever layer of material wasn't cracked and then surface back up to level.

If it was a customers bike I'd remove all the paint down to the factory coating and start over.

[theoneillusion]

You're right, but I sure wish you weren't   
The crack is only getting worse and others are cropping up so I'm going to take it back down. Would you advise against using a chemical paint stripper because the tank is plastic? Good old fashioned heavy grit sandpaper and elbow grease? I'm going to skip the adhesion promoter this go around and just give it a good scuffing with some heavy grit and apply the MP171 w/ 10% reducer to (hopefully) allow it to set smoother then move onto the base coats. Can you see any potential problems going this route?

Thanks,
Dave

[ducpainter]

You're right, but I sure wish you weren't   
The crack is only getting worse and others are cropping up so I'm going to take it back down. Would you advise against using a chemical paint stripper because the tank is plastic? Good old fashioned heavy grit sandpaper and elbow grease? I'm going to skip the adhesion promoter this go around and just give it a good scuffing with some heavy grit and apply the MP171 w/ 10% reducer to (hopefully) allow it to set smoother then move onto the base coats. Can you see any potential problems going this route?

Thanks,
Dave

Chemical strippers will make this nightmare worse on plastic.

Here's what I'd do...Don't be bashful with grit...use 100 to sand off all the bad juju.

Use the MP and then use a urethane surfacer. I don't use PPG because of the insane price, but there may be something in the OMNI line that isn't too bad. There are other brands that work. I understand it's another quart of material, but it will make your life easier.

Sand it out with 400 dry, or 600 wet...seal...You can reduce the MP up to 50% and use it as a sealer...trust me, and shoot your base. If you aren't going to seal step up to 600 dry or 800 wet.

[theoneillusion]

Chemical strippers will make this nightmare worse on plastic.

Here's what I'd do...Don't be bashful with grit...use 100 to sand off all the bad juju.

Use the MP and then use a urethane surfacer. I don't use PPG because of the insane price, but there may be something in the OMNI line that isn't too bad. There are other brands that work. I understand it's another quart of material, but it will make your life easier.

Sand it out with 400 dry, or 600 wet...seal...You can reduce the MP up to 50% and use it as a sealer...trust me, and shoot your base. If you aren't going to seal step up to 600 dry or 800 wet.

Starting to sand tonight, I'll use 100 to get it back down to genesis. Apply two coats of MP171, apply two coats of surfacer, sand with 600 wet, thin MP171 to 50% and apply as a sealer then move onto the base. Did I read that correctly?

Again, thank you. Wish I could pay you back in some way.

[ducpainter]

Starting to sand tonight, I'll use 100 to get it back down to genesis. Apply two coats of MP171, apply two coats of surfacer, sand with 600 wet, thin MP171 to 50% and apply as a sealer then move onto the base. Did I read that correctly?

Again, thank you. Wish I could pay you back in some way.

Yes...except I'd use 3 coats of surfacer. 100 scratches are pretty aggressive. The reason I recommend 100 is because you'll be there forever with anything finer. You could step up to 180/220 to finish to allow less primer build.

The MP 171 will 'handle' much differently reduced. Spray enough to just cover in one coat...don't use a heavy coat, but you want it smooth. Use urethane reducer for the temp you're working at. 50% is max and will depend on your gun whether you actually need that much.

Wait at least 30 minutes after you seal to allow the reducer to evaporate. You have a long window with the MP so you could even wait over night with no sanding necessary.

Good luck.

Make a donation to the forum... http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=1241.0

[ChrisK]

Planning on spraying matte clear and I also have black vinyl decals for the sides of the tank. Can I spray the clear over them? I know I could if it were gloss clear, but wasn't sure about matte.