DIY Painting Tips

[stopintime]

For the Termignoni carbon cans... clear or epoxy? If clear, any recommendations?

They are quite dull now and I plan on doing them when they're apart for repacking.

[ducpainter]

2K urethane clear.

Use whatever brand is locally available.

Clean the cans really well before sanding. Soap and water then solvent.

You can use pretty much any fine grit...say 600. CF doesn't show scratches.

Don't be surprised if you see fisheyes when you spray. You might want to plan ahead and buy some urethane type fisheye eliminator. I hate the stuff, but it can be helpful with stubborn UV degraded carbon.

[ChrisK]

DP, I was prepping my tank getting ready to spray color tonight and came across this:


This is that same spot I showed you through email that was damaged during shipping. I couldn't get the stuff you recommended locally so I used a similar product made by Bondo. I followed their directions and I was quite pleased with the results (unprofessional eye). Then last night I sprayed primer and today I found this : (

What do you think is going on and how can I fix it?

[ducpainter]

Sand into it and take another pic.

It almost looks like the primer is bubbling over the filler or the filler is coming off the substrate. Did you sand before applying the putty?

What kind of product did you spray over the area?

[ChrisK]

I sanded before I applied the putty, I applied the putty, I let it dry for a couple hours, I sanded it down to the same grit I had used on its surrounding area, I let it sit for 4 or 5 days with no issues, then I sprayed the primer (purchased from the same company I got the paint I'll be using).

[ducpainter]

You're going to have to sand into it to find where the problem is.

Is the primer an activated product?

[ChrisK]

Is the primer an activated product?

Yes

[ChrisK]

I did some sanding at lunch, it now looks like this:



It's smooth to the touch but doesn't look the greatest. Can you tell anything from the pic?

[ducpainter]

It looks like the filler is bubbling. I'd hit that area with some coarser paper and go a little deeper. You can always spot prime.

It also looks to me like you put the primer on too dry, or the reducer was too fast for the temperature. There appears to be a lot of texture.

[ChrisK]

Yeah it was too dry, does that mean air pressure was too high?

I'm starting to question my ability to properly mask off the stripes, and was curious about S4RS decals. Would a decal set fit my 98 tank properly?

It's not going to be a professional paint job but damnit, it will be my paint job! 

[DarkMonster620]

For the Termignoni carbon cans... clear or epoxy? If clear, any recommendations?

They are quite dull now and I plan on doing them when they're apart for repacking.

For my customer's bike CF, can I do this for all pieces? some are yellowish while others have gone 'brown'

[ducpainter]

Yeah it was too dry, does that mean air pressure was too high?

I'm starting to question my ability to properly mask off the stripes, and was curious about S4RS decals. Would a decal set fit my 98 tank properly?

It's not going to be a professional paint job but damnit, it will be my paint job! 

I don't think it's a pressure issue.

I think you either just moved too fast or the reducer is wrong. The guy that taught me to paint told me you have to have balls like an elephant. That was true back then, but less so now. The materials are much better, and the reducers can control flow. Still...you have to watch what is happening on the surface. Painting is somewhat like welding. You're controlling a liquid puddle. To see what you're doing when welding you have to look past the bright light. Look past the spray gun and watch the surface. You'll know when your hand speed is right. You might go too slow...and cause a sag, but it's primer...you have to sand it anyway.

The S4RS tank is slightly different, but you might be able to make them work. I paint all my stripes.

For my customer's bike CF, can I do this for all pieces? some are yellowish while others have gone 'brown'

No amount of clear will change the color of yellowed carbon.

Paint it or replace it.

[DarkMonster620]

Got it .  .  . I thought it was discoloration of the clear only, OK, will let him know of his options, again, thanks

[ducpainter]

Got it .  .  . I thought it was discoloration of the clear only, OK, will let him know of his options, again, thanks

Older carbon was never cleared. That's why it yellows.

They now have epoxy resins with some UV protection built in.

[DarkMonster620]

Older carbon was never cleared. That's why it yellows.

They now have epoxy resins with some UV protection built in.

He will want to show his CF so . . . might just sand it to smooth out and reclear with a UV resisant coat