DIY Painting Tips

[Big Troubled Bear]

OK, here's a new question: I have a '99 750 Monster in Yellow. I have adapted the small fairing from an S2R to it, the fairing is also yellow, but they aren't the same yellow, by any stretch. the bike is bright, deep yellow, and the fairing is more of a creamy yellow. But color-rite only lists one yellow for all the Monsters and Superports from '99 through '08. Are they wrong? or has the paint color drifted over time that much?

I want to have the bike repainted in a tri-colore scheme, but that is budget-limited, i was thinking a rattle-can of
color-rite yellow would make the fairing less of an eyesore. based on my quick research, i have no idea whether or not that will do what i want.

any suggestions?

DP is right about the paint colors, I have done numerous demo bike repair jobs on ducati`s and the colors are definitly not always the same, also the plastics and metal parts tend to discolor differantly with age and the amount of uv exposure.

I always try to repaint the complete bike than to just repaint panels, but that is totally customer dependant.
The other problem is that us so called professional painters do a better job of painting than the factory mass produced stuff so a single panel repair job could turn out nicer than the old stuff still on the bike.

So the answer is to save your money and paint the bike the way you want it

[jimh]

thanks, guys! i'll just keep riding it, grinning all the way, and feeding the piggy bank!

[fulltilt]

Wash it, sand it with 220, prime the living shit out of it, and sand with 400 after all the holes are filled. Seal and paint.

You can use polyester putty to fill the stubborn pinholes and re-prime.

Sorry I wasn't clear.  I am hoping to refinish carbon fiber parts with a clear coat so the carbon fiber looks good again.  Should I just clear coat the sheit out of it?  Possible? How best to do it?

[ducpainter]

Sorry I wasn't clear.  I am hoping to refinish carbon fiber parts with a clear coat so the carbon fiber looks good again.  Should I just clear coat the sheit out of it?  Possible? How best to do it?

I did misunderstand.

Wash it, sand with 400/600...

and clear.

The quality of the carbon, meaning if it was built for strength or appearance, will dictate the next step.

If you see a bunch of holes, wet sand with P800 and fill each hole with a brush with activated but unreduced clear.

Let it cure and wet sand again with P800...

continue until you don't see any holes.

We're having some fun now.

Keep in mind if the carbon has discolored this won't fix it.

[fulltilt]

I was imagining a non-clear primer.  I think I'm clear now (pun intended)
Molto obrigado!!
Muchas Gracias
Merci Bou coup

[Gimpy]

That's a bunch of questions.   

I use a sandable modified epoxy surfacer, an activated urethane sealer, urethane base and activated acrylic urethane clear.

Sand for primer with P180. Sand primer with P400 dry, or P600 wet. Apply sealer and let dry according to manu recs. Only sand color to remove dust nibs...it shouldn't go on peely. Once you're satisfied with your color wait for the recommended time and then clear. 2-3 coats is good. I usually then sand the clear with P800 or 1000 wet and re-clear.

Where do you  put the filler?  I know some people that put it straight on, and some that swear that you need to put it on top of the first primer layer?

Also can you recommend a good filler?  I have used a bunch of cheepies, and one crazy expensive one from Tap plastics. (I don't know what I was thinking  )  I always tend to get stuck on the outside of sands away too quickly or is too hard to work with.

Thank you for helping all the little guys.   

[ducpainter]

Where do you  put the filler?  I know some people that put it straight on, and some that swear that you need to put it on top of the first primer layer?

Also can you recommend a good filler?  I have used a bunch of cheepies, and one crazy expensive one from Tap plastics. (I don't know what I was thinking  )  I always tend to get stuck on the outside of sands away too quickly or is too hard to work with.

Thank you for helping all the little guys.   

I put the filler on on top of the epoxy after scuffing it if the part has been taken to bare metal. If you are working over an OEM finish I sand the area with 36 grit paper/disc and fill on the bare metal.

I use evercoat Rage Gold for filler and evercoat easy sand polyester putties. The purple label evercoat products are the best sanding IMO and offer good adhesion and they claim has zinc to combat corrosion.

I always tend to get stuck on the outside of sands away too quickly or is too hard to work with.

huh?

[Gimpy]

I'm gonna blame the last sentence on painkillers.     I almost picked up a tube of that evercoat easy sand last time I was at the paint store.  If they have it, I'll give the Rage gold a shot too.  Thanks so much.

[ducpainter]

I'm gonna blame the last sentence on painkillers.     I almost picked up a tube of that evercoat easy sand last time I was at the paint store.  If they have it, I'll give the Rage gold a shot too.  Thanks so much.

If you are working on plastic the process is a bit different.

Let me know.

The evercoat products work well for me. Remember...purple label.

[Gimpy]

What do you do for plastic?  I will be doing a bit of everything on the next bike.  Metal, plastic, and fiber glass.  I wasn't planning on doing anything different, with the exception of adding some flex agents to the plastic fender pieces. 

[ducpainter]

What do you do for plastic?  I will be doing a bit of everything on the next bike.  Metal, plastic, and fiber glass.  I wasn't planning on doing anything different, with the exception of adding some flex agents to the plastic fender pieces. 

Unless the fender is extremely flexible, like a car bumper cover, skip the flex agent.

Duc fenders are actually pretty rigid as are all of the plastics on most bikes.

You must use an adhesion promoter before priming and do your filling over the primer. Another option is to use SEM plastic repair products as fillers. You still need to use an adhesion promoter before you prime on all bare plastic. When spraying adhesion promoters be sure not to spray too heavy. It will cause you all kinds of issues.

Fiberglass is easier. No adhesion promoters, and can be treated like metal as far as the fillers are concerned.

[Major Slow]

You must use an adhesion promoter before priming and do your filling over the primer. Another option is to use SEM plastic repair products as fillers. You still need to use an adhesion promoter before you prime on all bare plastic. When spraying adhesion promoters be sure not to spray too heavy. It will cause you all kinds of issues.

What do you use for an adhesion promoter?

[ducpainter]

What do you use for an adhesion promoter?

I use HOK AP-01 for most plastics. Fiberglass and c/f are not plastics.

It is only available in quarts. It will take a long time to use that much. If you want a smaller quantity I've used S-W products that are available in a spray can that worked well.

I don't like spray cans...there is very little control of the spray and it is easy to get it too heavy. If you spray adhesion promoter heavy enough to sag it will swell the plastic and make life miserable. It also will not work as intended.

[Gimpy]

That's good to know. My friend wants me to paint his Honda.  I'll let him know the price of materials just went up.   

[Zaster]

Can you enlighten me about compressor ratings?
The detail HVLP gun I'm looking at requires 8 CFM @ 30 PSI
My compressor is rated at 6.4 CFM @ 90 PSI and I can't find a conversion or
formula that gives me the CFM rating for my cmpressor at 30 PSI.
What say the expert? (20 gal tank and 4.5 hp rating).