Fixing Stripes? Clear Coat Question

[TomE]

I need to repair the orange strips on my 1981 GS11090E. It's the black model with the orange stripes. I found were I can get replacement decals, at Reproduction decals, and they look very good. (Thanks for the welcome package!

But... My stock decals are under a layer of clear coat. This makes fixing things a bit awkward without repainting the whole bike.

What I am thinking of doing is to carefully cut out the damaged parts with a razor blade and peel just the damaged portion off. (I have tried this on a small spot and it works.) I could then splice portions of the new decal in and when dry, spray the whole part with another layer of Dupli-color Acrylic Enamel Clear coat. In fact, if I spray three or four coats and then use 2000 grit and compound, I am thinking I will get a real nice coat.

Does anyone know if this might work? Might this new layer of clear coat hide the white edges of the layer I must cut to get the damaged portion of the decal out?

Does anyone know if I am risking melting the original paint? (I will try this on a hidden portion, perhaps the underside of the tank?)

Thanks,

[Billy Ricks]

Rattle can clear won't hold up to fuel spills. Here's a link for a 2 part clear in a rattle can. http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_2_part_2k_aerosol.cfm

[duaneage]

Not to be cruel but if you want it to look right the best thing to do is have the tank repainted and done right. Anything else is going to look bad.

If the tank is dent free it goes a lot easier. A professional paint shop should be able to match the paint closely. And clear over applied decals. It takes real skill and unless you know what you are doing you will end up ruining the paint you have now AND the new decals.

[TomE]

Thanks Billy, that two part clear coat looks like just the right stuff. It's easier to use and cheaper than the catalyzed clear coat I used on my last project. If it's anything like the two part Martin Senior paint I used on the Gold wing, it will be tough.

And I could still say that the paint was "original."

I will try it on a small part, I think, and if it works, all is good. If not, well I can always do something more drastic.

[Guest]

If the decals are "raised" I would try sanding back just the decals, then aplying new decals and then clearcoating (2 pot) everything for a uniform result. It would take a lot of care not to scratch the base coat in places not covered by the decals but I think it could be done.

[Billy Ricks]

If the decals are "raised" I would try sanding back just the decals, then aplying new decals and then clearcoating (2 pot) everything for a uniform result. It would take a lot of care not to scratch the base coat in places not covered by the decals but I think it could be done.

That's what I would do. Just try to lay the new decals directly on top of the old.

[Nessism]

I agree with duane.

[TomE]

It's odd, but in the places were the decals are exposed, they almost fall off. There is no, none, nada adhesive under the decals. A straight razor blade, wielded with care, will take them off without damage to the underlying clear coat. I do have to put a small scratch on the top layer of clear on both sides of the decal, so the upper layer of clear will part there, but then it all basically falls off.

This leaves me with a trough, so to speak, one layer of clear deep, for the new decal, if I choose to use it this way. If I do the old tape splicing trick of positioning the new decal over the remainder of the old, and cutting both with the same cut, I will end up with the "perfect" fit replacement. If more of the old decal does not fall off, that is.

My biggest concern is the white edge left by the upper layer of clear. But I suspect that it all will turn transparent when the new layer of clear goes on.

And to those of you expressing concern, well, you do have a point. This is a bit of a "quick and dirty" fix. But it just might work well. If it does not, well, I didn't like Black anyway. If the bike was not so close to being perfect, I would paint it bright screaming yellow, with yellow rims and give it cafe bars. And perhaps a full sport fairing.

Or perhaps I should get good with a pin striping brush!

[duaneage]

Or perhaps I should get good with a pin striping brush!

Yes. You should.

I don't think the replacement stripes will match. There are subtle differences caused by production tolerances, temperature, and application pressure that make it nearly impossible to get it right. The width might be different. color won't match the rest of the bike, in general it's going to look, well, amateur. There I said it. don't hit me.

Get some 3000 and 2000 grit paper and wetsand down the tank. You might be able to use a roll of pin stripe to get it close and then have it cleared.

I painted a tank 4 times until I wa at least satisfied with it. It's a bit-ch to get it right. I would consider the painting of a stripe only because it's bound to be easier to stay in the boundary with a brush.

[TomE]

I talked to a friend of mine who does paint and body work and he had a good idea.

First, Paul tells me to use fine line 2 mil tape to outline the area where the new decal goes. I use a razor blade for some of the final tape shaping. I fill the spots where the decal is damaged with glazing compound (or perhaps clear coat). I sand the clear coat over the decal, and the glazing compound till I get a level surface. This is done with 1000 grit wet or dry sandpaper and a flexible sanding pad. By hand. I then install a new decal over the old (no cutting of the decal) and give the surface a new layer or two of clear coat.

After taking the fine line tape off, I sand to get rid of the edges, polish, and wax.

This works for Paul, and it seems like something I can do, since I have some experience in the area. And any way, what have I got to loose? Worst case, I paint the bike yellow!

[duaneage]

Have your friend do this operation. Seriously, things like that work but the skill required is considerable and it's easy to make a mistake.

I would use 2000 grit or higher and take it slow. These types of magic tricks are tough to pull off.