Custom Painting Question(s)

[Billy Ricks]

I'd go in for some of the POR-15 clear but I feel strongly that it is not the right product to use if one wants to paint bodywork (tank, side covers, tail, etc.). Also, the POR-15 website warns against opening the containers in a moisture rich area which leads me to think that this stuff is not going to last long if it's not used. Lastly, there is not a huge upside to doing a group buy on this stuff since POR-15 sells it in pint sized containers for only $31.25. Now if a group buy is set up for some Imron or PPG high solids clear/hardner (which is not sold in anything smaller than a quart) a group buy would make more sense to me.

Moisture is a big problem with POR products. It's what cures them so it really wouldn't be practical to break it down into smaller batches.

I'm going to spray the Hardnose product on my frame one of these days. It can be reduced with a little regular lacquer thinner. Poor man's powdercoat.

I have already projected about $300 for materials when I paint so I'm going to go with a single line of product. There are shops here that will sell pints. I'll need white base, two shades of blue, and clear. I don't think I'm even going to use metallics. I'll go ahead and get quarts of the base and the clear. I like a deep looking paint job and usually keep spraying the clear until most of it is used up.

 

[Nessism]

I have already projected about $300 for materials when I paint so I'm going to go with a single line of product. There are shops here that will sell pints. I'll need white base, two shades of blue, and clear. I don't think I'm even going to use metallics. I'll go ahead and get quarts of the base and the clear. I like a deep looking paint job and usually keep spraying the clear until most of it is used up.

Have you priced base coats lately? Unbelievably expensive. I bought one pint of red for my car, PPG basecoat, and it cost me more than $70! Good thing is that you don't need much; one quart will paint the better part of an entire car. Different colors cost different amounts as well due to various costs of the pigments (or so I'm told). At any rate, you don't need quarts.

Good luck.

 

[Billy Ricks]

Have you priced base coats lately? Unbelievably expensive. I bought one pint of red for my car, PPG basecoat, and it cost me more than $70! Good thing is that you don't need much; one quart will paint the better part of an entire car. Different colors cost different amounts as well due to various costs of the pigments (or so I'm told). At any rate, you don't need quarts.

Good luck.

It's been awhile, probably 15 years. I guess I should just get a pint of the base. I should may look into the HOK stuff so for the colors I can just pick up a few ounces. They'd probably be safe with PPG or Dupont anyway. I still have a jar of blue pearl that can be perked up with a little reducer if I decide I want a little over the white base.

 

[Schweisshund]

the way the clear works now is it will get darker and less "shiny" each coat you put on it - you can't get away with 10 coats of clear anymore.

 

[txironhead]

According to my local paint shop (and this guy's been in the business longer than I've been alive) the most expensive pigments are red and green. Something to do with having to use expensive compounds to make them fade resistant. Unfortunately, those were my two color choices for my bike.

It's almost to the point that after you buy the fiberglass, primer, activator/hardener, paint, clear, etc. it's cheaper to just take the parts to a pro shop and have it painted. I do know it's a lot cheaper to do the prep work yourself and just pay for the paint job, they work by the hour and prep work is time consuming. I spent a few days just prepping my sidecovers, but they were broken and had several layers of bad paint on them. Plus, I am a bit anal when it comes to prepwork, since it's the single most important part of a good paint job.

If you're going for just a gloss coat, no metallics, I seriously recommend checking out the Dupli-Color Paint Shop series. It's a new, low-VOC line of enamel that was designed for the home painter. It is a three part (primer, basecoat, clearcoat) system, sold by the pint and available at any O'Reilly's and it's supposed to be really durable, gas-resistant stuff. If they made it in the color I want I'd use it. It does come in white and blue, but no metallics so far.

 

[Schweisshund]

TXironhead, it may have to do with red and blue being primary colors. The three primary colors are red, blue and yellow. No other color can be mixed to get these colors. The 5 colors any airbrush artist should get in squeezable containers are red, yellow, blue, black and white. Then make a color wheel using a large triangle. You can make any color using primary colors. The secret is knowing how to mix them and a color wheel helps.

 

[Schweisshund]

I did an experiment i shouldn't have done with one of my side covers. I sprayed adhesive for the silver leaf then removed the template. I then applied the silver leaf hoping it would be easy to tear it off once the adhesive dried. It looked terrible . I went ahead and wetsanded that sidecover and will just do the silverleaf as I have been doing it. I am doing the final coat on all surfaces that will be painted tmw, so I will just repaint that sidecover.

According to every website I have seen where metal leafing is applied, they do not use a template over the adhesive and the pros make it look so easy to tear the leaf off of the adhesive. I do not know where I am going wrong. I did see pictures of one person using a cotton ball to smooth down the silver leaf.

Am I not waiting long enough for the adhesive to dry or something? Does anyone know the answer to this?

 

[Schweisshund]

Holy Smokin' Chopper Batman!!!!

Holy Smokin' Chopper Batman!!!!

Anyone got $140,000 ? :-D Maybe a group buy and we can each ride it a few hours a year \\/

 

[Schweisshund]

Silver Leaf on a $140,000 Bike

Silver Leaf on a $140,000 Bike

 

[txironhead]

You get that good, I'll definitely take you up on that painting offer!

The disc should be going out tomorrow.

 

[Schweisshund]

I am planning on getting better than that Maybe then I will just break even (lol).

There is a custom chopper shop near where I picked up the 4 oz supply of HoK. Perhaps they will run me off but I am going to poke around and ask some of the artists there what the proper way to apply silver leaf is. If they run me off, I am doomed to learn from the school of hard knocks

Or resort to witchcraft - http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/2963/gilding.html

 

[txironhead]

Keep searching the 'net or look for a book on the process. Somewhere you'll be able to find a definitive process to overcome your hardships.

Perhaps the glue you bought with the leaf wasn't designed for painted surfaces. Or maybe it's a lower-quality leaf than what the custom shops use.

 

[Schweisshund]

I had an epiphany this evening - found a technique that works for me ..... details later (hint: Its gonna look like crap before it looks perfect).

 

[Schweisshund]

Just for those who are following this post and may not know ... I was kidding when I said I could resort to witchcraft:-D I was referring to the link I posted on how to apply gold leaf - the ingredients and methods sound very similar to modern day wicca spells.

In any case, I am unable to get a smooth texture with silver leaf. However, I do like the texture I am getting even though, from the pictures I have seen, isn't supposed to look this way.

I am going to experiment some more and will post pictures soon.

 

[Schweisshund]

Silver Leaf front Fender

Silver Leaf front Fender

I am going to put layer after layer of the stenciled letters you will see on side cover over the front fender silver leaf so they stand out (I guess the only way to make this make sense is to take pictures when I am done) In any case, this is how the front fender looks now:

 

[Schweisshund]

The left side cover

The left side cover

 

[txironhead]

WOW....didn't know you were going to leaf the whole front fender...is that stripe going to continue the length of the bike? That's a lotta leaf!

This may sound strange, but you might try using the underside of a spoon to help smooth out the leaf. It's a trick I use to make sure the edges of my masking tape are stuck down when I'm masking out graphics. Now trying to explain to the wife why one of her teaspoons are missing is another trick.....

Teaspoons for tape, pantyhose for straining paint, fingernail polish for touch-up paint, hairspray for grip glue, acetone (nail polish remover) for cleaning up overspray, Vaseline and KY for easing installation of carbs and airbox, it's no wonder that the few female mechanics I've met are so good, they've got half the materials already and know how to use them!

 

[Schweisshund]

Now you see it

Now you see it

 

[Schweisshund]

Now you don't

Now you don't

 

[Schweisshund]

Needs a couple more layers

Needs a couple more layers

But this is the genral idea