[Flyinsolo71]

So all these posts about spary cans got me all fired up and I went for it today on my tank. I have one question though. Is 600 grit paper fine enough for sanding before clear? I am a little concerned because the paint is real dull and foggy looking. I know it is supposed to be but I need some verification before I continue. Any help would be great!

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/paulli71/DSCN0084.jpg

 

[Django]

I think I usually use 1000.

 

[sparkymoffett]

i usually do 1000 and then go over it with 2000. looks good though. yeah sanding before clear and then wetsanding clear makes you wonder how it's going to actually turn out. kind of scary. just gotta kinda trust it

 

[jimmydiesel]

I go with 1200,and it always turns out flawless.However,the finer you go,the better the end result.I was sweating the last one I did for my BSA a little.Transparent candy green over bare polished tank.It had to go on thin,so sanding was stressful.I cleared the shit out of it though.

Looks good so far.I love black and white Trumps.

Jimmy D

 

[sparkymoffett]

jimmy that tank is rad. what brand of product are you using?

 

[tbone16]

I think 600 is going to be a bit rough. If you dont have any thousand, run your 600 over a bench grinder lightly. It will be a bit softer than 1000.

 

[ratrodshrum]

1200 then 2000 wet. then wet sand the clear. Got more pics of the bike?

 

[jimmydiesel]

jimmy that tank is rad. what brand of product are you using?

Sparky,I used the HOK of spray bombs,Duplicolor.They make some pretty wild stuff.They have a new orange I want to try.Another tip for spray bombers is to use good quality paints.Use the $5 can of name brand paint as opposed to the 99 cent bargain barrel stuff.

Jimmy D

 

[Creepinogie]

You'll have better luck if you take two pieces of that 600 and sand them against each other. They will end up alot finer. Better yet, just go and buy some 1000.
LL

and

I think 600 is going to be a bit rough. If you dont have any thousand, run your 600 over a bench grinder lightly. It will be a bit softer than 1000.

 

[scraper]

those tanks look pretty f'n good! are you guys rattle canning your frames too? is it worth the money to at least get the frame powdercoated? im sure ill be bombing my tank & fender so thanks for the tips.

 

[magnet]

What about spray bomb laquer instead of mixing up klear kote or something for automotive applications? Will the bomb laquer work?

 

[tbone16]

What about spray bomb laquer instead of mixing up klear kote or something for automotive applications? Will the bomb laquer work?

I suggest spend 25 on a touch up gun, go to tractor supply and buy your paint and thinner, it will look pretty good. I used a gloss enamal tractor paint on a volkswagen chasis one time, and it came out suprisingly realy good. Thined out, it sprays great, and the touchup gun has alot less clean up. they sell valspar that you thin with naptha, but the other brand they sell thins with specialty reducer and sprays great. However the best cheapo can of paint I have dealt with are the rustoleum satin series. get a quart from home depot for 10 bucks and some acetone to thin it with, and it sprays like sex. Great stuff for the budget minded.

 

[jimmydiesel]

I thought about bombing my frame,but to get the whole thing covered by a rattle can would be maddening.I would never powdercoat a frame (or much of anything actually) It's too expensive and there's alot of hack shops out there.For the frame,I came up with this scenario.We've all got a buddy or two that paints for a living.Black is a cheap,common color.Just have him mix a little extra black next time he paints a black car.Problem solved.Buy him a 12 pack.

Another problem with doing powdercoat is that ultimately you're going to want to weld or grind for adding a new bracket (or removing one) and it's going to look like shit when you try to touch it up.That's just my opinion on powdercoat though.

Jimmy D

 

[Flyinsolo71]

Guys, thanks for the tips...I will use 100o and clean it up. Gonna stripe the white with silver. I will post some pics when I finish up.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f262/paulli71/DSCN0086.jpg

 

[scraper]

jimmydiesel - good points on the powdercoat topic. i agree, rattle canning skinny frame tubes are a waste of paint. i recently built up a 1938 elgin bicycle that i found in the trash for my girl & when i bombed that frame i think %80 of the paint in the can ended up as a cloud sailing down the street.

anyone experiment with those different tips for rattle cans? for different spray patterns. maybe theres a narrow one for small stuff.

 

[tbone16]

jimmydiesel - good points on the powdercoat topic. i agree, rattle canning skinny frame tubes are a waste of paint. i recently built up a 1938 elgin bicycle that i found in the trash for my girl & when i bombed that frame i think %80 of the paint in the can ended up as a cloud sailing down the street.

anyone experiment with those different tips for rattle cans? for different spray patterns. maybe theres a narrow one for small stuff.

The more focused the spray, the more runs you will have. There are several ways of getting different tips, graffiti supply stores sell any differnt cap you can think of. But your still not going to get the sexy spray gun atomization that you just cant beat. Im telling you guys, A cheap paint gun beats the living shit out of bombing. Although I am a huge fan of bombing, paintin my plastics on my dirty bike with Krylon Fusion right now, which actually makes a pretty good adhesion to plastic. Depending on what kind.

 

[JEB]

Hey, what color are you painting that old lump? Send me some pics when you're done.

-JB

The more focused the spray, the more runs you will have. There are several ways of getting different tips, graffiti supply stores sell any differnt cap you can think of. But your still not going to get the sexy spray gun atomization that you just cant beat. Im telling you guys, A cheap paint gun beats the living shit out of bombing. Although I am a huge fan of bombing, paintin my plastics on my dirty bike with Krylon Fusion right now, which actually makes a pretty good adhesion to plastic. Depending on what kind.

 

[jimmydiesel]

I agree that buying a cheapo touch up gun or something would do well for most guys.However,some guys here (I'd bet close to 50%) don't even have a compressor with enough ass to do an adequate job.Nor would many have the first clue or desire to mix their own paint.I have a few years body shop experience,I can actually lay paint and I own a pretty nice DeVillbiss gun.I haven't sprayed paint from it in 2 years.I actually enjoy the challenge of making chicken soup from chicken shit---which is exactly why we build the cars and bikes we do.If we just signed our name to a check and sent it in with our payment book receipt....what fun would that be?Plus,it's real fun for the freakout factor.Who painted your bike?Uh,I did.I like that color.Was it expensive?About $20 for the tank and fender.Wow,how do you get such a discount?The color I want is $500 a quart!!!While a bomb cannot compete with HOK by a very talented guy who will spend the time and money required to do it right....$20 is right up the alley of most of the budget minded $3-4K bike owners on here.No one can say they saw a shitty rattle job on this forum.Most are nothing short of amazing from what I've seen.

This thread has gotten way more posts than I'd ever thought.I wonder if the "bomb" will become a new art form----a cultural phenomenon.If the SO and Easy Rider shows will hand out trophies for "best rattle jobs".I guess with DIY,no billet,no catalog parts people like us take a simple hillrod thing like a rattle can,and push it to the limits of what it will do,it may be stratospheric,yet catastrophic at the same time----just like everything related to motorheads since Discovery channel got ahold of it.

All in all,it's a cheap way to do something great with your bike.Real nice to challenge yourself and see how good you are too.I myself,really have no desire to paint for a living,but for the guys who can lay out "oh my God" paint jobs with the bomb may find a new calling.As I determined in the first 3 months of being in a body shop,it's all prep and finish.You can lay paint with a brush,as long as prep and finish are top notch....the results speak for themselves.That is exactly why this thread is here.

Jimmy D