Learning to paint (swingarms, bodywork, etc)

[loply]

Hi folks,

I'm looking to get some experience with repainting parts of my bike(s).

I have a sandblaster and all the know-how on getting parts clean and smoothly prepared, and I've got a nice big compressor with a filtered air supply, and I've got a fairly cheap gravity-fed sprayer.

I know most of the basic facts and all the obvious stuff relating to temperature etc, but I still evidently lack the experience to get a good finish.

Any tips on what to do as practice/exercises so that ultimately I can respray things like swingarms or engine covers and get them right first time?

My problems thusfar range from getting the mixture wrong (too thick/thin) to somehow achieving a "spitty" finish, and usually making a real mess of myself and my garage (too much overspray). I generally feel a bit like I'm guessing.

Any tips from anybody who's gone through this would be helpful.
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Yamaha SZR660 Caution to the wind, the throttle pinned!

[Teaman]

sounds like you have a nice set up.

Ok if you are having to mix your paint yourself follow the instructions carefully. (I mixed most of mine by guesswork, so its milky but if your doing more than one mix you will get a variation in colour.
the trick is to have a fine spray, too heavy and it will run, too light and you will get a roughish finnish.
You have to decide what sort of paint you want. two pack or synthetic, the latter requireing quitre a few coats and is just polished to a shine, two pack needing a few coats and then a few coats of laquer, this will give a nicer finnish in my oppinion but its a lot less forgiving than synthetic, you have a wider choice of colours, pearls, metalics, candy and so on
keep your gun at an equal distance from your work all the time and be light and steady on the speed of moving the gun
say left to right you start moving the gun before your work and pull the trigger just before you would start hitting your work to stop a heavy spray at the start. finnish pulling the trigger just after the end and then do it again right to left but move slightly lower down.
Do not leave it too long between coats but you have to guess when you think the paint is dry enough not to run and tacky enough to get it to stick to the next coat( depends on temp)

feather your lines of paint and use quality masking tape where you have to, don't use the cheep stuff, it doesnt stick very well or it rips your paint off. Don't leave it on too long after either or you will find it difficult to take off.

there is a bit more to it than that but I think if you can suss that you will get it looking quite good. Pick up an old wing or somehting from a scrap yard to practice on


find out more by visiting your local paint mixing shops, (autopaint) they will be more than happy to halp you and advise you on the best choice

oh, there are loads of topics on here for spraying, use the search and you will find them


Stu
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Someone stupid does not realise they r stupid.stupidity is indistinguishable from malice U just have to accept that some people are thick as p1gsh1t and work around them.