bikage's guide to spraying bodywork.

not sure if ive posted this before. but it might be useful to some people.

basically, this is a step by step guide to spraying/repairing your bodywork.
in this guide i will be spraying a used rear hugger yellow (bearing in mind that yellow is the hardest colour to be using - as it contains very little pigment and requires many layers)

here is what you will need;
a can of white primer (you dont need much)
can of spray paint (colour of your choice)
a can of laqeur
(all aerosol)
sandpaper
a face mask - essential (the fumes can be toxic)
some light grain sandpaper
vynil rubber gloves (optional)
newspaper (optional)
a spray gun(optional)
cleaning equipment.

first, before you start, i must warn you to do this in a well ventilated area, if you feel sick or dizzy, take a break and get some fresh air. the vapour from spray paint is very toxic.
lay down plenty of newpaper on the area you are going to spray on.
when you have finnished with a paint. turn the can upside down and spray.
it should spray a tiny bit of paint then run clear - you should do this to get rid of any excess paint still in the nozzle, as when it dries, it will cog it up

step 1 - it is essential to clean the part you are spraying very well, if there is grease on the part, the paint wont stick properly. remove any glue residue from stickers, and if you have used filler or something. give it a good sanding to make it as smooth as poss.


step 2- take your primer, give it a good shake for 2 mins or so (this will also help you build up arm muscle)

in this pic, i have used a paint gun. they are very cheap (2 pound i paid for mine) and make it easier giving steady even coats.




spray a light coat of primer on the part, try to apply it as evenly as you can, keeping the can upright at all times and leaving a 30cm gap between the can and the object. once it is covered in primer. leave for 5 mins, and give it another light coat. once done. leave for approx 30mins.
the final outcome should look like this


if the paint runs at all, dont worry, all you have to do is wait the hour. then sand it lightly off smooth again.

see, even i made a mistake here - the paint ran a bit (where i put too much on too soon) but i sanded it smooth and it came out fine.

step 3 - take the can of colour.
i got a yellow mixed up from my local paint shop. all you have to do is take the colour code from your bike and tell him , he should be able to mix you up a can of paint from that number (spot on colour too) and put it in an aerosol can. it cost me 8 quid for 500ml of pearl yellow (cos my paint is a pearlescent)

again, give it a good shake and apply a thin coat of paint. you havent gotta cover the whole thing in one go. if parts are missed in the first coat. leave it and get it again with the second coat. (if you rush it, the paint will run, which means waiting longer, more sanding, and more washing) take your time to save time .

this is my first layer, you will notice that some parts have been missed, and the paint is thicker in places than in others, but if you pay more attention to the missed bits on the second coat. it turns out even.

after a sucessful layer. leave it 15 mins and apply a second layer, dont leave it any longer than 30 mins between layers as dust and moisture is likely to build up which will cause it to blister.

after a few layers, give it a proper inspection and ensure all parts are receiving a good seeing to.


step 4 - after a few coats and the part is looking pretty damn good. its time for laquer. the laquer is basically the protective coating that will also provide that "showroom shine"

give the can a good shaking. then give a thin coat of laquer, followed by another thin coat. (not forgetting to clear the nozzle)

leave the laquer for about 12 hours to set properly
(no touching to see if it is dry - as this will leave suspicious finger prints)

12 hours later - job done.

before


after



on the bike (please note - the colour of the bodywork and the hugger is identical, is it just the build up of dirt that makes the colour look a bit different - honest)

That's an interesting and useful guide. Thanks

I've been respraying a couple of panels myself this weekend and found that I get a slight rough surface (kind of a very subtle orange peeley look) after the colour layer has dried.
Did you or anyone else experience this? Will the clear laquer coat fix this or do I need to sand back?


Cheers

Jason

[Viney]

Rubbing compund will bring out orange peel.

the orange peel could be where the paint (either primer or paint) hasnt been shook up properly,

mine had a very slight texture to it, but the laquer cured it.

so today I tried to go to a paint shop for car, same thing as you did,

however when I told him I wanted a can of YC2 blue for my SV, he told me he had no clue what that was, ....

so what's te deal ?
he expalined that the color obtained is a candy color on my bike meaning it has 3 coats

so last one is clear coat, fine
but what do I do with the other coats?
1st coat plain primer white? or grey ?
then the middle coat ?!?!? YC2 ? didi I just not find the right guy to know what I was talking about?

what else but YC2 do they need to know ?

when your bike is sprayed in a factory, it is given many different coats of paint.
then hardbaked in a heated room
the process is long and expensive.

the reason for you having a paint code, is so you can get paint mixed up yourself.
the paint you can buy, is basically an emulated version of the above process, (meaning that the paint that is mixed will match the paint that is already on your bike)

basically my advice would be to try a different paint shop.

when your bike is sprayed in a factory, it is given many different coats of paint.
then hardbaked in a heated room
the process is long and expensive.

the reason for you having a paint code, is so you can get paint mixed up yourself.
the paint you can buy, is basically an emulated version of the above process, (meaning that the paint that is mixed will match the paint that is already on your bike)

basically my advice would be to try a different paint shop.

ok, I understand better thanks

well I called 20 shops, visited 2, none of them can match the YC2 code, ...
Anyone has a clue ?

where'd all the pictures go?