Winter checklist: Paint prep and color.

caseyjones955 · Feb 29, 2016

Damn. The paint guy said I better clear it today, something about it being bad to let it sit to long before going over the paint. Not about popping the can bottom to mix the two parts, some other reason. I got two coats on and the second can of clear is defective. eff. I cant get to town today for a replacement. I'm hoping this is ok because I would like to fix a couple small areas and put a couple more clearcoat coats on next week. I have to work 7 days in the field Wed and I wont be home until next Wednesday. I was hoping to get this done before I leave, but nope! haha

Does it make sense to let this completely dry and then go over it again in a week after a couple spot fixes? I have never worked with this kind of clear coat before but it seems to come with some pretty specific do's and dont's. Any input appreciated. This color really looks cool with a shine on it!

Thanks.

caseyjones955 · Mar 1, 2016

I replaced the can of clear coat today, I figure I can get two more decent coats with it. I will probably wet sand with 1000, smooth out a couple little lint buggers and spray the last two coats.

The pics make it real easy to see orange peel, but it's hard to see in person. How it appears in the pic is probably what it will look like on the bike but I have a little more work to do. I spent a fair amount of time with prep and the paint went on really well, my downfall was spraying in poor conditions and with that exception this has gone very well. I'll find a cleaner place to spray the last two coats.

DMAN999 · Mar 1, 2016

You can wet sand with 2000 grit sandpape and buff out any orange peel you end up with pretty easily.
There are plenty of videos of doing that on Youtube.

caseyjones955 · Mar 2, 2016

Your saying 2000 grit after the final coat of clear coat is on? Is there a finishing compound I should use after that to bring out the shine?

I'll spend the time to cut down on the orange peel effect, I'm working for the next week so I'll have plenty of time to watch some youtube videos of this.

Thanks

DMAN999 · Mar 2, 2016

Yes you use 2000 grit and wet sand after the clear coat is dry and cured them buff it with a buffer /polisher and a good buffing compound.

Here's a video with a guy telling you how to do it, he looks nuts but he does know what he's doing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPc_KDU_ECM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQC1AlLgdWM

I personally used this buffer with a wool bonnet and Meguiar's Ultimate Compound to buff mine.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/WEN-10-Waxer-Polisher-in-Case-with-Extra-Bonnets/22048354

http://www.walmart.com/ip/WEN-9-10-Wool-Polishing-Bonnet/35914091

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Meguiar-s-Ultimate-Compound/16550255

caseyjones955 · Mar 2, 2016

Perfect, this is what I will do. Thanks for sharing what worked for you and posting that info, im anxious to got home next week and get working on it.

caseyjones955 · Mar 17, 2016

Ok, so I got 4 good coats of 2k clearcoat on now after a rub down with 600. I let it sit a few days and being careful I hit it with 1500 then 2000 to get rid of a couple boogers and orange peel, and now using the Meguiar's mirror glaze 1 medium-cut cleaner which is supposed to bring the gloss back, but what a bitch doing it by hand. Is there something decent I can put in a drill to buff this back to a proper shine? Any brand or spec recommendations would be great if such a thing does exist.

Miles Long · Mar 17, 2016

caseyjones955 said:

Ok, so I got 4 good coats of 2k clearcoat on now after a rub down with 600. I let it sit a few days and being careful I hit it with 1500 then 2000 to get rid of a couple boogers and orange peel, and now using the Meguiar's mirror glaze 1 medium-cut cleaner which is supposed to bring the gloss back, but what a bitch doing it by hand. Is there something decent I can put in a drill to buff this back to a proper shine? Any brand or spec recommendations would be great if such a thing does exist.

Click to expand...

I used 3M Auto Rubbing Compound on my paint (I didn't clear-coat, but will go that route next time), after wet sanding to 1200 grit. It worked well, didn't take any time at all.
This was followed by an application of 3M Swirl Mark Remover, which is a finer compound (almost liquid), which took even less time, because the rubbing compound had restored the gloss to the paint.
I'm not sure if either product is intended for use with power buffers. I never considered power since the parts were relatively small. I'm sure the 3M website has lots of instructions.
Needless to say, try any new product on a inconspicuous place initially.
Cheers!

caseyjones955 · Mar 20, 2016

I never touched the radiator shrouds as there was no orange peel and the shine like nothing else. I got after the rest of it in the sink first with 1500, then 2000, then the meguires meduim cut #1, which still left a little haze so I hit it with some KIT swirl and haze remover and I I'm surprised how nice it came out. Nice gloss, no orange peel and the few little buggers that were in the spray are gone. I did end up polishing it by hand and it seems plenty effective.

The only thing now is that the shrouds that were not touched after clearcoat are slightly glossier than the rest, is there some final thing I can use to maybe get the gloss up to before I touched the clearcoat? I'm happy as hell with how it turned out but if I can get that last little bit of sheen that I lost with the wet sanding and compounds I'm in for that to. It still came out better than I expected and I'm excited to get it together. Maybe I'll try that 3M swirl mark remover.

Thanks for walking me through it guys, your guidance has helped me get a really decent end result. :cheers:

caseyjones955 · Apr 22, 2016

Ok, it's finally done.

The biggest lessons I learned:
Use tack cloth (sp) before spraying the clear.
CLEAN spray area of optimal temperature.
Go easy on the wet sanding, it's easy to cut through into the paint and primer into the original color. Take your time!

Thanks again to the guidance offered up on this board. I was able to get results far better than my actual abilities, I surprised myself. Thanks gents.

Pics attached of basic before and after. Aside from the paint the other visual differences are the rack/back rest from Dobie, Maxgasser from Rick and a few trinkets from Sean.

caseyjones955 · Apr 22, 2016

A couple more. I was able to smooth out all the orange peel with a little wet sanding. It's not show quality but its far better than it has a right to be with me and a bag of rattle cans.

Miles Long · Apr 22, 2016

Looks fantastic!
Congratulations on a job well done.
Cheers!

blaxmax · Apr 22, 2016

caseyjones955 said:
A couple more. I was able to smooth out all the orange peel with a little wet sanding. It's not show quality but its far better than it has a right to be with me and a bag of rattle cans.

Color is certainly one of kind- love it---Damn those cops look good if I may so.:clapping:

caseyjones955 · Apr 22, 2016

blaxmax said:
Color is certainly one of kind- love it---Damn those cops look good if I may so.:clapping:

I'm glad I have the COPs, it has no more power but does seem to just run better all around. I noticed that abruptness right off idle is gone. Also I know the COPs give the color a deeper hue and added luster.

I figured the color would be a love it or hate it, it's not what I was going for but It has grown on me. I wanted different and no doubt it is that. :eusa_dance:

V-Four · Apr 22, 2016

Nice indeed.
Good job.

tothemax93 · Apr 22, 2016

Looks great

unk:

caseyjones955 · Apr 23, 2016

Thanks gents! and thanks for the help when I needed it. Couldn't have done it without you guys sharing wisdom.

Winter checklist: Paint prep and color.

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