[daimon1054]

OK I have been reading here for a while and you guys seam to know your stuff so I will ask for some help.

I have a motorcycle that has candy pearl paint on it, I fabricated a new front fender for it and I have a chip in the tank from a rock. So when I checked on paint to match I almost fell out of the chair. For all the stuff I need in pints is going to be right 300 bucks.
So I am looking at alternatives.
1 I can’t paint for squat! I have been practicing to get a flat coat laid down and well let’s just say I leave much to be desired.
2 I have access to a good compressor but I was thinking of using a touch up gun with my small unit. The gun is not HVLP and my compressor can put out 5 cfm at 90 psi so I think it can keep up with a small gun.


OK so I am thinking of using a lacquer to paint the bike because it is cheaper fixable and I can sand and buff out all of my errors. At least that is my thinking? My bike right now is pretty custom, and sleeps inside and I try not to ride in the rain (hurts to much lol) plus I will probably change the look in a few years when I get tired of the look.

Right now I am practicing paint the stripes and the graphic that I want to use so I figure in 500 years when I get that right I will be ready to paint. The problem I am having, I will see if I can load the pic, (I will also set it as my avitar if I can) is I have very shaky hands so I need to mask the graphic and spray it but I can not get the tape right so but I was able to put on a few strips of wider tape and cut it out but the paint ran under the seam. So I was wondering if there was anything wide that I could put down cut out the shape, paint then remove that would leave a clean line. Would plastic sign material work?

I have tried to do urethane paints and have not gotten a good look. So I am thinking it is beyond my abilities. But my dad has a used car dealership and I help him out now and the color sanding and buffing so I am pretty good at that.

OK sorry for all the stupid questions but I really would like to paint the bike myself. I have done all the other mods so far so it has become my latest hobby.

[Centerline]

I would suggest a base clear system. The base is easy to spray and hard to foul up and if you put on three or four coats of clear you can sand and buff out any imperfections. This system has the added advantage of hiding tape lines so you can't feel where one color stops and another begins.

Your spraying problems sound like technique to me. The biggest thing to remember when painting is to take your time. Several light coats are better than one or two heavy ones. Especially if you are planning on sanding and buffing anyway. Good painters that do this all the time will lay on a wetter final coat to get the paint to flow out better but when novices try this half the time you'll wind up with runs. Several light coats will do the trick. Don't try to cover with one or two.

Good luck

Centerline
http://www.hotrodsandhemis.com

[daimon1054]

Thanks
I have no technique or skill thats my problem well among others. I for some reason look and say not one more shot till I mess up.