Painting The Gas Tank On the 650Maxim HELP

Ace4569

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So this is my first big paint job.

I was wondering if there are any good tutorials or if someone could tell me a cheap uncomplicated way to paint my tank.

I have a spray gun and some orange car paint I just need to know about wetsanding and just a general outline of a paintjob


I'm planning on doing a gloss orange with a ram horn design in flatt black

Something like this but with glass orange as the general color and flatt black as the design.

r9msya.jpg


2wejomr.jpg


Could anyone give me some pointers or maybe a short tutorial on this exact design.

I did a shitty spray can job on my last bike and I don't want to do that with this one I have no experience with real paint jobs but I did go buy a spray gun and paint just need a tutorial or some hints

Thanks guys!:thumbsup::shrug:
 
good choice i like her also:thumbsup: ya she would look hot in orange!!!!

i have painted tons of stuff over the years and the process can be as simple as scuff with some scotchbright and walk outside and shoot it while you hold it,

to a week process of priming block sanding priming blocksanding over and over then primmer sealer, then base coat, then clear, then more clear, then wet sand, then buff, then polish,

so do you want something in between?
 
I'm guessing that came from an airbrush lol. I'm up for anything just something under a hundred bucks maybe about a hundred and fifty. I want it to be the best it can and I don't want to cut any corners. I also need some advice on how to paint the design. I am planning on sanding down to the bare metal. (I am also filling the dent on the left side of the tank with some filler and all that jazz) So really whatever you think is the best way I'm down for it. After fianlly getting my balls together and attacking the carbs I am ready for ANYTHING (now that I have that rush lol)

I have purchased
several Different Sand Papers (But I can get any different ones depending on what you suggest
this paint http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Dupli-Color-32-oz-hugger-orange-Paint-Shop-finish-system/_/N-26se?counter=22&itemIdentifier=898497_0_0_&target=shelf it's Dupli-color Not sure if it's all that good or not but it was the only orange gloss I could find around my house. There arn't really any body shops or anything around me.
This Filler for the dent http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/3M-1-pint-lightweight-body-filler/_/N-25u5?counter=1&itemIdentifier=167028_0_0_
Acetone to clean it off with (The guy that worked there told me I would need it to make sure all the oils were off.
And that's about it I was waiting to get my primer (was wondering if a spray can primer is ok or if I should buy the same primer as the paint also didn;t know if I needed to buy a clear coat or not becuase I wanted the flatt black design.
I also got a cheapy spray gun from meijer it was about 35-40 bucks
 
skilzman definatly knows his stuff. read that thread for sure. there are short cuts to that aproach but you get what you put into your job.

i wish laquer in quarts and gallons was still available that was very easy to work with! the main thing you need to be carefull of is mixing different types of paint if you goof and spray a laquer spray paint over enamel it will react like paint remover!!!!! so make sure you don't mix paint types!! that goes for the primer also!!! i would just buy everything from the same place and get the same brand to be sure. and don't allow any oil's of any kind to be used while you are painting .they will go airborn and you will have fisheyes!

i just painted a vw baja with a ten dollar harbor freight gun. it worked ok but i think my lighting was my downfall. a couple of really big runs one on each side :(. oh well it's gonna get drove through the bushes anyway! you wouldn't notice the difference in paint guns until after you paint a few things anyway.

i painted my yota about 5 years ago. both of these i sprayed with rustoleum from a spray gun. very forgiving paint but it takes forever to dry if it's humid at all, thinned with acetone it dry's much faster but they don't recomend that method!!!
 

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Thanks for the heads up I read his method. I guess what I'm most confused on is wet sanding. I have read several ways to do it but i don't understand the point in wetsanding it says something about finding dips and stuff in your tank but won't the paint stay on anyway or does it really damage it well not damage but what is the main point to wet sanding instead of just spraying layers? My tank is perfectly smooth sans the left dent. I think I'm going to start today with everything. I jsut put some clubman bars on my bike I like the lower reach and my tank doesn't have an offv switch (prime/reserve is whats on it) so I'm just going to try and ride out the gas then take it off and dry it. Treat with some kind of anti rust thing. and all that. Skillz help in that thread is pretty much what I was looking for just minus a few things,. I won't need a thinner with my paint and it says I don't need primer but I'm still going to go with the primer from the same company if the paint didn't need primer the company probably wouldn't make one. the only thing I need help with now is figuring out how to paint the design on and whether or not to clear coat or maybe clear coat and matt over it but that sounds like a bad idea. Also do you know of any good ways to prevent overspray on a design when I did my last tank I taped down cardboard but it was a pain.
 
wet sanding is a super fine method of sanding usually with 600 to 1500 grit paper and the watter just helps keep the paper from clogging with paint dust so fast. i have never had the need for wet sanding as i don't paint show quality paint jobs. 320 grit scratches will fill with primer for the most part. as for the design i would spray your main color and let that dry completely and then, get some 1/4" fine line tape and start masking your design once you have the shape you want then you mask the rest with 3/4" tape and paper. you should be able to find some vids of this on youtube. they have everything!!!
 
Thanks alot! I'll be starting all this tomorrow I am going to go wet down my garage and plastic it off and everything. I'll post some pics as I go
 
IF there are no defects in your tank...or maybe just some real small nick/dings that you dont want to worry about...you can get away with a red scotch brite pad.
If the bike has a factory paint job...scuffing with the scotch brite will provide enough'tooth' for the new paint to stick to.
If the paint is in good shape overall...as in there are no chips out of it...the edges around the seams are not loose...then DO NOT sand it to bare metal.
Bare metal needs an etching primer and then a 2k filling primer over it typically...this all gets wet sanded with 400 grit paper.
You need wet paper sand paper,this is the black oxide stuff at the body supply shop.
Basically I use a 1/2 sheet of 9x11 paper...fold it over three times..get a bucket of clean water...and soak the paper in the water as you sand...keeping the paper wet stops it from clogging...which you will know when the paper starts dragging on the paint...instead of feeling slippery.

My first step would be
clean the entire tank down with a wax/grease remover...this is to remove polish/wax etc,.. otherwise the sanding process sands it into the paint..and you will get reaction problems with the new paint.
scuff the entire surface with a scotchbrite...make sure anything that shines is dulled...as in scuffed...anything shiny is unsanded...and this where the new paint will likely peel.
wash it down with soapy water...dish soap is best because it has a degreaser built in...auto/car wash soaps often have waxes in them....no good.

You need to know what type of paint you have.
Is the orange paint you mentioned an automotive paint?
what does the label say....acrylic enamel? base coat?
some paints are a 'single stage'...which means you have the color...the reducer to get it to the proper spray consistency..and a hardner/catalyst...which makes the paint dry/harden.
When mixed properly you pour it thru a strainer into the gun...apply it...let it dry...your done.
Base coat/clear coat....you mix the base color with a reducer..apply it...let it dry
then you mix clear and hardner...apply it...this is the shinny part.

Single stage is an easier beginner paint...less steps....slightly easier to work with....but its shine is not as glassy looking...and it tends to fade faster as its usually a cheaper grade of paint and doesnt have the clear as a UV protectant.
Base/clear is the preferred product...it gives the best finish...and if its not as glass smooth as you like it...as in it has the look of an orange peel for texture....you can then wetsand it with 1500-2000 grit wet paper and buff it to look like glass....but thats an acquired skill for sure.
The problem with some paints as in the Dupli-color stuff that is offered at a reasonable price...is that this is the old fashioned Lacquer paint system that you hear referred to...and lacquer clear does not fair well with gasoline..so its no good for bike tanks.
 
As far as laying out the paint scheme...this does depend on the products used.

single stage paints you can lay it out any way you like...shoot the tank flat black...let it dry for the recommended time...mask the design you want....shoot the rest orange...unmask...done

with base coat...you would need to shoot the flat black...then you would need to base it in orange....let it dry about 30 minutes....clear the orange..likely about 3 coats of clear coat...then unmask the black. If you want flat black you cant clear over it...otherwise you will have gloss black.

Body supply masking materials are the way to go...hardware store tapes usually go screwy with the chemicals in the paint...and when you unmask you have a mess to deal with...and usually a crummy paint job.
For a design such as that...I would get a roll of 3/16 fine line tape...this is an easy tape to work with that lets you turn corners etc,...like flames and such....then when you have your design layed out you use 3/4 masking tape etc,.. to fill in the masked area.
Fine line tape also holds a cleaner edge for designs and unmasks easier with the fresh/soft paint.
 
For the dent I got some Bondo. What is the best way to apply that so that it forms the same look as the otherside of the tank? Should I acetone the tank first. then apply bondo sand and paint? any tips with working with bondo?

also my paint is a one step I think. Te link at the start shows the paint with the label.
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Dupli-Color-32-oz-hugger-orange-Paint-Shop-finish-system/_/N-26se?counter=22&itemIdentifier=898497_0_0_&target=shelf

I went a bought the same brand primer the only problem is they don't have a flat black in that brand so I'm not sure how to do my design.
 
That is the lacquer paint I was telling you about...it requires a lacquer clearcoat over the top....this doesn't hold up well to spilled gasoline....just be aware of that.If you dribble the fuel when you fill up....wipe it immediately.
For a base coat clear coat system you want to use urethanes not lacquers,when it involves gasoline.
The Dupli-color is premixed so it just a strain it in the gun and spray type of product.

As for the bondo....you want to sand the tank/dented area with 80 grit paper...mix a portion of filler and spread it with a spreader over the area larger than the dent.Sand it down with a block and 80 grit.Use a rubber sanding block from the auto body supply...and use long strokes when sanding,making sure you get the filler to the contour of the tank.....when you get it blocked down....you will want to use final fill or glazing filler...this fills the imperfections better and sands much easier.....if your dent is not big or deep...then skip the bondo,just use the final fill.
Check out the how to I did on knee dent tanks....it has most of the info you need.
http://www.xs400.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4694
 
Thanks Skillz I don't know what I would do without you. Somehow you always have the answers for me. So I need to get a clear coat from the same brand and a final fill for the bondo. I think that is all that is left on my list. I took the cheapy gun back so I could get a HVLP one that was a little more pricy I plan on painting a few more things after I fuck with a few cycles I might eventually shoot for my car. I hope to get really good at painting as customizations are my favorite thing to do so hopefully this will turn out well and if it doesn't I'll try again another way! Thanks again everyone especially NKOTB and Skillz

I also decided I should probably go down to bare metal so I don't risk different paint brands. any tips on getting the paint off of the lips and around the gas cap area?

I think I fucked up a bit and I started with the bondo before I removed the paint. Although I did remove the paint from under the bondo and I used 80 grit. I'll posta picture tomorrow just need a heads up on paint removal. I have been slowly sanding it away but the lips and gas cap area are being a pain and it's taking forever to get throught the paint.
 
I wouldnt go to bare metal if I didnt have to....unless its been painted a few times over the factory color.Factory paint adhesion is pretty good and tuff....just prime with a 2k urethane primer...and wet sand with 400-600 clean and paint.
If you go bare metal you will have to etch primer...then 2k urethane...then 400 wetsand....your just adding an extra step/exspense...and my experience with etch primer and bare metal....its a PITA usually.
You'll have to prime any filler anyhow...so when you think you are ready...2k urethane everything a few coats...its high build so it will help with light imperfections.

And a sanding tip I learned was to slide my hand over the bodywork with my eyes closed...you will feel the imperfections better than you will see them.

If you really want to do more of this stuff...try an apprentice job in a body shop...that how I learned...on my days off with a patient teacher.
 
alright didn't go to the bare metal after painting I waited about 16 hours to wetsand/buff and some of the paint came off I think I put the coats on to quickly inbetween and it didn't get time to dry fast enough to I fucked that up will be repainting but I don't think I'll need primer this time just scuff and paint (same color) unless there is another reason for the primer? will post pics later I took some during the process
 
did you clear it first?
Lacquer takes alot of layers of clear to be wetsanded and buffed.
wetsanding clear is to get rid of the orange peel effect...and you only use 1500-2000 grit typically.
When you lay the clear..bump the gun pressure up a little and turn the knob on the back of the gun(at the top) in until you only have a 1/2 pull on the trigger.
Disconnect the air hose.....with the cup of the gun empty...loosen the jam nut on the back of the trigger adjustment...turn the trigger adjust in while holding the trigger in...you will feel the adjust nut start pushing the trigger back out...adjust until you have 1/2 pull...set the jam nut.
You need a pressure regulator at the gun end of the inlet hose...typically for HVLP you want 25psi when spraying...I would boost that to around 35 psi with the clear coat.
This ...along with the 1/2 pull trigger gives you less volume and more atomization of the clear...and then you can spray the coats on and flow the surface out..or let the clear settle on the object and melt together and get less orange peel.

This is WAY easier to demonstrate than dictate.

But basically you have to watch the material on the object as you go...too much orange peel...you need a heavier coat...as in you need to recoat sooner between coats..or slow the sweep of your motion...or pay attention to your distance away while spraying.
practice/practice/practice.
Lets see the pics and we'll go from there.
 
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