diecast motorcycle painting

[breakdirt916]

does anyone have any tips for diecast painting?

how do I get a smooth finish?

I did a little fairing painting before, so I know I'm supposed to remove all old paint, roughen the surfaces, and paint 2-3 thin coats with adequate drying time.

but what else goes into it?

I'm color matching an FZR600R to my bike:





but the finish sucks

actual bike

[Pittenger5]

Whatre you using for paint

[dhuze]

Using the proper amount of thinner lets the brush marks flatten out.

[richw]

Clearcoat

Use pure 1 goes on like glass

Duplicolor clearcoat (auto store) or even I like minwax urethane clear varnish (hardware store)

[Pittenger5]

Using the proper amount of thinner lets the brush marks flatten out.

Not entirely true. (which is why it helps to know what hes using)

minwax urethane clear varnish (hardware store)

Varnishes tend to yellow over time.

And I can see a HUGE sag on the bike just from the pictures. You either thinned it out WAAAYYY to much, or you're putting on a heavier coat than you thought.
Bright yellow is the absolute weakest pigment in the paint industry, its rarely going to cover at all in 1 coat, so plan on doing a couple and dont try to force the coverage.

[beet]

My DC TLS is factory red

[richw]

Urtethane "Varnish" not really varnish

When you spary the top coat solvent dissolves all the layers so that is why
sprits 1 pass wait 10 minutes, again 1 pass with can shaking etc.

If you get the color the clearcoat will deliver the shine