Paint opinions?

[BlazinRaven420]

Just wondering where everyone stands on spray painting a bike? Anyone have any good experiences? I'm thinking red and black.

[KillBill]

To get it perfectly even is a challenge......is it 420 yet?

[Lucas]

Well whatare we talking here? Race bike? I gave my 300 dollar eBay race fairing specials the krylon touch and it came out great!

[BlazinRaven420]

To get it perfectly even is a challenge......is it 420 yet?

...It is past 420 unfortunately and I am stuck in school..It's my everyday rider, not a race bike and I have a fair amount of experience with spray paint. I've just never painted a bike (other than a dirt bike)... I know the deal with wet sanding and prep work

["Dangerous" Dan K]

I've seen rattlecan jobs come out REALLY well, for rattlecan. I had trouble believing it was rattlecan. That said, the dude that did the work has years and years and years of bodywork experience, all the prep was done perfect, he took his time, he sprayed clear, wet sanded, the whole deal. To me, if I'm going to spend THAT much time on prep, I'll spend the extra $60 to use a real gun. And his rattlecan work will still look better than my spraygun work, come to think of it...

[Falko]

I've used one of those disposable spray bomb cylinders you get at HD to patch up a spot on my previous bike. came out pretty good.

[Expat]

A gun will lay down more paint quicker, the finish is all in the preparation and finishing, plently of light coats with a final heavier coat, I wet sand between every few coats if I want a nice job. Once you are happy, hit it with 1000 grit then clear it following the same procedure. Finally a good buffing will make it gleam!
Black and Red!!

[Eddie]

A gun will lay down more paint quicker, the finish is all in the preparation and finishing, plently of light coats with a final heavier coat, I wet sand between every few coats if I want a nice job. Once you are happy, hit it with 1000 grit then clear it following the same procedure. Finally a good buffing will make it gleam!
Black and Red!!

That looks great!!

[KB]

A gun will lay down more paint quicker, the finish is all in the preparation and finishing, plently of light coats with a final heavier coat, I wet sand between every few coats if I want a nice job. Once you are happy, hit it with 1000 grit then clear it following the same procedure. Finally a good buffing will make it gleam!
Black and Red!!

Is that with a gun or a can?

KB

[Expat]

That was with a gun, I meant to illustrate the wet sand and buff stages. I can get a decent finish from a can also, it just takes longer and the quality of the paint quality is nowhere near as good.

[gregp]

I too have seen some really nice spray can jobs. But it seems like most of them get screwed up fairly quickly by fuel staining, or peeling. Spray can paint just does not seem to have the hardness, gloss, or chemical resistance that can be obtained by additives in real automotive paints.

[Expat]

I too have seen some really nice spray can jobs. But it seems like most of them get screwed up fairly quickly by fuel staining, or peeling. Spray can paint just does not seem to have the hardness, gloss, or chemical resistance that can be obtained by additives in real automotive paints.

+1!

[eboos]

I've seen rattlecan jobs come out REALLY well, for rattlecan. I had trouble believing it was rattlecan. That said, the dude that did the work has years and years and years of bodywork experience, all the prep was done perfect, he took his time, he sprayed clear, wet sanded, the whole deal. To me, if I'm going to spend THAT much time on prep, I'll spend the extra $60 to use a real gun. And his rattlecan work will still look better than my spraygun work, come to think of it...

awe, thanks Dan. I didn't realize that you thought mine came out so good last year.

When you factor the time, the cost of materials for both prep and finish, and the proper environment in which to do a quality job (like not my squirrel infested garage), it makes more sense to have a place like Landric's hook you up. You will be supprised at how affordable it is.

[SRTie4k]

Spray painting clear is a real pain in the ass, since you need to load so much of it on to look good that the finish is always borderline runny, and the actual compressed air disperses the clear, so its tricky to get right.

I've found the trick to doing a good spray job is to load on the clear coat, to the point that it looks like glass immediately after you spray it on. If it doesn't look completely smooth, it won't have that wet look. I always shoot at an angle while also looking at it from an angle, to see how wet it is.

I've gotten better at it over the years, but its still tough. I shot the bottom half of my 89 stand up jetski with clear over the top of a graphite-ish spray finish. It came out pretty darn good, fooled my dad (who sprayed the top half with a gun).

[catamount]

To me, the problem with rattle cans is that unless you're using the 2-part mix-it-yourself-stuff you're getting a finish that will not hold up to gasoline. And why go through all that effort if it's going to just break down really quickly?

Either use 2-part with hardener, or pay someone (Landrics) to have it done.

["Dangerous" Dan K]

awe, thanks Dan. I didn't realize that you thought mine came out so good last year. .

If you have those years and years of experience, and yours still looked like that, I suggest you stick with professional painters in the future!

I have zero recollection what your bike looked like, as far as paint. Far be it from me to leave that opening though...