Saturday 15 October 2011

Painting



After spending a couple of evenings masking the lugs, and then waiting for good weather, I started painting Keith's bike today.

First coat is a nice thin coat of epoxy primer. I add about 25% reducer to the primer to ensure it doesn't destroy all the detail. I prefer not to sand the primer unless I have to - much better to get the metal underneath nice and smooth before the painting starts.



Next are one misting, then two light coats of Auto Air black sealer. The sealer goes on really thin - it's there to provide a nice even tone for the colour coat.



Then four light coats of Auto Air pearl blue. This stuff only takes ten minutes or so between coats to set up, so four light coats only takes an hour or two. As with the sealer, it's incredibly thin, so doesn't hide any detail.



I've just removed the masking. I'll touch up the lug lines with a ruling pen and then add the decals tonight. I plan on starting the clear coats in a day or two.

The pearl blue looks really good in sunlight, and sets off the shiny polished lugs quite well. This isn't Keith's stem - it's one I've done for myself. I thought I'd paint it along with Keith's bike and use it for the photo shoot.

1 comment:

PowderHound said...

Hi Suzy,

Thanks very much for your thoughts on the painting guns and painting cabinet. I've decided to go with the full size painting booth made with a simple wood frame. I'm going to try a cheap gun on an old frame first and see how that goes. I found a place that sells Auto-Air paint and am excited to get started.

What are your thoughts on the health concerns with epoxy primer and 2 part polyurethane clear coats? Of course I have a respirator but these are probably the most dangerous chemicals I've ever used.

Thanks,
Derrick