i have a couple painting questions!

[jrap1243]

hey guys so i started painting the motorcycle yesterday and it occured to me when i came home from the bars that i only put 1 coat of primer on and it definately sat long enough for the primer to cure. do i need to wet sand it before i spray it with more coats of primer? how should i get the gas out of the tank so i can take the tank off? and the last question is do i need to sand the paint down to the metal on the tank and handle before priming?

[pisioga16]

well i'm no expert by any means but i just finished painting my bike the other day. I only used one coat of primer before spraying the color on. It looks pretty good but I didn't sand the primer before color and it turned out with a few small bumps(still looks good just not perfect). So i'd say you would want to wet sand it before applying color just to be sure it's smooth but minus well between primers, it's not much more work.
you could sifen the tank but i just pulled the tank off to the side a little and pulled one of the tubes off and drained it through a funnel into a tank. As far as the tank it won't differ much from the fairings as long as you scuff it good the primer/paint will stick. The issue with this could be that most stickers are under the clear coat so you gotta get them off or there will be a rise in the final paint job. I am actually in the process of getting the tank done now and it was recomended to me to use aircraft paint stripper to take care of everything which will in turn take it down to bare metal. My case is a little diffrent cause I'm getting it powder coated so it needs to be bare metal anyways.

[JokerZwild]

You dont need to drain the tank to take it off . Just turn the fuel valve to off, remove the lines and pop it off. Its far easier to pour out the unused fuel and siphon out the rest if needed. As far as the paint....think of it like this..the better the prep. the better the finish. Yes, you can apply multi coats of primer b-4 wet sanding it. Just dont gob it on so that you have a ton of runs to rub out of it later. And be aware that alot of the newer paint products (automotive) will not grip well to enamel primers (rattle cans).. A rant I recieved from my painter as we picked out my colors.

[brooder]

To drain the tank, get a longer hose, attached it to the petcock, and set the petcock to Prime. Tank drains.

If you still have paint and no bare metal or plastic, you don't need to prime. Just wetsand to rough up the paint a little bit and spray color. Of course, if you've got a dark color on currently and are putting on a light color, you may want to prime. But otherwise, no real need.

To strip the tank (if you really want to) aircraft stripper or a paint stripping disk on a drill.

[ctandc]

If you're using regular rattle can primer, I wouldn't try wet sanding the primer.......that stuff will SOAK up water and it will swell.

[mrwhipper]

hey guys so i started painting the motorcycle yesterday and it occured to me when i came home from the bars that i only put 1 coat of primer on and it definately sat long enough for the primer to cure. do i need to wet sand it before i spray it with more coats of primer? how should i get the gas out of the tank so i can take the tank off? and the last question is do i need to sand the paint down to the metal on the tank and handle before priming?

1. You will need to sand the primer before applying more.

2. You do not need to remove the gas out of the tank. The three setting on the tank are On, PRI, and RES. As long as it in not on "PRI" you will not loose gas.

3. If there is no damage to the existing coating, you will not need to remove the existing coating.

[JokerZwild]

if you feel you need to do something between primer coats, you can use a lil cheese cloth (tack rag) to remove the dusty over spray. But I really wouldnt reccomend a full wet sand till your happy with the amount of material youve got on your item. This way you are not removing the thin layers and taking it down to the paint over and over. As faras the tank they are correct about just scuffing it up real good to shoot.
Just one question and it may sound dumb ..but I gotta ask...Your not shooting this stuff on the bike are you?

If you're using regular rattle can primer, I wouldn't try wet sanding the primer.......that stuff will SOAK up water and it will swell.

Ya gotta let it sit and dry b4 shooting the color or yes it will retain that moisture under the coat. A few hours out in the sun should be fine & you can see the difference from after you wetsand to the cured product after a lil while. Just be sure to keep that tack cloth handy your gonna need it between coats.

To drain the tank, get a longer hose, attached it to the petcock, and set the petcock to Prime. Tank drains.

If you still have paint and no bare metal or plastic, you don't need to prime. Just wetsand to rough up the paint a little bit and spray color. Of course, if you've got a dark color on currently and are putting on a light color, you may want to prime. But otherwise, no real need.

To strip the tank (if you really want to) aircraft stripper or a paint stripping disk on a drill.

I would Not suggest a sanding disk on the tank!! If your not used to it you will do way more harm then good making it wavey and warped from the inconsistant pressure placed on the disk! If you must remove the paint\decals go with the aircraft stripper then prime!

[mrwhipper]

I would Not suggest a sanding disk on the tank!! If your not used to it you will do way more harm then good making it wavey and warped from the inconsistant pressure placed on the disk! If you must remove the paint\decals go with the aircraft stripper then prime![/quote]

[Rangerx52]

bite the bullet and sand by hand.

1. sand to remove loos paint and clearcoat
2. bondo to remove deep scratches, dents and dings.
3. sand highly with at least 2000 grit primer to smoothe surface
4. prime with a high build primer. DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON YOUR PRIMER.
5. Wet sand the primer, i recommend 2500-3000 grit. do a good job on this step, cause any imperfections will show through the paint.
6. paint in a cleeeeean room. i didnt and had hair and dust stuck in my paint and had to redo it.
7. After a full cure, wetsand with 3000 grit. this will be very painful and if you do it right, will take a long *** time.
8. Cutpolish, wax.
9. sit in a lawnchair with a beer, staring at your masterpiece for hours on end, glaring hatefully at anyone who dares to look for imperfections.


this is presuming you want to avoid the orange peel look of course.

[wyzat520]

bite the bullet and sand by hand.

1. sand to remove loos paint and clearcoat
2. bondo to remove deep scratches, dents and dings.
3. sand highly with at least 2000 grit primer to smoothe surface
4. prime with a high build primer. DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON YOUR PRIMER.
5. Wet sand the primer, i recommend 2500-3000 grit. do a good job on this step, cause any imperfections will show through the paint.
6. paint in a cleeeeean room. i didnt and had hair and dust stuck in my paint and had to redo it.
7. After a full cure, wetsand with 3000 grit. this will be very painful and if you do it right, will take a long *** time.
8. Cutpolish, wax.
9. sit in a lawnchair with a beer, staring at your masterpiece for hours on end, glaring hatefully at anyone who dares to look for imperfections.


this is presuming you want to avoid the orange peel look of course.

I agree with moth but you do not need to wetsand the primer with 2500-3000 it will actually do more harm. dry sanding with 600 is perfect. Basecoat will cover 600 grit scratches and will have something to hold onto much better than a 2500 grit scratch after its painted you can wet sand with 2000 grit to remove imperfections and then buff and polish. Good luck Shoot me a pm if you have any questions.

[JokerZwild]

And I thought it was just Me!!

LMAO I Sooo agree with step #9 Its a vital part of the process!! SO DONT SKIP IT!!!

[Astro4x4]

do i need to wet sand it before i spray it with more coats of primer?

the last question is do i need to sand the paint down to the metal on the tank and handle before priming?

If you are happy with the primer a scuff with 600 grit or a red Scotch-Brite pad will be fine.

No need to sand to metal and actually preferable not to. Sand with 400 then 600 to take the shine off the original paint making sure it is nice a dull, then prime or seal and shoot your base.

[Rangerx52]

I agree with moth but you do not need to wetsand the primer with 2500-3000 it will actually do more harm.

Depends on what kind of paint you use, and how many coats. I find that anything coarser than 1500 will show through the paint. This could be because i'm overly critical. But you gotta remember that any imperfections in the primer shows through, that's why i wetsand the primer, to eliminate the whole lizardskin look that maaco sells.

Not to mention, if you dont wetsand the primer, but do wetsand the paint, you create uneven spots of thin paint that could show through later from cutpolishing.

what it all comes down to, is HOW fine of a finish you want. In my case, i went high gloss black, and black shows everything

[JokerZwild]

yeah but it IS the FASTEST color out there .....or so ive been told!

[Deadstroke]

bite the bullet and sand by hand.

1. sand to remove loos paint and clearcoat
2. bondo to remove deep scratches, dents and dings.
3. sand highly with at least 2000 grit primer to smoothe surface
4. prime with a high build primer. DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON YOUR PRIMER.
5. Wet sand the primer, i recommend 2500-3000 grit. do a good job on this step, cause any imperfections will show through the paint.
6. paint in a cleeeeean room. i didnt and had hair and dust stuck in my paint and had to redo it.
7. After a full cure, wetsand with 3000 grit. this will be very painful and if you do it right, will take a long *** time.
8. Cutpolish, wax.
9. sit in a lawnchair with a beer, staring at your masterpiece for hours on end, glaring hatefully at anyone who dares to look for imperfections.


this is presuming you want to avoid the orange peel look of course.

How long is a full cure?

Thanks