Evening all. Used this site a lot to research spraying my Lambretta and you seem a good lot so I've got a few questions if I can now I'm into it a bit.
Had some quotes for north of £4k to get the job done by a pro and now I realise why - I think there are something like 24 pieces which need the full process inside and out (at least 10 separate stages of painting and sanding etc. per piece - it's a marathon). Not like a car with big flat panels which can largely be done with a DA or sprayed in one go. This is lots of small pieces, but that is also a positive in that you can do it in batches and if you screw up you just re-do that piece, and you haven't got a whole massive panel to re-do.
So far I've got pretty much everything in epoxy and a few pieces 'finished'. Wanted two colour with a pinstripe on a few pieces (front guard and side panels) so went with COB. I've got two front guards in the photos as I haven't decided which one I'm going with yet.
I bought a couple of ANI GF3s and a R160 from Sprayguns Direct. Drilled one of the GF3s out to 1.8mm for my epoxy and high build which has worked great. The other GF3 in 1.2 I've used for base and the R160 for clear.
I saw what AJ mentioned about just using Epoxy all the way up to the base, which I've found works and have done this on a couple of smaller pieces (or on the inside of panels which won't be seen), but I have used high build on the main external panels and found the sanding so much better, especially in the finer grades. All dry sanded.
Right - some pics (you all love pics) and first question.
One of the GF3s. Really simple and no air adjustment which is fine as I have the gauge. Easy to break down and clean with primer and base as you can see when you've got all the paint out. However I think I've knackered my R160 - it has an air control knob and as its my clear gun I think I can't have cleaned it properly as the air control appears to be fooked - it just splutters now. SO - is there anything I can use to clean out a gun once paint might have gone off inside it? I ended up using the GF3 in 1.2 for the last bit of clear and to be honest it came out fine so maybe I'll just buy a couple more of them at £35 a pop.
Main bits where I wanted two colour with stripe in primer (Epoxy then high build and guide coat).
Pin Striping... Don't commment on the colours - haven't made my mind up yet either...
It was a lot easier than I thought and this was my first go at it. This is both guards cleared - first go at it - came out really well.
And then side panels - just the green with silver pinstripe (it's a bit wonky in places so I might re-do but it might not be that noticeable on a built up scooter).
Overall I've found it really good fun and not that difficult to learn. Main one was getting my head round letting the first coat of clear get tacky and then you don't worry about runs so much. Haven't had any runs on the four bits I've put up here. One light coat of clear and then a second pretty heavy coat on as slow a pass as I had the courage to go (except on the guards where I put at least 4 lots of clear on trying to bury the pinstripe). The clear is generally pretty flat with the odd bit that is orange peeley, but overall I'd say it's great from 6 feet, pretty good from 3 feet and you'd want to work on it a bit when you look at it close up. Hence next question.
How do you decide whether to cut and polish versus 1500/2000 over the whole lot and flow coat it? I have a few nibs and micro blisters, but the main issue is the pinstripe. It's obviously got less paint on than the surroundings and I hoped the clear would fill it, but it hasn't quite and just piling on the clear didn't work on the guards - it's still a bit of a channel. I'm inclined to flat it back wet with 1500 and do a final clear coat (would that work?) as this would also let me sort some of the orange peel, or would a cut and polish do the same thing - worried about cutting with so many curves and I don't have a polisher.
Anyway - thanks all - I think that's 2 questions and a load of waffle but any advice welcome please.
Cheers, Lloydie.
Had some quotes for north of £4k to get the job done by a pro and now I realise why - I think there are something like 24 pieces which need the full process inside and out (at least 10 separate stages of painting and sanding etc. per piece - it's a marathon). Not like a car with big flat panels which can largely be done with a DA or sprayed in one go. This is lots of small pieces, but that is also a positive in that you can do it in batches and if you screw up you just re-do that piece, and you haven't got a whole massive panel to re-do.
So far I've got pretty much everything in epoxy and a few pieces 'finished'. Wanted two colour with a pinstripe on a few pieces (front guard and side panels) so went with COB. I've got two front guards in the photos as I haven't decided which one I'm going with yet.
I bought a couple of ANI GF3s and a R160 from Sprayguns Direct. Drilled one of the GF3s out to 1.8mm for my epoxy and high build which has worked great. The other GF3 in 1.2 I've used for base and the R160 for clear.
I saw what AJ mentioned about just using Epoxy all the way up to the base, which I've found works and have done this on a couple of smaller pieces (or on the inside of panels which won't be seen), but I have used high build on the main external panels and found the sanding so much better, especially in the finer grades. All dry sanded.
Right - some pics (you all love pics) and first question.
One of the GF3s. Really simple and no air adjustment which is fine as I have the gauge. Easy to break down and clean with primer and base as you can see when you've got all the paint out. However I think I've knackered my R160 - it has an air control knob and as its my clear gun I think I can't have cleaned it properly as the air control appears to be fooked - it just splutters now. SO - is there anything I can use to clean out a gun once paint might have gone off inside it? I ended up using the GF3 in 1.2 for the last bit of clear and to be honest it came out fine so maybe I'll just buy a couple more of them at £35 a pop.
Main bits where I wanted two colour with stripe in primer (Epoxy then high build and guide coat).
Pin Striping... Don't commment on the colours - haven't made my mind up yet either...
It was a lot easier than I thought and this was my first go at it. This is both guards cleared - first go at it - came out really well.
And then side panels - just the green with silver pinstripe (it's a bit wonky in places so I might re-do but it might not be that noticeable on a built up scooter).
Overall I've found it really good fun and not that difficult to learn. Main one was getting my head round letting the first coat of clear get tacky and then you don't worry about runs so much. Haven't had any runs on the four bits I've put up here. One light coat of clear and then a second pretty heavy coat on as slow a pass as I had the courage to go (except on the guards where I put at least 4 lots of clear on trying to bury the pinstripe). The clear is generally pretty flat with the odd bit that is orange peeley, but overall I'd say it's great from 6 feet, pretty good from 3 feet and you'd want to work on it a bit when you look at it close up. Hence next question.
How do you decide whether to cut and polish versus 1500/2000 over the whole lot and flow coat it? I have a few nibs and micro blisters, but the main issue is the pinstripe. It's obviously got less paint on than the surroundings and I hoped the clear would fill it, but it hasn't quite and just piling on the clear didn't work on the guards - it's still a bit of a channel. I'm inclined to flat it back wet with 1500 and do a final clear coat (would that work?) as this would also let me sort some of the orange peel, or would a cut and polish do the same thing - worried about cutting with so many curves and I don't have a polisher.
Anyway - thanks all - I think that's 2 questions and a load of waffle but any advice welcome please.
Cheers, Lloydie.
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