catastrophe
XS650 Addict
I am gonna attempt to do my first paint job. I don't really know what I am doing but I figure what better way to learn. Any tips on doing a lace print design on my tank?
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painting help
- Thread starter catastrophe
- Start date
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- paint
liljerry564
XS650 Addict
lace? You can always send it to me.
alfredo
1978 xs650 Special
Are you painting with a compressor and gun or cans?
BigJimmyW13
XS650 Guru
Ask slackjaw. He's getting pretty good at it and I'm sure would be more than willing to give you some tips.
catastrophe
XS650 Addict
Compressor and guns. LILJerry. I might do that in the future but I want to test ideas out and see how I do first. I am gonna go black tank with like a copper color lace print on the sides. Anyone know how to get that lace pattern. Stencil???
catastrophe
XS650 Addict
I forgot about that. Yeah his paints getting pretty bad ass
BigJimmyW13
XS650 Guru
You get the lace pattern from; wait for it: wait for it:
lace.
lace.
alfredo
1978 xs650 Special
I know nothing about painting lace, but; gun setup is HUGE. We could talk about the obvious things (surface prep, coverage, proper paint mix, paint atomization, technique, etc), but gun setup can save you lots of headache and is overlooked often. Learning how to properly tune your gun won't just help you paint better. It will actually help you understand a lot more about what is going on and why.
Just take it slow and practice a lot on various surfaces (bends, materials, etc) to hone your technique.
I am sure you will do fine my friend.
Check out this HotRodders post for more info on setting up your gun before painting.
Just take it slow and practice a lot on various surfaces (bends, materials, etc) to hone your technique.
I am sure you will do fine my friend.
Check out this HotRodders post for more info on setting up your gun before painting.
liljerry564
XS650 Addict
Sounds good. Its kinda hard to help on here but ill try. First thing do u know anything about painting. What brand are you using? Do u have a booth?
catastrophe
XS650 Addict
well i know that. what works the best. i heard people used to use doilies back in the day. curious on how you set the stencil and when to remove it? before or after it dries? any other tips? i dont know crap about painting. my experience consist of spray paint.
catastrophe
XS650 Addict
havent got the paint yet. thinking about trying this weekend. booth setup will be in a garaged closed off with drop clothes
Okay, finally something I do well. I'm a custom painter. If you want to go cheap you can get a great look with rattle can paints. The only difference is the amount of paint a rattle can lays is much thinner than that out of a spray gun.
Depending on the state of your tank (I'll use tank as a reference, it can be any tin) you can just scuff, or you can take it to bare metal. A paint job is ONLY as good as the prep.
LACE PAINT
Sanding: Use an 80 grit sand paper (dry) and sand the tank until it is uniform and there are no low spots. (use a lower grit to get it to bare metal) Then use a progressively finer grit to make the tank smooth but with enough "bite" for your primer to adhere to. (If you have any dents that need fixed you will need to go to bare metal. I can explain body work if you need it.) when you get to 180 grit lightly spray the tank with your primer and re-sand to find any low spots, they will show as the areas that there is still primer. Once you have the tank surface level increase to a finer grit. You will want your sanded finish to be at a 600 wet/dry
Priming: There are many primers, a good one for a beginner would be a high build sand-able primer. The color doesn't matter so much, but I would stick with light colors for light base coats and dark for dark. Plug all holes and tape any O.D. threads. Hang your tank where it is at about chest level with a heavy duty wire or rope. Before priming or painting make sure your area is as free of dust and debris as possible.
Shake the can for the full two minutes. Hold it about 6 to 8 in. away and apply a LIGHT first coat and allow it to flash (tack up) for about ten mins. When using rattle can paints a lot of light coats are better than the flash, med, and wet coat when using a compressor and gun. apply another thicker coat and let flash, continue until you have an even, fairly thick layer of primer.
Depending on the state of your tank (I'll use tank as a reference, it can be any tin) you can just scuff, or you can take it to bare metal. A paint job is ONLY as good as the prep.
LACE PAINT
Sanding: Use an 80 grit sand paper (dry) and sand the tank until it is uniform and there are no low spots. (use a lower grit to get it to bare metal) Then use a progressively finer grit to make the tank smooth but with enough "bite" for your primer to adhere to. (If you have any dents that need fixed you will need to go to bare metal. I can explain body work if you need it.) when you get to 180 grit lightly spray the tank with your primer and re-sand to find any low spots, they will show as the areas that there is still primer. Once you have the tank surface level increase to a finer grit. You will want your sanded finish to be at a 600 wet/dry
Priming: There are many primers, a good one for a beginner would be a high build sand-able primer. The color doesn't matter so much, but I would stick with light colors for light base coats and dark for dark. Plug all holes and tape any O.D. threads. Hang your tank where it is at about chest level with a heavy duty wire or rope. Before priming or painting make sure your area is as free of dust and debris as possible.
Shake the can for the full two minutes. Hold it about 6 to 8 in. away and apply a LIGHT first coat and allow it to flash (tack up) for about ten mins. When using rattle can paints a lot of light coats are better than the flash, med, and wet coat when using a compressor and gun. apply another thicker coat and let flash, continue until you have an even, fairly thick layer of primer.
catastrophe
XS650 Addict
your work deffinately shows your talent. thanks for the help. whats your advice on set up with the lace? and there any materials better then others? after your done painting do you pull the stencil after its all completely dry?
Before any painting make sure your surface is as clean as possible. Even finger prints can cause adhesion problems. Use grease and wax remover.
Base coat: Now when painting lace patterns, candy, or transparent colors, work the best. I would suggest that you find Krylon transparent spray paint. If you just want a beginners black and copper scheme follow this procedure.
Once your primer is dried and sanded to a 600 grit apply a copper metallic base coat over the whole tank using the same steps as priming. once dry sand to a 600 fixing any runs you might get (which won't happen with lots of light coats). Once this is done decide on the area you will want your pattern to be. Tape this off with a 1/8 in. vinyl tape you can get from your local painter supply. (see the helmet pic.) once this is done completely tape the inside of this area and spray the rest of the helmet black and let dry then sand to a 600. Unmask and there should be your copper panel. At this point make sure your black is dry or you could have adhesion problems.
Tape and mask all the black leaving the copper panel showing and go to the salvation army and pick out the lace in a pattern you like. Lace should be as thin as possible to get the best results. Stretch this over the copper panel as tight as possible and tape into place. Lightly spray over this in a complementary color. I would use a root-beer color but you can use any. spray slightly darker around the edges for a "deeper" look. Let this dry and remove the lace.
Do not spray the lace very wet. One or two LIGHT coats will be fine to bring out the pattern. Light on the drop shading around the edges too.
Clear: this is the most important part (besides prep) don't scrimp here. Spray Max sells a 2x clear for 16.00 bucks a can. Its worth it. With this clear you will do a flash (light coat) let set for five min. then a wetter coat, let set five min. then a wet coat. This coat should look wet when applying but not dripping. If you start to see ripples don't panic. Bring the can farther away from the tank and most of it should level as it dries.
Wet Sanding: Let this sit for 3 days to cure. get a 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000 wet sand paper. This is where your patients will pay off. Start with the 800 and have a spray bottle filled with water and a few drops of dish soap for lubricant. wet the tank and start sanding using a thick piece of rubber or a block. Stay light and sand out any runs or orange peel you might have got.Make sure to use lots of water and be aware, do not burn through your clear. Once this is done the clear will look dull. Don't panic, it's fine. Move on to the finer grits making your clear uniform and smoooth. Really take your time. You will konow your done sanding when there are no shinny spots. These are your low areas. Once done with the 2000 get some cutting compound and hand rub it out to a shine followed by a polish. Don't wax for a couple weeks.
This is a simplified set of instructions but should get you a decent paint job. If you need more detailed instruction let me know. Ryan
Base coat: Now when painting lace patterns, candy, or transparent colors, work the best. I would suggest that you find Krylon transparent spray paint. If you just want a beginners black and copper scheme follow this procedure.
Once your primer is dried and sanded to a 600 grit apply a copper metallic base coat over the whole tank using the same steps as priming. once dry sand to a 600 fixing any runs you might get (which won't happen with lots of light coats). Once this is done decide on the area you will want your pattern to be. Tape this off with a 1/8 in. vinyl tape you can get from your local painter supply. (see the helmet pic.) once this is done completely tape the inside of this area and spray the rest of the helmet black and let dry then sand to a 600. Unmask and there should be your copper panel. At this point make sure your black is dry or you could have adhesion problems.
Tape and mask all the black leaving the copper panel showing and go to the salvation army and pick out the lace in a pattern you like. Lace should be as thin as possible to get the best results. Stretch this over the copper panel as tight as possible and tape into place. Lightly spray over this in a complementary color. I would use a root-beer color but you can use any. spray slightly darker around the edges for a "deeper" look. Let this dry and remove the lace.
Do not spray the lace very wet. One or two LIGHT coats will be fine to bring out the pattern. Light on the drop shading around the edges too.
Clear: this is the most important part (besides prep) don't scrimp here. Spray Max sells a 2x clear for 16.00 bucks a can. Its worth it. With this clear you will do a flash (light coat) let set for five min. then a wetter coat, let set five min. then a wet coat. This coat should look wet when applying but not dripping. If you start to see ripples don't panic. Bring the can farther away from the tank and most of it should level as it dries.
Wet Sanding: Let this sit for 3 days to cure. get a 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000 wet sand paper. This is where your patients will pay off. Start with the 800 and have a spray bottle filled with water and a few drops of dish soap for lubricant. wet the tank and start sanding using a thick piece of rubber or a block. Stay light and sand out any runs or orange peel you might have got.Make sure to use lots of water and be aware, do not burn through your clear. Once this is done the clear will look dull. Don't panic, it's fine. Move on to the finer grits making your clear uniform and smoooth. Really take your time. You will konow your done sanding when there are no shinny spots. These are your low areas. Once done with the 2000 get some cutting compound and hand rub it out to a shine followed by a polish. Don't wax for a couple weeks.
This is a simplified set of instructions but should get you a decent paint job. If you need more detailed instruction let me know. Ryan
alfredo
1978 xs650 Special
this went from zero to tech article in just under three hours. 
liljerry564
XS650 Addict
I've never done lace. After you lay down the black base let it dry for 30 to 45 minutes. Mask it off and put your lace on. Do not touch it with your bare fingers the oil on your skin will fish eye the paint. After you spray over the lace unmask it after about 15 minutes. Then shoot your clear.
catastrophe
XS650 Addict
awesome ryan. thanks for your help. i really appreciate it. i will hit you up if i have any other question.
liljerry564
XS650 Addict
Here is a flame job I did.
O and keep the ground wet to help keep the dirt down.
liljerry564
XS650 Addict
Thanks. Thats paint left over from my truck.
