Am i correct?

[laserman]

I have a black bike. It is an 06, and I want to do some airbrushing on it. I want to keep the black base color and do some airbrushing on top of the black.
Process:
Degrease (any suggestions on degreser that i can get locally?)
Sand with 800
Wash and degrease again
airbursh
intercoat clear
clear

I have a guy that will clear it for me for 250.00.. He wants to buff it to. Is that a good price?
I have cleared a few things here, i always seem to get particles in the clear grrr, or i would do it myself.
thanks

[Cowboy]

Soap & Water ( I Prefer Dawn dish saop ) First LM , Then Degrease, I dont like Degreasers Myself , So I use Dupont 3812 Enamel reducer for that, I wouldn,t sand With anything finer then 500 Wet , But Thats just Me.

Degrease again, & Airbrush . When Your done with Your art. Then Hit it with Clear or Intercoat to Protect it . If He,s Supplying the Clear & Cutting & Buffing I,d say thats a fair Price. Just the Way I,d do it. I,m sure others will do it different Best of luck & take Plenty of pics .

[AndyW]

Only other I have been told is add a bit of plain soap to the water for the wet sand, helps keep the paper clean and move smoother over the work.

[jlay]

I would go pretty carfull with the 800 paper i know it is fairly fine but paint on some new production bikes seems really thin you may want to only concentrate on flatting the area that you will airbrush (only if its a bit uneven).
Then key up the remaining with a grey scotchbrite. Year a bit of soap does help with the flatting and for the scotchbrite work if you have any use with a little pollishing compound wet it gives a more uniform finish.

Good luck

[Cowboy]

I would go pretty carfull with the 800 paper i know it is fairly fine but paint on some new production bikes seems really thin you may want to only concentrate on flatting the area that you will airbrush (only if its a bit uneven).
Then key up the remaining with a grey scotchbrite. Year a bit of soap does help with the flatting and for the scotchbrite work if you have any use with a little pollishing compound wet it gives a more uniform finish.

Good luck

Thats a Good Point Jlay
& I,m sorry I,m not very clear Sometimes, BUT No matter How thin the Factory paint is. 800 grit is not enough bite. If You want it to hold up, Where I missed being clear is. If Your going over a factory finish Thats been Properly Degreased , & Good & Clean, & As Others have pointed out, Yes a Lil shot of Dish soap is a Great Idea.

But Also Soak Your Wet sanding paper at Least 15 minutes in a Warm Slightly soapy Solution In A VERY clean bucket, One Piece of sand or Dirt & Your Screwed. Then With a Clean rag, Slightly wet sand till the Shine is gone one Spot at a time, Constantly Wiping it off to see Where Youre at. DO Not Just Go at it & Blindy sand it with 5,6 or 8 hundred , Nor any other grit. Just Get the shine off & Yer good to go. This Way You Remove Very little Surface paint. But get the Proper Scratch for adhesion.

Also Dont Use a Bare Finger or Hand Method. A good Soft rubber pad that will Curve with the Surface or a 3m, Rubber thin block. & it Wont Leave Directional sanding Marks or Worse yet finger Prints as such.

Sorry I Keep Forgetting some of the Basic Techniques I,m Assuming Most people in Bizness are Familiar or at least should be aware of. Just takes the Proper steps & The proper base Preps are the Most Important , Once again Best of luck.

[Norm]

Laser, all good advice.. I use Simple Green for the soap and have never had an issue with it... and like Cowboy, I tend to go for the 500/600 grit for tooth. if you are careful you shouldn't have an issue. Good luck! and let's see some pics!!!!

[ABD]

CB is dead on how I do it...Also when wetsanding, dry the part often....It's the only way to see how you're doing....If you kept it wet you could sand into the base and never notice until it's to late..I go through paper towels like cray when i wetsand stuff....Better safe by drying and checking then going to far:D

[0patience]

Personally, I use soap and water, then I go wetsand 500, then soap and water, then Prepsol (reducer works too. I just like Prepsol), then tack cloth.

As was stated, prep is everything.

[laserman]

Thanks for all the advice everybody. Cross your fingers, lol i will take my time ;)
Gregg

[laserman]

LOL not pretty, but it works. Had some decking stuff laying around from when i did my deck and well it works. Wont win any beauty contests though :crazy_rotfl:

[Cowboy]

Aint Nuthin wrong with that Bud, Whatever Works, I,ve seen Lotsa Guys Make Fancy Metall Stands Then Use Them to cut & buff on. & Leave Small Dimples in the under side. Then Say What Happened. lol. I like the Wood stands Myself.

[0patience]

LOL not pretty, but it works. Had some decking stuff laying around from when i did my deck and well it works. Wont win any beauty contests though :crazy_rotfl:

Excellent!!
Can we see pics of the stand by itself when you get a chance?

That is great! I need to make me one of those and have been bouncing back and forth on what to do. That is a great idea. :perfect10:

[laserman]

Excellent!!
Can we see pics of the stand by itself when you get a chance?

That is great! I need to make me one of those and have been bouncing back and forth on what to do. That is a great idea. :perfect10:

Here you go..

[0patience]

Sweet!
Thanks!
Gonna save me a bunch of figuring out with that picture, you will.

Appreciate it.

[laserman]

OK, now i understand why it cost so much to get something airbrushed. I think everyone who wants to get something done, should have to sit down with the person doing the work and see how much work it takes to do what you all do. The prep, masking abing and much more.....
People just dont understand. I know i didnt, i am getting a great understanding as i start my bike. lol
Here is the start of the front fender...

[Cowboy]

Once again LM, A Great start. Yep . Understanding & Learning the Basics Are the Important steps. The Airbrushing Is a Personall payoff for Your Own Pleasure, & Hopefully some Bucks in Your Pocket.

To Many Choose the Quick Way. Sadly after Spending 100,s of Dollars if not way more, on Equipment, Videos, Lessons , Paints . Only to be Disapointed That They have no talent Or Worse Yet the Patience to Learn .

Seems these days to Me at least, With the Internet. The Common Statement from Most People Wanting to get in it . Is Ooh Ohh, Is I seen Airbrushing on the internet & custom Painting . Its So Cool. I Want to get in on it & Open a shop . What do I need & gotta do . Where can I Buy all the Equipment , Videos , & How do I do it. Need Info ASAP .

I,m Not Picking on Anyone here, Because This appears IMO, to be Far better Then any Other Place & I,ve Belonged to Most of them. It Just appears that 99 % of Even the New People here Read & Study before They Post & get about the Greatest welcome You can get on the internet these days.

Hopefully They dont Peek in the Mosh pit. hehe. Sorry Again Folks & Specially You Lm, Really wasn,t Trying to Jack Your thread . PM Me & I,ll make it go away If You would prefer . Just Trying to get a point across .

All that Bein Said , I Hope Yer Taking Plenty of Progress pics. Thanks for the Update.

[ABD]

CB you've been on a roll lately with the spiffy jacks..hahaha...Ya know I sure don't mind..Always have a great perspective on things...keeps things interesting and alive..Buncha one liner threads get old..Course i've been guilty of one liners too...I try to do better most days..LOL

Lookin real slick laser!...Yip, lotta lil steps go into the whole funbus..After awhile you don't have to think about em so much...But either way, they gotta be done..lol..Nothing good ever comes from half assed...hahaha!

[bigwater]

Well, since we're jackin' threads


Personally, I use soap and water, then I go wetsand 500, then soap and water, then Prepsol (reducer works too. I just like Prepsol), then tack cloth.

As was stated, prep is everything.

I hope you're taking appropriate precaustions with Prep-Sol. It's some nasty stuff. Always wear rubber gloves and a respirator when handling it. That stuff can soak in through your skin and cause liver damage, and the vapors are toxic too. Six lbs of VOCs per gallon. It'll mess you up.

[laserman]

lol, sanded it all back down.. I didnt like it. There should be seperation in the black.. Oh well thank goodness it is ready to snow here.. lol

[0patience]

Well, since we're jackin' threads

I hope you're taking appropriate precaustions with Prep-Sol. It's some nasty stuff. Always wear rubber gloves and a respirator when handling it. That stuff can soak in through your skin and cause liver damage, and the vapors are toxic too. Six lbs of VOCs per gallon. It'll mess you up.
Gloves, ventilation fan, respirator and I have a catch container for waste fluids.
I don't do anything without the gloves and respirator.
Full face works the best.


Laserman,
What did you use for the pattern on the snakeskin?

[laserman]

ok did it again. Quicker once you screw it up once. lol

I use ripped pieces of paper. 000HIRES gave all the info on the board.. Thanks 000HIRES :)

search for snakesin, you will see it. His snakeskin is awesome.

[Norm]

That is lookin killer Laser! Great job!

[lenmcc]

wow, those are impressive! the first one, too, i thought! nice work!

[Cowboy]

Very nice LM, the thing I Like most about it Is, The darker Outlines aren,t Perfectly even or Straight , More True to a Real Snakeskin then Some I,ve seen , IMO .

[laserman]

Thanks everybody. You guys sure know how to make a man smile :) hoping to finish the rest of the fender up tonight if i get time.

[Stang]

That looks awesome. I agree with everybody for the most part. I sand my primer with 400, if I seal it. 600 if I don't. Most of you know I'm not right in the head so I always reduce the painter before I start. That really helps the paint flow.

[Strictly Attitude]

Looking good laserman

[laserman]

ok what are your thoughts? tried the ripped metal look, i think it came out ok, but you are the experts.
thanks

[Cowboy]

No Expert here By far. But Pics aint quite big or clear enough , To Make much out. From What I can see , looks Perty good so far LM .

[sharonsstudio]

LM pic a little blury can't really see clear.. but from what I can see looks good..
where you covered the black is the snake skin bumps comming through??
if it is I like it... gives it a thin metal look.. you are doing great keep up the great work..

[laserman]

Here are some better pics sorry dam phone isnt that good , and i need to get a good camera. thanks for the help..

Sahronsstudio, yes it does thanks for the comments..